Season 4 Talk

[OnceSane]

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The Johnsons go to Jack and Diane’s school play about Columbus Day, and Dre is dismayed by the historically inaccurate way that the holiday is portrayed. He feels like there aren’t enough black holidays, so he enlists Aloe Blacc at work to help him create a catchy song to raise awareness for a holiday worth celebrating.

[Dee]

That was.....a mess.

[Bronzedog]

That was the longest 30 minutes of my life.

[mtlchick]

Well you know the show has arrived they have a hashtag emoji on Twitter.

But I thought the season opener last year at Disney was rough.  This was just "not uncomfortable at all" writing wise.  I know what they were were trying to accomplish with the Hamilton inspiration, it fell flat for me.

It was saved by the Roots Crew special and Charlie being Charlie.  And I wouldn't mind Aloe Blacc coming back.  At least he's not Chris Brown.

[OnceSane]

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Bow is feeling overwhelmed after the birth of DeVante and learns she is suffering from postpartem depression. Dre urges her to get help and stands by her side while she works through it. Meanwhile, the kids babyproof the house in an effort to help their parents out.

[meatball77]

I loved it.

Totally weird that Rainbow was suddenly not pregnant and there were no babies. . . . Explaining Juneteenth would probably have been better closer to June. . I know they wrapped it into Columbus day but it still seemed off

[Irlandesa]

19 minutes ago, meatball77 said:

Totally weird that Rainbow was suddenly not pregnant and there were no babies.

The baby was with Bow in the beginning of the episode. 

Good episode to show in a history class.  But it did not quite hit the mark as a sitcom episode. I did enjoy the earlier songs but the later songs didn't quite hit the mark.  And there were precious few jokes.

I did enjoy Charlie's Electric Slide.  And I also love Rockport shoes so....

[Dee]

10 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

The baby was with Bow in the beginning of the episode.

And at the end of the episode.

[possibilities]

I liked it. I thought the Columbus Day tie in was perfectly reasonable.

I kept waiting for Bow's video to reveal that the kids' play actually did call out the horrors of Columbus but none of them noticed at the time, because they were all busy being distracted by butterscotch candies.

I still don't like Ruby and Bow being enemies. I wish they'd stop that.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

3 hours ago, mtlchick said:

At least he's not Chris Brown.

I feel like we have set a pretty low bar for guest stars with this!

[AnimeMania]

Why is Zoey still there, I thought she went to college?

[Mama No Life]

I liked it. I learned something too.  

 

The best part for me was the Schoolhouse Rock "I'm just a bill" turning into "I'm just a slave".  I mean, sad subject matter obviously, but a nice callback to my childhood.

 

I thought Zoey had decided to go locally to college so she wouldn't miss the baby growing up. Or did I dream'splain that?

[ZaldamoWilder]

It definitely didn't work as a straight up sitcom episode I guess because it's hard to get a chuckle outta the issues surrounding slavery lol.   Which, (I'm hoping) was the point if this is still supposed to be a show about internal/external dialogue about the duality of blackness.   If that's still the topic, yeah, they're gonna have to get unfunny sometimes.    I joined in singing along to I'm just a slave.  As messed up as that is, Schoolhouse Rock is how I learned about legislation hee.  Sue me I'm here for all the stuff that wasn't in my classroom history books.   Can't remember the dude in the conference room's name but when he said hey do you think my aunt's house in Savannah was built by slaves, it's got these lovely columns and the cutest little guest houses.........oh.  

Hi-la-ri-ous.

Charlie's personal struggle (talent?) about learning how to alter many things, including time sheets, then:  "I've said too much" had me on the floor.   I'm mad they moved the timeslot, I came across it by accident.  Normally I would've been watching This is Us.

[GHScorpiosRule]

4 hours ago, Mama No Life said:

The best part for me was the Schoolhouse Rock "I'm just a bill" turning into "I'm just a slave".  I mean, sad subject matter obviously, but a nice callback to my childhood.

This! At first I was like, wait, that music sounds familiar? Where have I heard it before? Then DING! "Schoolhouse ROCK!!!!"

[Dee]

18 minutes ago, ZaldamoWilder said:

Charlie's personal struggle (talent?) about learning how to alter many things, including time sheets, then:  "I've said too much" had me on the floor.

His leaving work early to attend an electric slide convention had me howling. Never change, Mr. Telphy.

[MaryMitch]

8 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

Why is Zoey still there, I thought she went to college?

I think I saw her billed as a "guest star" at the end.

I loved it - it was different, but as a white person it made me think about our culture and how I take things for granted. And I have never heard about Juneteenth.

