S04.E01: It's Been (Part 1) / S04.E02: It's Been (Part 2)

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

After proposing to Gretchen and immediately abandoning her on a hilltop, Jimmy has gone into hiding in the middle of nowhere in an attempt to escape reality. Reality does not comply.

 

Quote

Gretchen takes the first baby steps toward reconstructing her life as Edgar and Lindsay struggle to find normalcy in their new post‐Jimmy/Gretchen world.

Edited September 13, 2017 by ElectricBoogaloo

[Adultosaurus]

Oh how I hate-watch this show.  An entire Jimmy episode may have done me in.

[luna1122]

Where is everyone?

I do not hate watch this show, I think it's generally a little brilliant. Jimmy and Gretchen both going on self imposed down spirals was interesting, and in keeping with the self destructiveness they always display. It's kind of a miracle that both are so very terrible and repulsive in so many ways, yet I still feel empathy for them and somehow want them to be okay. Maybe not together, tho. then again, they're the only two people who can really stand each other.

Arlo Givens!

Edgar and Lindsay doing their not-flattering-but-dead-on impressions of Jimmy and Gretchen was awesome.

[3outta5]

I really liked this episode. Jimmy's "Can't - no keys. Burn!" cracked me up, as well as all of the '90's hits.

[ms gilly]

I liked it too.  I especially liked that everything got turned on its head, rather than more of the same.  I cheered a little for Edgar and Lindsay's hookup, but Edgar really deserves someone better.  I enjoyed old cranky eccentric loner guy as the (partial) impetus for Jimmy to head back and face things, and that somehow Jimmy inspired him to warm up and connect with people too.  

[wendyg]

I loved the whole thing. I thought all those characters acted exactly in keeping with their established characters and their storylines. Raymond Barry, who played Burt, is of course the same actor who played Arlo in JUSTIFIED (albeit with a different accent), and I thought he was wonderful. Separately, it was great to see Dee Wallace again (Gail) - back in 1979 she had a pivotal role in the Blake Edwards movie "10", which announced Dudley Moore's arrival as a comedy movie star and which at the time was unfortunately overwhelmed by publicity for Bo Derek. I didn't recognize her face immediately, but her voice is unmistakeable.

[FurryFury]

The Jimmy part was a bit hard to watch - I get it, Daddy issues, blah blah blah, but I genuinely loved the Gretchen/Lindsay stuff. I mean, I actually loved Lindsay for the first time since, like, ever. That's a delicious role reversal with her and Gretchen, that's for sure. 

Excited to see the show back, but I don't think it has a lot of mileage left in it. Season or two, tops. 

Edited September 7, 2017 by FurryFury

[arc]

The Jimmy half, while good, had me anxious to see the rest of the ensemble. So I definitely like the Gretchen half more, because it started filling us in on what happened with Edgar and Lindsay as well.

It'll be interesting to see how YTW puts Gretch and Jimmy back together, which I pretty much assume they will. I read a news story online with some of the writers saying that in any kind of real life situation like what Jimmy did to Gretchen on the hilltop, that couple wouldn't just be permanently broken up but they would never talk to each other again.

[tennisgurl]

I loved it, it was great catching up with all the characters, and seeing how they are dealing with the "for real" break up of Jimmy and Gretchen. Jimmy disappears into an old people community where he can hate everyone on his own, and Gretchen is hiding out in Lindsay's house, smoking crack and only barley holding on. Meanwhile, Lindsay and Edgar have actually gotten their lives together (for the most part) and find themselves as the "serious" ones for once. Its an interesting start for the season. 

The Jimmy part was a bit slow, but I liked how it ended, with the old guys constant anger inspiring him to head back home to deal with his life, and Jimmy's truth Bombs inspiring Arlo (ok Burt, but its Arlo) to open up to people, even if its just a little bit. But the other half moved a lot faster, and I love Gretchen in manic mode. 

