S02.E08: Number One

[Bliss]

I love this show.

[WhosThatGirl]

That was painful. In the best way. A good episode for Justin/Kevin.

Even though he’s the oldest, I’ve always felt he gets the middle child treatment and it shows in spades on this show. Unintentionally most of the time- particularly the last scene in which Kevin was probably going to tell Randall he had a new found addiction problem but finds out Kate has lost her baby, his problem can’t be announced because now he probably thinks there’s something bigger than his little problem. Which.. ugh.

And damn.. apparently these theee episodes were all centered on the big three and big moments for them. So next week is Kate’s losing her baby episode, what THE HELL is going to be Randall’s episode?!?! 

[elle]

Mandy Moore had given an interview where she said that the next three episodes would be dark, like "William's death" dark and that the three together could be considered a trilogy, I watched with trepidation.  I half expected him to wind up in jail at one point, which might have been a good thing. I would not put this on the level of "Memphis", it had its moments.  I was annoyed that the writers could not let this be Kevin's episode alone. The reveal about Kate could have waited until her episode, which I think is next.  A slice of life for each of them, what was happening while this was happening with the others, but no, have to have that "surprise".  Stupid show!

I agree with those who thought that the doctor was living out a fantasy.  She did recognize that something was happening with him, but short of him collapsing I do not think she would have recognized that he has an addiction problem.  He always has an excuse ready, this time it was a blood sugar problem.  I think she was feeling embarrassed and used when Kevin came back for the pendant.  I hope too she finds them and sends them on to him or Kate.  Does anyone else think that Kevin might blame himself for his dad's death because he was wearing the pendant and not his dad.

It was nice to hear that he was nice to other kids and not a super obnoxious jerk-jock.  Yes, he could be a jerk, as we all can be, but he seems to be a good guy as Charlotte commented.  I think when he said that he would not miss his dad and Randall at the game because he had lots of other fans he wasn't being flippant but trying to cover up that he really would miss them, but his parents reaction was typical.

A minor thing, should not teenage Kevin's leg be immobilized and not in a bent position in that last scene when he was leaving the hospital?

[voiceover]

Christ, I could hardly bear it when Kevin's coach turned into Jack.  I didn't have my armor on, and that's on me.

How many of us knew [what had happened to Kate] when Toby's name showed on Kevin's phone?

Jack's "Get out of here!"/"Come back here!" to Kevin made me think of "You shut your mouth when you're talking to me!"

Speaking of Jack: I feel like we haven't seen the parts where he's been dickish to his children (*eta, to justify the anger teen Kevin’s showing) Where's the anger coming from?  Were there drunk episodes at home, we haven't seen?  Or is it meant to be "adolescence"?

Edited November 15, 2017 by voiceover

[memememe76]

Loved it. I like how Kevin's self-involved sense of humour was seen in him at a younger age. I also love that Jack and Rebecca expect their kids to be good people. A lot of parents would have allowed Kevin to behave the way he did. 

[movingtargetgal]

6 minutes ago, voiceover said:

Christ, I could hardly bear it when Kevin's coach turned into Jack.  I didn't have my armor on, and that's on me.

When watching this show it is NEVER safe to remove your armor.  Now I need to break into that case of tissues I received from Amazon this morning.  I have a standing order that is delivered every Tuesday morning.

[DoItToIt]

10 minutes ago, voiceover said:

Speaking of Jack: I feel like we haven't seen the parts where he's been dickish to his children.  Where's the anger coming from?  Were there drunk episodes at home, we haven't seen?  Or is it meant to be "adolescence"?

I  think just adolescence. Kevin (and commonly other teens) has shown several instances of testiness.

7 minutes ago, memememe76 said:

I also love that Jack and Rebecca expect their kids to be good people. A lot of parents would have allowed Kevin to behave the way he did. 

Not my parents or any other parents I knew as a teen lol. But I grew up in the South, maybe that makes a difference?

[voiceover]

Quote

per @BuckeyeLou:So we find out more pieces of the puzzle of the Pearsons:  we find out Kevin was born 1st 

We already knew Kevin was 1st.  The Big Three chant is:

"First came --"

Kevin: "Me!"

"And Dad said, -- "

Kevin: "Gee!"