[rollacoaster]

We've celebrated Juneteenth in Texas as long as I can remember. Makes sense, though, cuz that date was particularly pertinent to us.  I've alway wondered why Black folk don't celebrate January 1, 1863, the date President Lincoln formally issued the Emancipation Proclamation, or Dec. 6, 1865, the day the 13th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified and slavery officially abolished. 

Edited October 4, 2017 by rollacoaster

[qtpye]

10 hours ago, possibilities said:

I liked it. I thought the Columbus Day tie in was perfectly reasonable.

I kept waiting for Bow's video to reveal that the kids' play actually did call out the horrors of Columbus but none of them noticed at the time, because they were all busy being distracted by butterscotch candies.

I still don't like Ruby and Bow being enemies. I wish they'd stop that.

I love the actress who plays Ruby, but it is crazy to thinl Bow would pit up with that shit.  It was particularly jarrng after they had such a sweet moment in the hospital last season.

[mtlchick]

1 hour ago, ZaldamoWilder said:

I'm mad they moved the timeslot, I came across it by accident.  Normally I would've been watching This is Us.

First 3 seasons: "I will watch this immediately!...after I watch Empire!"

Now: "I will watch this immediately!...after I watch This Is Us!" 

[monakane]

I liked the point they were trying to make, but the execution was off.  It was a good history lesson.  Also, as a lover of all things strawberry, I am going to have to try some strawberry soda.  It sounds delicious.

[Traveller519]

4 minutes ago, monakane said:

I liked the point they were trying to make, but the execution was off.  It was a good history lesson.  Also, as a lover of all things strawberry, I am going to have to try some strawberry soda.  It sounds delicious.

I agree with you completely. I learned something, a lot actually, from watching the episode. So something good comes out of it. However, I'm personally not much of a musical fan, and that type of performance isn't quite where the casts talents lie.

But I did love Aloe Black's presence and foil for Dre, and the office crew was as good as usual.

[Joimiaroxeu]

"You see, them light-skinned babies never know how to act." Was she insinuating what I think she was, lol?

"...vaguely sound like Tracy Chapman." Ouch.

I want to say this episode was brilliant but brilliant doesn't seem like a good enough word to me.

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strawberry soda

Red soda water.

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I feel like we have set a pretty low bar for guest stars with this!

After such a promising beginning of the season I'm hoping I won't have to take my praise back later when (speculating) O.J. Simpson guest stars.

[TiffanyNichelle]

I thought this was a good episode though I wanted more of emphasis on how Dre was working so hard to make the white people at work care about Juneteenth when he himself never actually celebrated and never even told his kids what it was about. Instead of educating white people about it let's make sure our own people even know about it. I never heard about it until an old episode of Girlfriends mentioned it.

[Madding crowd]

I was looking forward to more interactions/comedy among the family. I always love the Charlie segments but hate how they cannot have any white employees who are not complete morons. The songs were catchy but back when I was still teaching elementary school we did teach about Juneteenth Day although it was during our summer break so we did not actually celebrate it. I get the point but hope for more comedy. 

[tennisgurl]

I hadn't heard about Juneteenth until they had an episode about it on Atlanta last year. This episode was a good history lesson, and an alright episode of a sitcom. It was one of those Black-ish episodes which is more about teaching a lesson or dealing with an issue (with the occasional joke) than being funny, which is fine, and they are usually good at it, but they usually arent my favorites. I tend to prefer episodes that more combine the laughs with the lessons and commentary. 

I did really like Aloe Blacc and how annoyed Dre was getting with him, and how Aloe Blacc was clearly getting through to Dres coworkers more than he ever does. I also love how every time Dre starts to go on one of his rants about race, everyone's reaction is basically "oh boy here we go again", because it means another day without getting work done. I one day want to jiff Dre saying "Your dumb" to Stevens son, and Stevens "that was not uncomfortable at all" line. Those were so applicable. Also, Charlie is the best. "Its not to go to an electric slide convention".

The songs were pretty good, my favorite being the I`m just a Slave song, because School House Rock is awesome, and the Hamilton inspired songs were pretty good. But, does every show need a Hamilton spin now? Do I need to drive halfway across the country to see this show just to keep up?!?!

I did like the end where Dre decides to just celebrate Juneteenth instead of getting angry about other people not celebrating. Lead by example! Also, "I knew the dude who invented Kwanzaa! Owes me $36!" 