"You know that American rap is huge in Europe right now, because of...Brexit?"

"Oh yeah yeah totally I heard that!" 

I know that Jimmy and Gretchen are probably going to spend quite awhile split up after the end of last season, and if the writers REALLY want to defy expectations, they wont get them together at all, but I am already looking forward to their reunion. They might be toxic, and have treated each other awfully at various times, but their chemistry always shines. 

[whiporee]

I didn't think it could be better than it was. The hour flew, and I was generally captivated by Jimmy's story. And I just run out of adjectives for Aya Cash. She was brilliant through her own arc. 

As good an hour of TV as I've seen this year. Edgar and Lindsey playing Jimmy and Gretchen was fantastically funny. Was Gretchen back with someone we knew? He seemed to speak to her in a very familiar, domineering way and I remember someone like that she was a girl on the side to, but I could be remembering it wrong. 

My only complaint was that Jimmy's new book a) wouldn't be out in three months and b) certainly wouldn't have gone straight to paperback. Unless that was him original book, and it was being sent to him by the library. But aside from that, I don't honestly think it could have been much better than it was. 

[butterbody]

I loved when I made the connection that the random red car that always sped past the diner was actually Burt. 

[atomic]

2 hours ago, whiporee said:

Was Gretchen back with someone we knew? He seemed to speak to her in a very familiar, domineering way and I remember someone like that she was a girl on the side to, but I could be remembering it wrong. 

Movie director guy she was hooking up with when the series first started.

[wendyg]

whiporee: that wasn't a paperback, it was a *proof copy* - that is, an early preprint with a plain cover that you send to reviewers so you can have a big launch with all the reviews out. Typically, proof copies come with a warning that corrections and changes may still be made before final printing. (I guess we have to assume that Jimmy bailed on reading and correcting the galleys, too, but he can still make corrections at this stage.)

[iMonrey]

I got a genuine kick out of Gretchen's obsession with JackFM because that's the radio station I usually listen to at home.

I really should have tried to refresh my memory by re-watching at least the last episode of Season 3 because I honestly don't remember what happened between Jimmy and Gretchen. I have a vague memory of him leaving her on a hilltop but I do not remember the circumstances or the reasons. I also struggled to remember what the situation was with the guy she was in bed with at the end of this episode. Again, I just have a vague recollection there was some (married?) guy in her life when she met Jimmy.

That's really the only problem with this show, and others that run about 10-13 episodes once a year. By the time they swing back around for another season, you've forgotten a lot of what happened.

[arc]

At the start of the series, Ty was just a douche-y film director Gretchen was occasionally hooking up with. Not really serious on either side. I don't think he appeared in season 3 at all.

[starriepie]

5 hours ago, arc said:

At the start of the series, Ty was just a douche-y film director Gretchen was occasionally hooking up with. Not really serious on either side. I don't think he appeared in season 3 at all.

He didn't. 

I did notice a parallel between the end scene of the Pilot and the end scene of the S4 premiere. In the premiere, Gretchen and Jimmy had the fight about the night before and she goes over to Douche-y Ty's house, they hook up, she grabs cocaine for Sam and the boys, and does a hit herself. She's in the bathtub taking the hit when Jimmy calls and they banter flirtily back and forth and you can see the start of the relationship. In this, she's again hiding out over by Ty's tub (that sounds like a weird bar), goes over to hook up, and bam! Jimmy's text. Only this time, she ignores it. 

I scared the dog with the noise I made when that "Hey..." popped up. Ugh. 

[Blakeston]

This probably sounds weird, but the woman who played Gail looked eerily like an older version of Jennifer Lawrence to me.

[whiporee]

15 hours ago, wendyg said:

whiporee: that wasn't a paperback, it was a *proof copy* - that is, an early preprint with a plain cover that you send to reviewers so you can have a big launch with all the reviews out. Typically, proof copies come with a warning that corrections and changes may still be made before final printing. (I guess we have to assume that Jimmy bailed on reading and correcting the galleys, too, but he can still make corrections at this stage.)