The moment with the necklace was nice, but wouldn't Jack have told that story to his kids already?  Especially if it's something he's worn all those years.

Then the moment in the hospital becomes, "You're giving that to ME, Dad?"

1 hour ago, movingtargetgal said:

When watching this show it is NEVER safe to remove your armor.  

You're right. My bad?

1 hour ago, DoItToIt said:

Not my parents or any other parents I knew as a teen [would allow behavior like Kevin’s] But I grew up in the South, maybe that makes a difference?

Midwest here.  Same.  

Edited November 15, 2017 by voiceover

[chocolatine]

41 minutes ago, methodwriter85 said:

Try nearly 20 years. I love 70's music, but man I really wish this show would explore some of the great stuff that came out of the 90's. "Popular" by Nada Surf would have been a great song for that moment. Or "My Hero" by the Foo Fighters.

"My Hero" would have been perfect both content- and timing-wise since the album it was on, The Color And The Shape, came out in 1997. I'm the same age as the Big Three and I was obsessed with the Foo Fighters in high school (and still am). Talk about missed opportunity.

[methodwriter85]

3 minutes ago, chocolatine said:

"My Hero" would have been perfect both content- and timing-wise since the album it was on, The Color And The Shape, came out in 1997. I'm the same age as the Big Three and I was obsessed with the Foo Fighters in high school (and still am). Talk about missed opportunity.

This is show is obsessed with Baby Boomer nostalgia, which is fine for Jack/Rebecca stuff. But it's absolutely odd using that kind of stuff for their kids on a constant basis.

[izabella]

2 hours ago, mmecorday said:

I am not a Kevin fan, so I found this one slow-going, especially when he felt the need to recap all the shitty things that have happened to him and all the crap he's done to mess up his life. We know, Kev. We've been watching the show for over a year now. Yes, the broken knee permanently derailed his dreams of grid iron glory, I get that. But he had so many other opportunities after that, and he seriously acted sometimes like he didn't understand that not everyone gets to do what he does for a living. Number One certainly has a way of treating the people in his life like Number Two.

I wonder if breaking his leg and ending his football career is so meaningful to Kevin because it got him positive attention from his dad.  And his dad never saw him be a successful actor, so that is less meaningful to Kevin, but that lost football dream is wrapped up in Jack and his death.

Edited November 15, 2017 by izabella

[Blakeston]

13 hours ago, PepSinger said:

Although Charlotte had a right to be pissed about how she was treated, I cannot imagine just shutting the window on a guy who lost the one thing his dad gave him before he died. What Kevin did was shitty, but let's put things in perspective here. 

That was silly, and completely out of character from everything we saw of her. "I'm not giving you your dead father's necklace back, because you walked out while I was making breakfast!"

If she realized that he'd stolen some of her scripts, then she should have been urging him to get help.

Edited November 15, 2017 by Blakeston

[Lion18]

1 hour ago, Lady Calypso said:

It seems like she might have wrote off Kevin looking sick because of her dream to be with him. It sucks, but I can see that being the case. People can often be blind in favour of their own feelings. I think she wanted to believe that he would want to be with her. Which is awful on her end if she was partially using him to fulfill her own fantasies (I got that sense when she talked about everyone loving him in high school), but he also ended up unintentionally using her for drugs. 

We don't know exactly when the fire happens. It could have happened just before Kevin was set to take his cast off. So, if that's the case, then him not having a cast on for the funeral would make sense. 

I think that when he couldn’t find pills in her bathroom it clicked in his head that Hey she’s a doctor so he purposely looked in her desk for a script pad. I don’t think he was looking for pills in her desk and just happened to find the pad

[elle]

1 hour ago, Katy M said:

Come on. I think Martina noticed something was wrong.

Who is Martina?

[Cardie]

4 minutes ago, elle said:

Who is Martina?

The housekeeper at the hotel.

This episode did a good job of bringing into focus all the contradictions in Kevin's psychology. His parents always see him as their number one most accomplished child but that makes them focus their attentions on the other two who struggle, Randall because of being a black child in a white family and Kate because of her weight. So Kevin ends up adored by strangers but feeling ignored by Jack and Rebecca. And this happens again and again and again. Football dreams die and he becomes a famous TV actor. Screw that up but he gets a plum movie role. And it is really hard for people to weep tears over someone who is handsome, famous and rich. Even worse, he feels that he is actually the most empty, worthless person on the face of the earth. Has he had therapy? He needs years and years of it. Of, course all the Big Three do.