Edited October 4, 2017 by tennisgurl

[AlleC17]

33 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

I hadn't heard about Juneteenth until they had an episode about it on Atlanta last year. This episode was a good history lesson, and an alright episode of a sitcom. It was one of those Black-ish episodes which is more about teaching a lesson or dealing with an issue (with the occasional joke) than being funny, which is fine, and they are usually good at it, but they usually arent my favorites. I tend to prefer episodes that more combine the laughs with the lessons and commentary. 

 

Yeah, I agree...I never like the 'lesson' episodes of sitcoms, but it was okay here...except for a season premiere, I think a straight up funny episode would have been a better way to kick things off.

[Aileen]

17 hours ago, Dee said:

And at the end of the episode.

And in the middle. Devante was basically in the whole show...

[peeayebee]

3 hours ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

Red soda water.

What do you mean? Does strawberry soda taste like soda water colored red to you? 

I thought this was a great ep, though I didn't like the stuff at the school play. (Did Jack and Diane call it a talent show?) Everyone in the family was so rude, talking loudly while the rest of the families were trying to watch their kids perform. It just occurred to me: Was this a joke about black people talking during movies?

Anyway, after that, I loved it. I thought the two musical numbers were really good. I wouldn't be surprised if some schools did them for school assemblies. As for Juneteenth, the first time I heard of it was in the 90's when I lived in Virginia. I grew up in Southern California and either never heard of it or just didn't "hear" it when/if mentioned.

I'm liking Wanda Sykes more than during last season. I'm not sure what the change is.

My one complaint about the musical numbers is there wasn't enough of Jack dancing. Some, sure, but not enough. 

I'm surprised how much I laughed when the boss's son leaned toward Josh and said, "You did this. YOU!"

And now I would like some red velvet cake please.

[Star Aristille]

7 hours ago, MaryMitch said:

I think I saw her billed as a "guest star" at the end.

Yep.  Yara's now getting recurring, "guest star" credit due to her spinoff.  (Speaking of that, when does that premiere?)

As a bonus, Deon Cole (Charlie) is now a regular!  Awesome!:)

The only thing I remember about June 19 is that it's the birthday of my favorite comic character, Garfield.  Other than that, I never think much about that date and had no idea that it has so much important in the black community.

1 hour ago, peeayebee said:

I'm liking Wanda Sykes more than during last season. I'm not sure what the change is.

I've actually always liked Wanda (and Daphne), but I think it helps that they dialed her back enormously in this episode.

For that reason, I'm actually liking Connor a lot more already.  Seems like they dialed him back, too, a very long way from what he was like last season.

[LADreamr]

5 hours ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

"...vaguely sound like Tracy Chapman." Ouch.

Wasn't sure why that was supposed to be an insult.  She's amazing.

[Joimiaroxeu]

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What do you mean? Does strawberry soda taste like soda water colored red to you? 

Red soda water is what it is (or used to be) properly called in Texas. Strawberry soda would be a "prettied up" version but as I recall it wasn't necessarily strawberry-flavored. I would say more like a cherry ICEE but OMMV. More here on an NPR podcast.

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Wasn't sure why that was supposed to be an insult.  She's amazing.

The "insult" was probably because she's a woman and Aloe Blacc isn't.

[LADreamr]

31 minutes ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

The "insult" was probably because she's a woman and Aloe Blacc isn't.

I get that.  I'm just so over it.

[Kimmel77]

As a non-American I found this episode educational, informative and overall interesting. Loved the Roots animation and song, that hit a mark as well. I agree with others it didn't feel like a sitcom episode at moments but there were funny points regardless.

[A.Ham]

6 hours ago, Star Aristille said:

Yep.  Yara's now getting recurring, "guest star" credit due to her spinoff.  (Speaking of that, when does that premiere?)

 

IMDB says it's in pre-production and is slated for 2018. I'll be checking it out.

[greekmom]

On 10/3/2017 at 9:30 PM, Dee said:

That was.....a mess.

Agreed. Execution was way off. Not very funny except for Charlie.

[peeayebee]

13 hours ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

Red soda water is what it is (or used to be) properly called in Texas. Strawberry soda would be a "prettied up" version but as I recall it wasn't necessarily strawberry-flavored. I would say more like a cherry ICEE but OMMV. More here on an NPR podcast.

Thanks! Very interesting.

[rollacoaster]

59 minutes ago, peeayebee said:

Red soda water is what it is (or used to be) properly called in Texas. Strawberry soda would be a "prettied up" version but as I recall it wasn't necessarily strawberry-flavored. I would say more like a cherry ICEE but OMMV. More here on an NPR podcast.

Yeah, cuz no strawberries were harmed in making of it, but, for sure, it's red, lol!

