S04.E10: Dad-Not-Dad

[ElectricBoogaloo]

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Jimmy spends a day with a woman from his past and attempts to fit in with her friends; Gretchen tries to impress Boone's ex-wife; Lindsay reconnects with a former father figure; Edgar buys a car that he cannot afford.

[Irlandesa]

I am glad Anne Dudek had more to do in this episode but man, Gretchen, maaaaan. 

How can Lou Diamond Phillip's lemons not be juicing lemons yet he's waiting for LaCroix to call?  Is it because they only use the rinds?

I do find it funny that Edgar stands up for himself and rejects Jimmy's advice when Jimmy's "poor brain" speech is arguably the wisest thing he has ever said.

[Jade Foxx]

I really want that Gretch/ex-wife scene to be a....nightmare? Blackout dream? Please. 

[whiporee]

I thought this was easily the worst episode of the series. They've had jimmy and Gretchen apart for too much of the season, and while I could understand it early, they're the center of the show and to have neglected that dynamic for an entire season has really stripped the show of its core and its quality. There simply isn't enough to like if they aren't playing off each other. 

But for the details -- Jimmy was too over the op with Katherine's friends. the AVClub review said he's regressing, but I just took it as being an asshole for no reason. It just stops being funny.

Boone is a bigger asshole than Jimmy. Like not even close. Seeing him be an asshole isn't funny. 

Edgar is becoming an asshole, but there's a reason because he's trying to make a new best pal. But it's not funny -- it's not realistic and it's not entertaining. 

Lindsey and Becca were kind of funny, so was their mom. LDP was funny in the role. You do have to wonder what the lemons were for. 

Gretchen was funny -- "Gretchen can be anywhere" made me laugh, and her threat to cut the waiter was also funny. But I didn't get the blackout -- maybe because I've never gotten blackout drunk, but I think it's hard to imagine that someone who has done as much as she has would get that drunk when just keeping up with someone who doesn't drink as much. And then you just wake up in a strange situation? Again, i don't know enough to know, but it all seemed too contrived -- and, to be honest, I feel sort of cheated out of seeing how they got to that scene. Was Gretchen so desperate to impress Boone's ex that she seduced her?  Did it go the other way around? I don't necessarily want to see hot girl-on-girl action, but the brazeness of the scene didn't work for me.  

[Blakeston]

44 minutes ago, whiporee said:

Gretchen was funny -- "Gretchen can be anywhere" made me laugh, and her threat to cut the waiter was also funny. But I didn't get the blackout -- maybe because I've never gotten blackout drunk, but I think it's hard to imagine that someone who has done as much as she has would get that drunk when just keeping up with someone who doesn't drink as much. And then you just wake up in a strange situation? Again, i don't know enough to know, but it all seemed too contrived -- and, to be honest, I feel sort of cheated out of seeing how they got to that scene. Was Gretchen so desperate to impress Boone's ex that she seduced her?  Did it go the other way around? I don't necessarily want to see hot girl-on-girl action, but the brazeness of the scene didn't work for me.  

Gretchen's blackout didn't make sense. You don't lose consciousness, and then go about your day, and then regain consciousness when you're in the middle of performing a sex act on someone. You might find the next day that you have no memory of anything between lunch and sex, but that doesn't mean that you were unconscious that whole time.

It felt like a silly contrivance to put Gretchen in an awful situation without assigning her responsibility for what happened.

[scrb]

Well we shouldn't be shocked that all the characters were exposed to inappropriate sexual behavior, thus having problems with boundaries as adults.

But is it only going to be about sexually acting out?

Jimmy didn't fit in with the hipsters.  That British woman was willing to give him a chance, despite their past where he used to be belittled.

It's surprising that he cared enough to try to get in with them in the first place.

So are they saying that apart from each other, they're unmoored and more likely to give in to their aberrant impulses?

[arc]

Seems a bit out of character that Jimmy was (despite himself!) drawn into the scavenger hunt in last season’s Sunday Funday, but was pure shite at the escape room this season. And not just bad at it, but then cheated and expected these strangers who were obviously into it to appreciate his cheating.

Boone is an awful jerk by now. But honestly his behaviour has been along the lines of the worst we’ve seen of Gretchen over the years. He’s way more of a male Gretchen than a counterpoint to her the way Jimmy is.

I did like Lou Diamond Phillips and most of the Becca/Lindsay plot.

[possibilities]

8 hours ago, scrb said:

It's surprising that he cared enough to try to get in with them in the first place.

He wanted to see the robot.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

La Bamba dad!

[wendyg]

Jimmy likes to be in control of everything and is used to being - or being able to think he is - the coolest person in the room. He's only mediocre for this group.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

It annoyed me that he only went to brunch with Catherine because he somehow thought Gretchen would find out and be jealous. And then he just sat there with the intention of ignoring her friends while he fucked around on his phone. He didn't deserve any of their interest or polite questions.

Heh but I did love the brunch chant callback!

[whiporee]

I really do dig this show. But this season has been rough for a lot of reasons. Falk's allowed to run his show how he wants, but aside from a few moments lately it's been almost painful at times -- not painful in that you feel for the characters, but painful in how hard the writing staff is working to do whatever they are trying to do. Aside from the first episode, almost everything has seemed sort of forced. Or maybe I'm being too hard. 

But I do want to chip in on this -- they do seem to have a "type" thing going. Guys who are cool are thin and buff. Guys (Paul, Vernon, Whitney's new husband) who are not are sort of dumpy, a little overweight -- puffy, for lack of a better word, and always intimidated by the cooler, hotter guy. Guys trying to be cool but who aren't really there wear hats. All the girls are lovely. I didn't mind Paul and Vernon, but when they brought in the new guy who was basically the same as Paul, they are making a statement. It's an easy target, and I wish they'd aim higher. 

[iMonrey]

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Gretchen's blackout didn't make sense. You don't lose consciousness, and then go about your day, and then regain consciousness when you're in the middle of performing a sex act on someone. You might find the next day that you have no memory of anything between lunch and sex, but that doesn't mean that you were unconscious that whole time.

I agree, that's not really how "blackouts" work. What they showed happening to Gretchen was closer to, say, multiple personality disorder.

[wendyg]

I could live with that, by figuring it's how it seemed in Gretchen's mind...but I'm still annoyed that they're not giving Anne Dudek sufficient material that's worthy of her.