He's lucky he couldn't obtain the fentanyl. That stuff will kill you, especially the way Kevin abuses drugs.

They do seem to be hinting that the house goes up in flames from bad wiring--and that Jack probably goes in to save the dog because Kate doesn't realize it was already outside. Although Jack and Rebecca rescued it, they refer to it as Kate's dog.

[NeverLate]

Addiction is a horror. It takes over the persons personality, their life, with no discrimination. Kevin is so much like Jack, add to that the pressure of being number one, and complications arose way back. I knew when Kev went back to his school, he would end up in the doctors bed, pills or a script pad, addicts don't care. Justin Hartley moved me, he just wanted help, but when he went to tell Randall, he heard Kate had lost the baby. Sometimes I feel I can't take breath. I love this show. Kudos to Justin tonight, to tap into something I doubt he's ever experienced.

[Violetgoblin6]

2 hours ago, debraran said:

That paper script wouldn't be legal at least in my state, especially for fentanyl, but this is TV. When our script writer broke, everyone had trouble with paper scripts.

That was sad, but is everyone blind, is Kevin really invisible. The doctor doesn't see it, his family, his girlfriend, people at the school.  Strange. I see it in people I'm not close too.

I didn't see the miscarriage coming so soon. Was it to set up something else? Why glee for one episode and then it's gone? Was it to take the attention from Kevin?

Seems like the lights will be a fire starter or why show the fuse box?

I liked all the emotion but I can't fathom Kevin in so much pain and physical breakdown and not have anyone reach out.

Exactly. Why show the fuse box? I thought immediately of fire when I saw that they had no electricity. And I got a paper script on Friday, exactly like Kevin's, for my ADD medication. It has a DEA number on it. 

[Miss Dee]

Justin Hartley broke me. I thought he rocked everything and I'm so glad he got a chance to show off his chops tonight.

The football field and Charlotte's house have been mentioned, but another moment where I thought he did a fantastic job was staring at his old house. He looked so broken.

[movingtargetgal]

Kevin reinjuring his knee not only causes him to reexperience the physical pain, it ripped open the emotional scars he has been suppressing over Jack's death.  I think he is over medicating and has become addicted because he has suppressed his anguish at losing Jack.   He is desperate for the pain to stop.  All of the Pearsons are still reeling over losing Jack.  They have all moved on the best that can but the pain is still so raw.  I think they all keep up a brave face for each other and don't really talk about it.   These three episodes seem to be turning out to be about each of the Big Three reaching a crossroads in their lives.  This may lead to the Pearsons doing some healing together.  On a rating scale of one to five tissue boxes it should rate a big ole five.

 

Count me in on being relieved that Kevin went home with the doctor and NOT the high school girl.  If they had gone there I don't see how they could have ever redeemed Kevin.  Addiction or not there are some things that are unforgivable. 

Edited November 15, 2017 by movingtargetgal

[tennisgurl]

1 hour ago, WhosThatGirl said:

So next week is Kate’s losing her baby episode, what THE HELL is going to be Randall’s episode?!?! 

I wonder if the next episode will have Kate being understandably devastated by the miscarriage, and at the end of the episode, Kevin overdoses on drugs and is in the hospital. Then Randall will be running around in a panic trying to keep his family together while beating himself up about not realizing that his brother was falling apart, trying to be strong for Kate, and trying not to have a total meltdown.

[elle]

The next week promo made me feel as if I have seen the next episode, could they have not found some less specific clips to use instead?

[twoods]

You can't write narcotics on a regular prescription pad, writers! They have to be on triplicates or special paper. Do some research.

This show is going to break me. First, with seeing Kevin painfully spiral out of control to Kate and her miscarriage next week. Watching Kevin high and then in withdrawal was so sad. He's all alone, and I hope that he eventually confides in Randall to get some much needed help. I am so glad he didn't sleep with the high school student. 