[LizDC]

One thing that confused me (and I rewound and close captioned to be sure), Jack and Diane said that they were in 3rd grade. How? Marsai is 13 and Miles is 11.  This show is in its 4th season so were the twins in kindergarten when it started?

[PradaKitty]

I can't believe how many people hadn't heard about Juneteenth.  I'm a white Californian and it was actually covered in my high school history class ( in the 1970's) (by my white teacher).  Kudos to the powers that be on ABC and Black-ish for educating people!

[GHScorpiosRule]

50 minutes ago, LizDC said:

One thing that confused me (and I rewound and close captioned to be sure), Jack and Diane said that they were in 3rd grade. How? Marsai is 13 and Miles is 11.  This show is in its 4th season so were the twins in kindergarten when it started?

Child actors almost always play characters younger than their actual ages. If they can look the part, a lot of the times, young adult actors can play teenagers. But yeah, I thought the twins were five or six when the show started, so third grade now is believable for me.

[BoogieBurns]

Juneteenth is a weird holiday. We "celebrate" it by acknowledging it. But the truth is that Texan slaves were purposely not told they were free until much later than other states. The last group of slaves finding out is what we are celebrating. I don't know why we are happy they delayed our freedom. I also live in Texas, and they have parades and stuff that day, sort of patting themselves on the back for freeing slaves; when they really kept them in slavery extra long.

Unrelated, my birthday is exactly 9 months after Juneteenth, so I joked that my parents clearly celebrated June 19 at least once. #ConceptionJoke

[ljenkins782]

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Yep.  Yara's now getting recurring, "guest star" credit due to her spinoff.  (Speaking of that, when does that premiere?)

Hmm, I wonder if that could ultimately be a bad move for her if she gets paid less as a recurring guest star? I'll try to be open-minded but that back-door pilot last season did not grab me at all. I like Zoey's character, but I can't see her carrying an entire show. 

I wasn't a huge fan of this episode, the musical numbers felt awkward. Interesting concept, but not executed all that well, IMO. 

I've watched the old episodes so often that I was really looking forward to a new episode, but that didn't do it for me at all. 

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One thing that confused me (and I rewound and close captioned to be sure), Jack and Diane said that they were in 3rd grade. How? Marsai is 13 and Miles is 11.  This show is in its 4th season so were the twins in kindergarten when it started?

I think they were supposed to be that young. Given that they were both pretty tiny then, it wasn't a problem but I can see it getting awkward  soon if they're that old IRL. 

[greekmom]

IMHO One thing I didn't like was Dre's comment on how "white people get more holidays than us."   Actually most holidays based on country and dominate religion in said country. The comment was not funny inaccurate but grossly inaccurate. 

[peeayebee]

2 hours ago, PradaKitty said:

I can't believe how many people hadn't heard about Juneteenth.  I'm a white Californian and it was actually covered in my high school history class ( in the 1970's) (by my white teacher).  Kudos to the powers that be on ABC and Black-ish for educating people!

Sounds like we're about the same age, and I'm also a white Californian. (Sounds like a wine.) However, I don't remember Juneteenth being taught. Then again, I don't remember a lot of stuff. 

[TGinKY]

This show has become too preachy to be entertaining.  I used to enjoy it, because it was a comedy and therefore funny. Not anymore.  I quit watching (for the same reason) last season and decided to give it another try and what did I get? I got this episode. To quote Adam Goldberg, "Balls!"

[luckyroll3]

I liked all the scenes of this episode that weren't musical.  And man do I love a musical.  The songs just weren't that good and/or catchy.  

[PradaKitty]

They were obviously going for a "Hamilton" with the musical numbers.  They just needed Lin Manuel Miranda to write them.

[snarktini]

So...could they not get Daveed Diggs to guest? Johan was kind of annoying but that character would have totally paid off if we'd gotte him for the Hamilton-inspired episode. I kept expecting him to pop up but he never did.

[Court]

Dre is insufferable. He's so obnoxious that any good points get lost. 

I learned about Juneteenth in school. So have my kids. Our town has a one day festival celebrating it.

I agree more people should know about it and do what they want to honor/celebrate it.

But my issue lies with Dre being upset other people weren't familiar but he'd never taught his kids or celebrated it before now. That's where the conversation should have been had.

I'm also really sick of the dumbing down of his co-workers. Stevens son can leave.

 

Charlie is the best.

Edited October 6, 2017 by Court

[Mrs OldManBalls]

On 2017-10-04 at 5:22 PM, peeayebee said:

I'm surprised how much I laughed when the boss's son leaned toward Josh and said, "You did this. YOU!"

I loved that, and they way everyone in the room sighed and was all "here we go again."