S09.E04: Sex, Lies and Kickball

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

Jay's best friend, Shorty, is back from Costa Rica and stays at the house so they can catch up and reconnect. However, Shorty is spending more time with Gloria and seems to be avoiding Jay. Meanwhile, Alex is ready to shed her good-girl image and is going to prove to Claire that her relationship with Ben is definitely a sexual relationship.

[Nordly Beaumont]

"A little black Pepper"

"Hit him! Hit him!" SMACK!

Loved all the kickball and sherbet stuff.

The song "For Good" has the same effect on Shorty that it has on me! Only question is, why did everyone leave the theater after that song? The show wasn't over yet!

[useryikes]

Good episode!  Nathan Lane always makes me laugh.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

9 hours ago, useryikes said:

Good episode!  Nathan Lane always makes me laugh.

He looked good with that short haircut. He also lucked out with the kid he adopted.

It's gross that Manny would want to give guys the impression that he's dating his mom.

Edited October 19, 2017 by ItCouldBeWorse

[hoodooznoodooz]

Even though it was predictable, I enjoyed:

Cam: Parenting changes people. Before Lily, I used to be rather dramatic.

Mitch: And I could be a little uptight.

Cam: But look at us NOW!

Mitch: That almost went in my mouth!

But I don't like when they make jokes implying that they don't care about Joe that much (Jay insisting Stella wear a helmet; "Yes, you are the son we are talking about [who is my best friend]."

[blaase]

The actress that plays Lily is sooo bad, they should just replace her.

[voiceover]

Just, NO.  

I care so little about what I saw tonight that I just deleted everything I wrote about it.

It's The Middle's final season.  Though MF has garnered all the awards & hype, TM is leaving on a high note and the characters are (mostly) different from who they were when both these shows premiered.

I'm sad I can't say the same for this one.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

5 hours ago, Nordly Beaumont said:

The song "For Good" has the same effect on Shorty that it has on me! Only question is, why did everyone leave the theater after that song? The show wasn't over yet!

I am not a Wicked fan (despite the fact that I love Winnie Holzman and The Wizard of Oz) but "For Good" makes me cry every time I hear it. That's why I fanwanked that the Wicked people finally realized that everyone needs a break to pull themselves together after that song. Quick mini intermission so everyone can blow their noses and hug their best friends before going back in for the finale!

[Star Aristille]

6 hours ago, hoodooznoodooz said:

But I don't like when they make jokes implying that they don't care about Joe that much (Jay insisting Stella wear a helmet; "Yes, you are the son we are talking about [who is my best friend]."

The writers must've changed over, because Jay and Gloria have always been wild about Joe, sometimes more so than Manny.  I really hope it was just a one-episode thing.

But the Stella part doesn't surprise me.  Jay's practically obsessed with Stella to the point where he'd save her over any member of his family if there were ever some kind of disaster or life-threatening situation.  I like Stella and think she's adorable, but that's the one thing about her and Jay's relationship with her that disgusts me -- putting a dog over all of your supposed loved ones.  (Granted, it's a tad hypocritical of me, because I have a dog for whom I'd do the same thing in a heartbeat, but in my defense, I'm not married, nor do I have any children, so come on!  My case isn't as extreme!)

Anyway, Phil, Claire, Alex, and Ben's storyline was my favorite one, and I did like Alex and Ben's reaction to the paint, followed by Phil and Claire's reaction to Alex and Ben's painting.  The resolution was kind of sweet, though also funny (with the reveal that Alex and Ben only faked it since Ben couldn't perform).

I did like Cam and Mitchell's storyline, as well, especially when they realized that they were the ones seen as inferior to Pepper and Ronaldo.

Looks like everyone in the main cast appeared except for Haley.  Where was she, I wonder?

[hoodooznoodooz]

5 hours ago, blaase said:

The actress that plays Lily is sooo bad, they should just replace her.

It was really bad this episode. She learns the lines and memorizes how to deliver them, but she doesn't seem to have had any acting training. 

[DrSpaceman73]

I liked this episode. 

Nathan Lane is always hilarious. 

I always like the actor and the character of Ben. 

People keep commenting about Julie Bowen and how she looks, her face, too thin, etc, Not just here but on social media in general.  I don't know, I just don't see it.  I think she looks great, however she is doing it. 

[AnnaRose]

1 hour ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

People keep commenting about Julie Bowen and how she looks, her face, too thin, etc, Not just here but on social media in general.  I don't know, I just don't see it.  I think she looks great, however she is doing it. 

Yeah, I think she looks great too.  I mean, aging happens and she's not going to look exactly the same as she did at the start of the show, especially because she's so thin, which tends to make any minor aging changes more obvious.  It depresses me that people are so critical about women's appearances.  Julie looks beautiful to me, and I would be happy to look like her.

[AriAu]

Overall, not that funny....except for, upon seeing the "artwork" on the kitchen table Claire said "I remember when she made a turkey with her handprint"., which for some reason cracked me up.

And yes, the poor actress playing Lily has not been treated well by puberty, but is really,. really not a very good actress.