[sandyskyblue]

Was not at all interested in Kevin during the 1st season, he came off to me as a shallow pretty boy....was much more invested in Randall, Beth, their sweet girls...and William, dear William....would love a show that just focuses on him...but in the back of my mind, I had a feeling the show would find a way to force me to get interested in Kevin, and that is exactly what happened during this episiode....that scene of Kevin weeping on the lawn was so raw and emotional, it brought me to tears...

[watcher1006]

It hurt a lot at the end when Kevin had sunk so deep in his self-absorbed pain-induced drug spiral and his career mishaps and then suddenly realizes that he'd been blowing off his sister all that time, not even thinking she might have her own issues she needed him to help her through. I hope she lets him know that the way he acted hurt her and that she doesn't accept his apologies right away.

[UsernameFatigue]

This is my favourite episode since the series began. From Cat Stevens' "Where Do the Children Play", to LIttle River Band's "Lonesome Loser", and every minute before and after I was hooked. Justin Hartley was amazing, and deserves and Emmy nomination for that performance. It is so nice to see him finally get a meaty story line. I love the idea of an episode focusing solely on one character as I sometimes find the writers include too many characters and too many ages/stages in one episode that it is hard to get vested in the episode. This one though did me in. Well done, show. 

[MoonMountain]

37 minutes ago, twoods said:

You can't write narcotics on a regular prescription pad, writers! They have to be on triplicates or special paper. Do some research.

Yes, but the doctor didn't write the prescription, Kevin did. To me it seemed like they were trying to show that Kevin either doesn't know how they're written, or is so desperate he's going to at least try and get the prescription filled. Probably figures he can talk the pharmacy into it. If he'd stayed there, maybe those cops would have gotten involved, and one way or another at that point someone in his family would have found out. 

[voiceover]

22 minutes ago, MoonMountain said:

Yes, but the doctor didn't write the prescription, Kevin did. 

Exactly.  Might have been nailed on type of paper alone; forget signature!

[Spencer Hastings]

1. I knew that they'd never let Kevin sleep with a high schooler because his character could never come back from that, but man I was sure sweating when that too old to be 16 hand was on his chest. 

2.  Kevin doesn't deserve that necklace but ghost Jack needs to float through some walls and get it back!  Losing something like that is one of the most heartbreaking things ever.  I felt for Kevin in that scene.

[Racj82]

LL Cool K? Randall is such a fucking dork.

And yep, Kevin always fails upwards. It's about time for the tree fall before he can really grow up and resolve his issues.

[MoonMountain]

12 minutes ago, Spencer Hastings said:

2.  Kevin doesn't deserve that necklace but ghost Jack needs to float through some walls and get it back!  Losing something like that is one of the most heartbreaking things ever.  I felt for Kevin in that scene.

I think they will find a way to get the necklace back to Kevin, that would be so sad for that to be gone forever. Charlotte should have just thrown it out the window and been done with it. Now she's going to have to look at it for a while, figure out how to contact him or one of his family members, arrange a meeting or go to the post office and pay to have it shipped...haha.

[kittyglitter]

4 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

Nothing makes me feel like I'm watching a teenager walk down a hall in his 1997 high school than hearing a song from 1979!

You know, I get that this show loves it Baby Boomer nostalgia music picks, but I wish they'd branch out when it comes to the Gen Y nostalgia.

Word. I am the same age as the Big 3, and while I appreciate the little touches of awesome only understood by my tiny "Xennial" generation, like the "Girl Talk" game in the cabin, I REALLY want more of our awesome music! And we had some awesome music. Some Flaming Lips, Toadies, Everclear, 311, or early Green Day, plz! 

 

All in all, this episode was very uncomfortable in many parts, but I now feel for Kevin a bit more like I do for #2 and #3. I think the miscarriage was to set us up for #2's special feature episode next week. I am curious about High School Kate. Was she an insecure dork? Popular? Probably neither...I can't imagine her being super popular, but I doubt people messed with her since her inseparable bro was Big Man On Campus.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

That Was Us:

[voiceover]

35 minutes ago, Spencer Hastings said:

 Losing something like that is one of the most heartbreaking things ever.  I felt for Kevin in that scene.

I made the mistake of watching the clip again.  He’s finally saying it aloud: Help me!  He’s screaming it; he’s wailing it — but the only window that was open to him, slams shut.