LOL -- I guess I'd know that if my book ever made it out of the acquisitions committee. But it died in two different ones. Thanks for the insight and info!

[Ottis]

The show was done well, I just struggle with the over reactions to everything that Jimmy and Gretchen have. People do get turned down when they propose. They usually don't then go on drug binges or run away and live in a trailer in a seniors community. Having them come back from something they caused themselves    fekt like spinning our wheels. I did like the people Jimmy met at the seniors park and their interaction. 

[possibilities]

She didn't turn him down. She accepted.

They are both dysfunctional people, and always have been. I don't find it surprising when they do things reasonable people would never do, because the entire show has been about how messed up they are and how they wallow in each others' dysfunction.

[Ottis]

26 minutes ago, possibilities said:

She didn't turn him down. She accepted.

They are both dysfunctional people, and always have been. I don't find it surprising when they do things reasonable people would never do, because the entire show has been about how messed up they are and how they wallow in each others' dysfunction.

Exactly. For me, it gets old when they over react. 

[scrb]

I didn't get that Lindsay was breaking out of her old narcissistic self.

That montage of her cutting in line for the bagel and eating food in the fridge that was clearly labeled for someone else seemed like the old Lindsay.

Not to mention her smoking the crack without too much hesitation and her recounting coming home for lunch and occupying herself for 45 minutes.

That is classic Lindsay of the previous seasons.

So it was kind of surprising to see she was serious about her job, afraid to lose it when Gretchen showed up at work.

Then she realized Gretchen could sabotage her so she went to Edgar to see if Jimmy was hiding out.  She was hoping to offload Gretchen onto Jimmy.

[Qoass]

I usually hate when producers screw with shows I like just fine the way they are but this show never ceases to surprise me and I've loved nearly every curve ball they've thrown.

[iMonrey]

Quote

She didn't turn him down. She accepted.

So . . . what happened? Can anyone refresh my memory? He took her up to this scenic lookout site and proposed and she accepted and then he . . . . drove away and abandoned her? I can't remember how this played out.

[possibilities]

He proposed, and she accepted. After saying yes, she was crying with happiness and babbling about how they were family now and blah blah blah happycakes, and then she suggested the have sex on the hilltop. He said yes, and that he would go to the car and get a hoodie (I think for them to lie on, but to me that doesn't make sense because a hoodie would not cover much ground, but that's what he said), and then he went to the car and drove away, leaving her there.

I don't THINK he originally intended to abandon her after the proposal, but after she accepted he apparently freaked out and decided to run.

Edited September 11, 2017 by possibilities

[Irlandesa]

I seem to recall the minute she mentioned that they were going to be family, the change happened in Jimmy.  So for whatever reason, the idea of creating a family triggered him.

[scrb]

Hmm, that blows, you can't see the previous seasons on demand unless you subscribe to Hulu Plus.

[Traveller519]

Easily my favorite half-hour comedy, which worked in the hour-long format because of the related stories, while also taking the time to explore each of them.

Jimmy's story spoke to the the appeal that I'm sure many of us have. Being able to escape all responsibility and live nearly off-the-radar. As angry as I am with the character for what he did to Gretchen, there was a bohemian appeal to his lifestyle. And I genuinely felt the anxiety build when his phone turned on. That is the nightmare that comes with that behaviour. You haven't actually escaped your responsibilities, you're just hiding from them, and deferring them. Likely with large consequences.

It was nice seeing Lindsay's emancipation, done in her own way, and Edgar's continued development. As much as I liked him with Dorothy, I think the show did a good job of letting him move past her without making her the bad guy. The crash for their characters certainly looms.

[TheRabbi]

I'm glad they aired these 2 episodes together. I zoned out of the Jimmy episode after about 5 minutes and never recovered. I found it painfully boring. The Gretchen episode however, was funny and moved things along nicely.