Anybody else find it kinda meta that they commented on Alex having a sexual relationship with Ben when the actress (Ariel Winter) takes so much grief on the internet for her more, shall we say grown up appearance and relationships?

[ljenkins782]

1 hour ago, AriAu said:

Anybody else find it kinda meta that they commented on Alex having a sexual relationship with Ben when the actress (Ariel Winter) takes so much grief on the internet for her more, shall we say grown up appearance and relationships?

I found it more meta last week (? I think) when they made the joke about her being so scatterbrained that she was going to leave the house without pants since that outfit was basically something Ariel Winter herself probably wears to the library. 

This episode felt like a whole lot of nothing to me, it was just last night and I've barely retained a thing about it. 

And were Haley and Luke completely absent from this one? I've been surprised to find myself liking those two a lot more in recent years, especially the last two episodes. 

[ItCouldBeWorse]

1 hour ago, ljenkins782 said:

And were Haley and Luke completely absent from this one? I've been surprised to find myself liking those two a lot more in recent years, especially the last two episodes. 

Luke was in the kitchen and had a line.

[Blakeston]

The Lionel plot was easily the funniest of the episode, but the ending didn't feel right to me. Lionel seemed so, so desperate to please Pepper and Ronaldo that I couldn't fully buy that he truly enjoyed living like an aging diva.

It was like he was convinced that they'd send him back to a foster home if he seemed in any way ungrateful.

[biakbiak]

I liked Cam kept reminding Pepper of where he came from when he was being snobby. 

I am sort of surprised the kitchen remodel has continued for so long but I suppose that is to reinforce the passage of time since it would take time.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

14 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

I am sort of surprised the kitchen remodel has continued for so long but I suppose that is to reinforce the passage of time since it would take time.

And to allow Mitch to have himself walled in.

[useryikes]

9 hours ago, Star Aristille said:

I did like Cam and Mitchell's storyline, as well, especially when they realized that they were the ones seen as inferior to Pepper and Ronaldo.

I liked it best, but then I usually do.  I just find them funny.  Don't really care for Claire & Phil (although I did really like him) & their kids.  I always found Jay a pain in the neck.  Can't stand Alex and her hang-ups.  I don't mind Manny, & I would sure like to see more of his dad.  Haley & Luke - meh!

 

13 hours ago, blaase said:

The actress that plays Lily is sooo bad, they should just replace her.

Strongly disagree  I've always found her funny.

I would say this was the best episode so far this season & for most of last season.  

[CleoCaesar]

Not a bad episode, but had some weird stuff. Alex giving her sex painting to her parents grossed me out, so that whole subplot was a miss. Didn't even matter that they faked it. Also, the whole "best friend" thing was odd - it's not that unusual for adults to call another person a best friend.

Lily's actress sounds even more robotic now than ever. Does she even understand her lines?

Did the cast get a group discount on Botox/face lifts? First Julie Bowen, and in this episode Eric Stonestreet's face looked tight and pulled back, especially around the eyes.

On the bright side, this episode barely had any Manny in it, so I'll take it.

[mikem]

I didn't get the whole thing where Gloria didn't like Jay saying he had a best friend.  What's wrong with having a best friend?  I think it's pretty common for adults to have one.  

And Gloria used to complain that Jay was closed off, so you'd think she'd be happy to see him acknowledge a friendship.  

[NUguy514]

Cam's giving Pepper shit about his trashy upbringing in order to pop Pepper's snooty balloon was the most I've liked Cam in at least six seasons.

[Blakeston]

9 hours ago, mikem said:

I didn't get the whole thing where Gloria didn't like Jay saying he had a best friend.  What's wrong with having a best friend?  I think it's pretty common for adults to have one.  

And Gloria used to complain that Jay was closed off, so you'd think she'd be happy to see him acknowledge a friendship.  

She was probably just jealous that Jay has a friend, period.

The only time I can remember Gloria ever getting along with anyone outside her family was when Lin-Manuel Miranda's character gave them Stella.

[Ciarrai]

More Stella!

[seacliffsal]

I couldn't believe that they had Alex complain/tell off her parents about their treatment of Ben when just a couple of episodes ago she was treating him horrifically on the family Solar Eclipse trip.  Avoiding him, yelling at him, leaving him on the island alone, etc.  So, I'm not buying the relationship and her indignation over the fact that her mom asked if Ben had asked his mother for permission to spend the night at their house.  Then it was topped by the in really poor taste of a sex painting (faked or not).  They should just leave Alex at school.

I also noticed that Sophia toned down her over-exaggerated accent this episode and I could really understand her lines.  

Loved Pepper and Renaldo and Lionel.  Especially as they tried kickball and then Lionel explained why he said what to Lily about living with Mitch and Cam ("they even cut her hair at home..."  Priceless).  Happy that Lily and Lionel will get horseback riding lessons.

I thought that Julie and Sophia were both just so gorgeous in this episode.  Enjoyed this episode much more that the last couple of episodes.