By then I was grateful for the earlier scene with Jack on his knees, uttering the Serenity Prayer (“ ...to accept the things I cannot change”).   It helped me take in the sight of his firstborn, also on his knees, begging for anyone to help him accept those things, too. 

[Duke2801]

5 hours ago, Katy M said:

Come on. I think Martina noticed something was wrong.  But, seriously, being bi-coastal I just don't think he's spending enough time with any one person.  I think if he hadn't broken up with Sophie, she would have noticed. She seemed close to noticing something.  Kate thought something was off, but she was excited/nervous about her pregnancy.

Right. Which is why I also mentioned "friends and coworkers." People who are not bicoastal. 

Edited November 15, 2017 by Duke2801

[ElectricBoogaloo]

6 hours ago, tribeca said:

I don’t think he slept with the doctor to get her prescription pad.  He just found it and acted like an addict.  

But Kevin didn't "just find" that prescription pad. He pretended to pee so that he could look through her bathroom for drugs. When that didn't turn up anything useful, he asked her to make something to eat aka get out of the bedroom so he could look through her drawers. "Just finding" something is when you drop your book, bend over to pick it up, and notice an earring under the bed. What he did was calculated.

6 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

How did that doctor NOT see that Kevin was drunk and strung out when she slept with him? Even if she is a plastic surgeon, she should be able to tell! At least Kevin didn't go party with high schoolers. Now THAT is a real low point.

She noticed even before she slept with him. She saw how much he was drinking at the high school. That's why she asked if he wanted to go for a walk. She was trying to get him away from the nonstop plastic cups of wine.

I felt bad for both Charlotte and Kevin in this situation. Kevin clearly slept with her with ulterior motives. He knew she was a doctor and assumed that he could find some drugs at her house. Notice she said it was weird that he wanted to go back to her house when the hotel he was staying at must be much nicer. He didn't sleep with her because he was interested her. He slept with her to get into her house to access drugs.

I felt sorry for Kevin too though because Charlotte's interest in him was finally getting to fulfill her high school fantasy of being with the cute popular football star. Something similar happened to someone I know. About ten years after graduating, she ran into a classmate who she hadn't been friends with. They started hanging out and eventually they started dating. He would say things like, "I can't believe [first name] [last name] is having sex with me!" Not just to other people either. He said that to her. He was so in awe that his dream girl was interacting with him. Frankly, it creeped me out a little bit because he seemed so focused on that aspect of their relationship.

But I'm really just glad that Kevin didn't sleep with the high school girl. Yes, we've set the bar pretty low here.

3 hours ago, twoods said:

You can't write narcotics on a regular prescription pad, writers! They have to be on triplicates or special paper. Do some research.

The point is that Kevin, as a non-doctor/non-pharmacist, didn't know that. As an addict trying to get some more painkillers, he saw the pad and thought he had hit the jackpot, not realizing that if he actually tried to fill a handwritten prescription for fentanyl, he'd be busted immediately.

Edited November 15, 2017 by ElectricBoogaloo

[debraran]

5 hours ago, Violetgoblin6 said:

Exactly. Why show the fuse box? I thought immediately of fire when I saw that they had no electricity. And I got a paper script on Friday, exactly like Kevin's, for my ADD medication. It has a DEA number on it. 

Fuse box or candle because it's dark or Halloween.

Yes, some people still use them, My daughter got one for ADD med and inhaler but they have to have the doctor write a number and some pharmacies (most I think) wont fill a narcotic paper script without checking (unless all the calls I get are weird) : )  You definitely need that DEA number. Since he is in a system, they'd know he had one already and "should" call the doctor on the Rx. My heart started to pump at all the ugly consequences and publicity.

I'm glad he walked out though, prison might have motivated more than guilt but he hasn't hit rock bottom yet. I can't stand watching every person he tries to talk too, just miss it.

He might have lost the necklace on the football field too, they show a couple of front views (most were side) but it might have been tucked in his shirt also.

Edited November 15, 2017 by debraran

[debraran]

3 hours ago, MoonMountain said:

I think they will find a way to get the necklace back to Kevin, that would be so sad for that to be gone forever. Charlotte should have just thrown it out the window and been done with it. Now she's going to have to look at it for a while, figure out how to contact him or one of his family members, arrange a meeting or go to the post office and pay to have it shipped...haha.