[MaggieG]

I love Sam and Honey Nuts on the Skype call. "I tweet threathened Connie Chung!"

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I love that despite getting a job and being more responsible, there are still traces of old Lindsay. Watching her cram a handful of Carl's niidles into her mouth was classic Linds. 

It was interesting to see that Jimmy, who prided himself on having no friends during S1 and S2 easily settled into a friendship with Arlo Givens that consisted of drinking, watching DVDs, and talking shit about the other neighbors. It's not surprising that Jimmy found a kindred spirit there. It's more surprising that they stopped being cranky long enough to discover that they were so alike. Heh, it probably happened when they came out of their trailers at the same time to give the stink eye to someone else. 

Considering how dependent Jimmy was on Edgar for, well, almost everything, it was nice to see Jimmy being so self sufficient. The fact that he went to the library to get a book on how to wire his electricity was probably the most surprising thing he did in this episode. 

Sad that he was able to abandon not only Gretchen (not surprising given that he probably felt guilty and didn't want to deal with the fallout), but he hasn't spoken to Edgar since he left? Poor Edgar. He has been so loyal to Jimmy for all these years and then not a word, even just to let him know that he's alive and okay. What made that even more hurtful was knowing that Jimmy didn't just drop off the face of the earth - he told his agent (or publisher) where he was. 

Gretchen is often the architect of her own unhappiness but this time I really felt for her. Her boyfriend proposed and then promptly abandoned her without a word. That's fucked up, even for Jimmy. It's no surprise that she was spiraling and afraid to leave the apartment. 

Lindsay is usually an enabler so I loved that she gave Gretchen some much needed tough love. It was hilarious when she realized that she and Edgar had become the responsible ones. As much as I laughed at their Jimmy and Gretchen imitation, their post coital discussion about how they can just have sex without attachment showed that they really have become Gretchen and Jimmy, but even less self aware than the originals. I know they won't be able to keep up this friends with benefits thing for long. Someone is going to start developing emotional attachments. I'm guessing that it will be Lindsay, just to mix it up from Edgar pining for her in the previous seasons. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Gretchen yelling 90s lyrics at Lindsay was hilarious! I remember how inescapable that BNL song was.

[iMonrey]

Quote

immy's story spoke to the the appeal that I'm sure many of us have. Being able to escape all responsibility and live nearly off-the-radar. As angry as I am with the character for what he did to Gretchen, there was a bohemian appeal to his lifestyle. And I genuinely felt the anxiety build when his phone turned on. That is the nightmare that comes with that behaviour. You haven't actually escaped your responsibilities, you're just hiding from them, and deferring them. Likely with large consequences.

But, how did his publisher know where to send the advance copy of his book?

[wendyg]

Most likely is that only his agent knows where he is, and the publisher sent the proof copy to the agent. It implies very strongly that he never intended to disappear forever from his life, at least not his literary life. Either that, or his agent hired a detective.

[StrictTime]

On 9/7/2017 at 1:32 PM, wendyg said:

I loved the whole thing. I thought all those characters acted exactly in keeping with their established characters and their storylines. Raymond Barry, who played Burt, is of course the same actor who played Arlo in JUSTIFIED (albeit with a different accent), and I thought he was wonderful. Separately, it was great to see Dee Wallace again (Gail) - back in 1979 she had a pivotal role in the Blake Edwards movie "10", which announced Dudley Moore's arrival as a comedy movie star and which at the time was unfortunately overwhelmed by publicity for Bo Derek. I didn't recognize her face immediately, but her voice is unmistakeable.

My favorite Raymond Berry role is his exasperated chief of police in the little-known hilarious comedy "The Ref" with Kevin Spacey, Judy Davis and Denis Leary.  He's so good!

Loved these first two episodes.  The Lindsey-Edgar hook-up was so natural and so "real-life". That kind of thing happens all the time.  It will be very interesting to see if the writers can keep it grounded.