[Star Aristille]

1 hour ago, seacliffsal said:

I couldn't believe that they had Alex complain/tell off her parents about their treatment of Ben when just a couple of episodes ago she was treating him horrifically on the family Solar Eclipse trip.  Avoiding him, yelling at him, leaving him on the island alone, etc.  So, I'm not buying the relationship and her indignation over the fact that her mom asked if Ben had asked his mother for permission to spend the night at their house.

I totally buy it.  It was explained back during that episode -- Alex was getting scared of how real things were getting with Ben, so she was pushing him away.  After Haley and Luke convinced her to embrace how real it was getting, she went back to being sweet on him again.  So I totally buy it.

[biakbiak]

8 minutes ago, Star Aristille said:

I totally buy it.  It was explained back during that episode -- Alex was getting scared of how real things were getting with Ben, so she was pushing him away.  After Haley and Luke convinced her to embrace how real it was getting, she went back to being sweet on him again.  So I totally buy it.

Also some people are assholes to their partners but still don't like it when other people are assholes to them.

[Chewy101]

Well, I have not laughed one time this season, and it feels odd. Maybe my tastes have changed, or maybe the writing has gone stale, but all of it does nothing for me. I think the kids are too old and it's awkward seeing how little talent most of them have as young adult actors. And Lily's sarcastic deadpan was hilarious when she was 4, but now she just sounds like a stepford robot. Haylee and Alex are the only two who seem to still rock the shtick they do on this show. 

I have not felt anything cohesive about the family this season, and that was sort of the hook for this show. The only thing even vaguely familiar and cute is that Jay is still so attached to Stella (the only female in his life that doesn't ever talk back and is easy to please). 

So far this season has fallen flat for me. Weird how your tastes can change, but it just seems to be missing the mark. I like Joe, though. 

[tennisgurl]

I laughed harder and harder every time Cam would remind Pepper where he really came from whenever he was being snobby, and Pepper would get more and more upset!

[MaryMitch]

When Pepper slapped Cam, I had to rewind it 3 times. It was so unexpected!

[purplemouth]

I’ve been indifferent to Joe thus far, but his reaction when Gloria said it would be nice to have someone fun in the house again made me laugh so hard and won me over! 

[AnnaRose]

54 minutes ago, purplemouth said:

I’ve been indifferent to Joe thus far, but his reaction when Gloria said it would be nice to have someone fun in the house again made me laugh so hard and won me over! 

The look on his face was priceless!

[jhlipton]

On 10/18/2017 at 6:35 PM, Nordly Beaumont said:

The song "For Good" has the same effect on Shorty that it has on me! Only question is, why did everyone leave the theater after that song? The show wasn't over yet!

I've never seen Wicked, but if that's the most memorable song, that's what people would go out singing, even if it's from the middle of the show.

On 10/18/2017 at 7:35 PM, ItCouldBeWorse said:

It's gross that Manny would want to give guys the impression that he's dating his mom.

Manny wanted to give the impression he was dating.

[biakbiak]

39 minutes ago, jhlipton said:

I've never seen Wicked, but if that's the most memorable song, that's what people would go out singing, even if it's from the middle of the show.

On Wednesday, October 18, 2017 at 7:35 PM, ItCouldBeWorse said:

I think the point was not that they were singing it but that only a minute or two had passed between when it was sung in the show and when everyone left the theater.

[Star Aristille]

On ‎10‎/‎19‎/‎2017 at 0:44 PM, biakbiak said:

I liked Cam kept reminding Pepper of where he came from when he was being snobby.

I have to ask.  Isn't Pepper supposed to be Cam and Mitchell's friend?  He sure wasn't acting like it in this episode.

[biakbiak]

4 minutes ago, Star Aristille said:

I have to ask.  Isn't Pepper supposed to be Cam and Mitchell's friend?  He sure wasn't acting like it in this episode.

That has always been Pepper's way he is snobby and bitchy even to his friends. 

[UncleChuck]

18 hours ago, biakbiak said:

That has always been Pepper's way he is snobby and bitchy even to his friends.

So how does an asshole like that even have friends?

[Mittengirl]

Quote

42 minutes ago, UncleChuck said:

 

19 hours ago, biakbiak said:

That has always been Pepper's way he is snobby and bitchy even to his friends.

So how does an asshole like that even have friends?

 

 

I have always wondered the same thing about Sal.  Why do Mitch and Cam put up with such horrible friends?

[CleoCaesar]

5 minutes ago, Mittengirl said:

I have always wondered the same thing about Sal.  Why do Mitch and Cam put up with such horrible friends?

Mitch and Cam are pretty horrible themselves. Mitch less so, but Cam is a petty, gossipy drama queen. As evidenced by the past 6+ seasons.

[SnarkySheep]

I didn't get why Alex was trying so hard to show she and Ben had a sexual relationship...didn't Claire and Phil stop by her dorm just a few episodes ago when she and Ben were quite obviously sleeping there together?

[biakbiak]

2 hours ago, SnarkySheep said:

I didn't get why Alex was trying so hard to show she and Ben had a sexual relationship...didn't Claire and Phil stop by her dorm just a few episodes ago when she and Ben were quite obviously sleeping there together?

Knowing it and seeing a painting of it on your kitchen table are two different things.