I know it's schmaltzy but I see him in recovery and finding his way out and then Kate or someone close to him, gets the necklace back from her. Cut to another Jack/Kevin flashback.  He might have had it on at the field, he didn't have it in bed in the first scene at her place.  If he had it on the field it was tucked in his shirt but they did a lot of side shots. To keep something, no matter how angry, that was all a guy had from his dead dad, you have to be pretty cold. Something else, whatever. ; )

6 hours ago, DoItToIt said:

I  think just adolescence. Kevin (and commonly other teens) has shown several instances of testiness.

Not my parents or any other parents I knew as a teen lol. But I grew up in the South, maybe that makes a difference?

Not my Northern state Italian parents, they wouldn't have been quite as calm! lol  My Mom would have wanted to hit me while asking why I was so rude and void of manners. It was a reflection on her. So I think some teens are testy, but boundry's in dealing without outside family members was always stricter for us.

 

That burnt home Kevin is looking at was a shell, picket fence was replaced by another when they rebuilt and brick front was gone but it was a shell. I can't see anything being saved there. The number change was a blooper because they used 2 houses to film to keep it secret (new site they said) or it changed numbers when they rebuilt for some reason. Of course to me it looked different than the house they originally showed with Rebecca, but maybe I'm wrong.

Edited November 15, 2017 by debraran

[Blackie]

8 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

Even if he didn't go through with cashing them in.

How do we know he didn't afterward? He desperately needed "something" and when he got to Randall's he was calm, so even though he wanted to fess up to Randal I think he needed some pills before he got there

Edited November 15, 2017 by Blackie
he was calm not a clam

[bichonblitz]

I love Jack (and Milo)!

I also love that he didn't let Kevin get away with the way he treated the coach: 

"Get out of my sight!"  

"Come back here!" 

[BSB]

2 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

 

8 hours ago, tribeca said:

I don’t think he slept with the doctor to get her prescription pad.  He just found it and acted like an addict.  

But Kevin didn't "just find" that prescription pad. He pretended to pee so that he could look through her bathroom for drugs. When that didn't turn up anything useful, he asked her to make something to eat aka get out of the bedroom so he could look through her drawers. "Just finding" something is when you drop your book, bend over to pick it up, and notice an earring under the bed. What he did was calculated.

8 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

How did that doctor NOT see that Kevin was drunk and strung out when she slept with him? Even if she is a plastic surgeon, she should be able to tell! At least Kevin didn't go party with high schoolers. Now THAT is a real low point.

She noticed even before she slept with him. She saw how much he was drinking at the high school. That's why she asked if he wanted to go for a walk. She was trying to get him away from the nonstop plastic cups of wine.

 

 

I don’t feel sorry for Charlotte. She noticed he was drunk and took advantage of it to sleep with her fantasy crush. She took him outside with a bottle of wine and tried to make a move on him. As a doctor, she could tell he was drunk and spiraling. She didn’t care though, she might get the opportunity to sleep with Kevin Pearson.

[ShadowFacts]

2 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

But I'm really just glad that Kevin didn't sleep with the high school girl. Yes, we've set the bar pretty low here.

I actually thought that Kevin in his stupor thought Charlotte was the high school girl.  There was maybe too much of the mixing of memories/eras combined with drugs and alcohol for it to be clear to me that he had said no to Kelly, then subsequently Charlotte came back looking for him. 

Charlotte and all the rest of the homecoming crowd who thought Kevin was great despite his bizarre performance was a bit much of a heavy-handed commentary on how celebrity-worship has gotten out of hand.  Along with Kevin's recapping his life to himself on the football field, I thought it was excessively melodramatic.  They don't do nuance on this show, at least not with Kevin.

Speaking of Charlotte, in the bedroom scene, she goes out to the kitchen which is visible from the bedroom, but when Kevin comes back for the necklace, she is yelling from her upstairs window. 

[Scarlett45]

5 minutes ago, ShadowFacts said:

Speaking of Charlotte, in the bedroom scene, she goes out to the kitchen which is visible from the bedroom, but when Kevin comes back for the necklace, she is yelling from her upstairs window. 

I thought the kitchen was down a flight of stairs (first floor), when Kevin leaves he goes down the stairs and out the front door with her back to him in the kitchen. 

 

I think Charlotte will wake up the next day and find Kevin’s necklace and mail it to him/his agent. 

 

Kudos to the makeup team, the naturally handsome Kevin Hartley looked like total crap. 

[ShadowFacts]

1 minute ago, Scarlett45 said:

I thought the kitchen was down a flight of stairs (first floor), when Kevin leaves he goes down the stairs and out the front door with her back to him in the kitchen. 

I'd have to rewatch, which I probably won't, but was she yelling up a flight of stairs to him about having only cheese and something because she hadn't been shopping?  Possible I guess.  I thought it was pathetic that she thought they were going to have a bedspread picnic.  Talk about delusional.

[Scarlett45]

2 minutes ago, ShadowFacts said:

I'd have to rewatch, which I probably won't, but was she yelling up a flight of stairs to him about having only cheese and something because she hadn't been shopping?  Possible I guess.  I thought it was pathetic that she thought they were going to have a bedspread picnic.  Talk about delusional.

Yeah she was yelling up the stairs, it is a two story house. And we hear Kevin walking down the stairs. 

[Haleth]

9 hours ago, debraran said:

Seems like the lights will be a fire starter or why show the fuse box?

Good catch.

9 hours ago, notcreative enough said:

Kate you have horrible timing.

Surely you don't blame Kate for losing the baby or calling her brother with the news?

4 hours ago, MoonMountain said:

I think they will find a way to get the necklace back to Kevin, that would be so sad for that to be gone forever. Charlotte should have just thrown it out the window and been done with it. Now she's going to have to look at it for a while, figure out how to contact him or one of his family members, arrange a meeting or go to the post office and pay to have it shipped...haha.

Or continue to be angry with him and toss it in the trash.  (Seriously, what was she expecting from him other than a one night stand?)

Well, that was depressing.  And it looks like the next two epis will also be heart wrenching as well.  Man, nothing says Happy Holidays more than three consecutive downers.  The Pearson kids really, really need some therapy to deal with the loss of their father.  All three of them are beyond damaged.

By all outward appearances Kevin seemed perfect and perfectly confident in every way.  His parents were blind to the fact that underneath that bravado he was seriously lonely and insecure.  All anyone saw was the beautiful, talented boy, his happiness was taken for granted.  Even in present day that's all people saw, thus missing what a mess he is.  (Charlotte, who should have known better only saw the 18yo Kevin.)  In contrast, Randall and Kate needed a lot of encouragement, so Kevin got the short end of the parenting stick.  

Justin did a good job with the breakdown scenes.

My father had the same thing happen to him in college.  He was being scouted by the Giants and then busted his knee.  But he didn't become a raging asshole or addict.

I want to see more of Martina.

[debraran]

18 minutes ago, Scarlett45 said:

Yeah she was yelling up the stairs, it is a two story house. And we hear Kevin walking down the stairs. 

Did she say "cheese and yodels"lol   Yeah, they made her a huge fan and no self esteem. He wanted the girl that looked like Sophie but that would have been gross. It's totally unrelated but I remember seeing reviews for a book by Rick Springfield where he writes extensively about his sex escapades and cheating/adultery, no conscience. A reviewer said it was very heavy handed that way and he seemed so selfish and not taking responsibility for his actions. I was shocked at the rebuttals, the fans who would have slapped those reviewers if they could for bad mouthing their guy who was so misunderstood.  The fact that behavior among famous people is glossed over if you like their persona on TV/Stage is another conversation but perfectly shown there. I had crazy crushes but nothing that made me blind.

Edited November 15, 2017 by debraran

[QQQQ]

Quote

I don’t feel sorry for Charlotte. She noticed he was drunk and took advantage of it to sleep with her fantasy crush. She took him outside with a bottle of wine and tried to make a move on him. As a doctor, she could tell he was drunk and spiraling. She didn’t care though, she might get the opportunity to sleep with Kevin Pearson.

Agree. If Charlotte had been a male surgeon hitting on a drugged out female version of Kevin, I think viewers would a lot less concerned about the doctor's ensuing hurt/anger. Which is an interesting thing to think about, because (if my theory is correct) should gender matter in this kind of situation? 

[screenaddict]

I think Kevin is the most unevenly written of the Big Three. It's like the writers don't know how to write him. They're relying on popular jock and pretty boy stereotypes, and then they throw in occasional sensitivity and emotions and leave me feeling disjointed. Why haven't we seen teen Kevin reacting to his dad's addiction - not just crying when he sees his dad pray, but seeing his reactions when his dad comes home drunk again? Children of alcoholics develop a lot of coping mechanisms - trying to be perfect (Randall), turning to their own addictions (Kate), pretending that nothing is wrong (Kevin?). Why haven't we seen teen Kevin showing the type of behavior Charlotte mentioned - a little scene of teen Kevin pulling another guy off of teen Charlotte two or three episodes ago might have given us more insight into a multidimensional teen Kevin.

I really, really wanted last night to be the end of the addiction spiral trope. I feel like we were rushed into it, so let's rush out of it. I fear an overdose story line. I don't want to go there.

And yes, I cried for Kevin. I wanted someone to see what was going on. I cringed when he was moments away from confessing his issues to Randall. I'm sorry Kate lost the baby - and next week we'll talk about how we were rushed into the baby story line. The beauty of this show is that they reveal story lines slowly and intentionally. Last night felt off, and I fear the next two weeks will as well. 

[debraran]

6 minutes ago, screenaddict said:

I think Kevin is the most unevenly written of the Big Three. It's like the writers don't know how to write him. They're relying on popular jock and pretty boy stereotypes, and then they throw in occasional sensitivity and emotions and leave me feeling disjointed. Why haven't we seen teen Kevin reacting to his dad's addiction - not just crying when he sees his dad pray, but seeing his reactions when his dad comes home drunk again? Children of alcoholics develop a lot of coping mechanisms - trying to be perfect (Randall), turning to their own addictions (Kate), pretending that nothing is wrong (Kevin?). Why haven't we seen teen Kevin showing the type of behavior Charlotte mentioned - a little scene of teen Kevin pulling another guy off of teen Charlotte two or three episodes ago might have given us more insight into a multidimensional teen Kevin.

I really, really wanted last night to be the end of the addiction spiral trope. I feel like we were rushed into it, so let's rush It'out of it. I fear an overdose story line. I don't want to go there.

And yes, I cried for Kevin. I wanted someone to see what was going on. I cringed when he was moments away from confessing his issues to Randall. I'm sorry Kate lost the baby - and next week we'll talk about how we were rushed into the baby story line. The beauty of this show is that they reveal story lines slowly and intentionally. Last night felt off, and I fear the next two weeks will as well. 

Maybe they want it done for the holiday break but I feel rushed too. Kate's pregnancy and quick miscarriage does happen many times in real life but why on this show?  I don't get the segue into something else yet except that it interrupted Kevin's help cry. She'll feel awful, so will Toby, they will move on and hopefully have a child later, but whey the FF button? When Kevin hits bottom, drug overdose or a crime, will they all blame themselves again, like with Jack's death? How much angst can you have without help?

Edited November 15, 2017 by debraran

[sigmaforce86]

I feel like I'm way to invested in whether or not Kevin gets that necklace back.  It shouldn't be the main focus but I really want him to have it. The beginning montage of him in the hotel room with the booze and pills was very hard to watch.  I hope or wish he turns to Randell and says something nice about Kate but follows it with "that's not why I'm here though I need........".   I don't think that's what will happen I just wish it would.

The shot of the new house followed by Kevin in front of the burnt out house was really, really well done.

ETA:  I loved the speech on the football field, I think it summed up his life and his character in one huge tantrum and Justin nailed it.

I love the actress playing young Kate; their faces are really similar, I think they look the most alike of the three kids to adults actors.

In our state there wouldn't be a paper script for a narcotic, they're electronic only.  But I don't have a problem with the plot since Kevin isn't a doctor and couldn't know the laws and he's an addict at this point so the fake prescription isn't a weird thing for him to do at all AND more importantly he didn't try to get the drugs yet we don't know what would have happened if he had.  Now if he walked up, handed in the paper and was given the pills with no problem like they were aspirin THAT would have been very unrealistic.

Edited November 15, 2017 by sigmaforce86