S09.E07: Winner Winner Turkey

[hoodooznoodooz]

Argh. First time trying to start a new episode thread. Sorry. I don't know how to add the date. 

Once again, Aubrey/Lily with the physical comedy. The expression on her face when she's swinging the nunchucks!!!

She's much funnier when she's not speaking.

Edited November 16, 2017 by hoodooznoodooz

[readster]

As soon as I saw Mitch get out the nunchucks and by that much glass I went: "Oh no, not again." But it was hilarious, even later when he tried to break Phil out of the box. Jay got Joe kicked out of school? Ok, but I loved how Cam said: "That's how I learned things in school." Other wise, I felt this was just another episode of everyone trying to cover up lies that backfired. Been there, done that. 

[hoodooznoodooz]

I felt like they have gone to this well many times already, however, I thought that there were a couple of very strong moments.

Claire taking the wrong route was not one of them. Nor was Cam hearing the other coach.

Gloria constantly stepping was visually very funny, but I wish they had put her in another outfit. 

[sweetandsour]

11 minutes ago, hoodooznoodooz said:

Gloria constantly stepping was visually very funny, but I wish they had put her in another outfit. 

I don't remember the last episode of MF I saw that felt even remotely fresh. Gloria laboring away to hit 100k steps in 4 inch heels was ridiculous. This isn't a realistic show, but geez. I'm a big heel wearer myself, but I would never wear them while walking/stepping solely for the sake of more steps. And her clipping that stepcounter to the back of Claire's shirt and Claire being unaware it was there the whole times was ludicrous. Um yeah, okay, Claire never felt it, even as it obviously bounced against her back as she ran the race. I don't even know why it was such a big deal to everyone that Claire was doing a 10k when it was well established in earlier seasons that Claire is a runner. Also, if she really only ran about 4 miles, that's only 8000 steps, give or take, that she logged for Gloria unwittingly, implying that Gloria legitimately logged 92k steps herself. After she'd already done that work, why was earning that 8k herself such a big deal? Can't be that she was tired or her feet hurt - she was choosing to step/dance around in those heels, which would never happen if she was struggling.

[Star Aristille]

I don't see what the problem was with Cam hearing the other coach.  Sure, it was an accident, but why does it matter how he won so long as he won?

[hoodooznoodooz]

36 minutes ago, Star Aristille said:

I don't see what the problem was with Cam hearing the other coach.  Sure, it was an accident, but why does it matter how he won so long as he won?

Oh, I don't care that they won the game that way. I just didn't like the set-up that allowed him to hear the other coach.

[vibeology]

50 minutes ago, Star Aristille said:

I don't see what the problem was with Cam hearing the other coach.  Sure, it was an accident, but why does it matter how he won so long as he won?

Because it's cheating. Hearing the other team's play and changing your own call as a result is cheating. Cam isn't to blame for the radio kerfuffle but he'd already called his play and he only changed it because he he had access to information he wasn't supposed to have. Signal stealing, spying on plays are huge deals. It's unsportsmanlike to win that way. 

[hoodooznoodooz]

7 hours ago, sweetandsour said:

I don't remember the last episode of MF I saw that felt even remotely fresh. Gloria laboring away to hit 100k steps in 4 inch heels was ridiculous. This isn't a realistic show, but geez. I'm a big heel wearer myself, but I would never wear them while walking/stepping solely for the sake of more steps. And her clipping that stepcounter to the back of Claire's shirt and Claire being unaware it was there the whole times was ludicrous. Um yeah, okay, Claire never felt it, even as it obviously bounced against her back as she ran the race. I don't even know why it was such a big deal to everyone that Claire was doing a 10k when it was well established in earlier seasons that Claire is a runner. Also, if she really only ran about 4 miles, that's only 8000 steps, give or take, that she logged for Gloria unwittingly, implying that Gloria legitimately logged 92k steps herself. After she'd already done that work, why was earning that 8k herself such a big deal? Can't be that she was tired or her feet hurt - she was choosing to step/dance around in those heels, which would never happen if she was struggling.

I totally agree that the storyline was ridiculous and unrealistic, but she made me laugh because in my opinion she looked like a toy. 

[BusyOctober]

Is it written in Sofia Vergara's contract that she; a) MUST wear tight, low cut tops in EVERY scene b) MUST jiggle her boobs and wiggle her butt in EVERY scene c) act or speak in an OTT manner in EVERY scene.  Color me bored and over it.

The only actor/character who I find amusing or enjoyable is Ty Burell/Phil.  

[MaryMitch]

I LOL'd at Gloria walking to get her steps in; I think it was hilarious!

Boy, Phil sure surprised everyone (including me), didn't he? Good for him!

[jmonique]

I was always the smart one in the family (that wouldn't seem like bragging if you knew my cousins).

Which I only mention so you can realize what it really means when I say: For the love of everything that's holy, why do they insist on writing Alex like a complete bitch? Seriously, if the next episode includes a plotline where Claire discovers "666" on Alex's forehead, I would not be surprised. We really need portrayals of smart girls on television, and while they don't need to be saints, it would help if Alex wasn't so completely snotty and offputting 24/7.

Everyone's such an extreme caricature now. This is why shows definitely shouldn't go past season seven.

Edited November 16, 2017 by jmonique

[AriAu]

Quote

I don't remember the last episode of MF I saw that felt even remotely fresh.

Yup

Quote

Gloria laboring away to hit 100k steps in 4 inch heels was ridiculous.

Also, the same storyline as Phil trying to take the elliptical to Canada

Quote

Everyone's such an extreme caricature now. This is why shows definitely shouldn't go past season seven.

Starting to look that way-I think they have gotten really lazy with every character except Joe...who is not past season 7.

[Traveller519]

They've definitely done this type of episode before, where everyone has some secret they're trying to not get out to their partner/the greater family. 

That said, I think they actually write these kind of well. Definitely not to the level of Fraser, but along with good wordplay, these plots are right in the writers' wheelhouse where we know the truth and can see it unravelling, but it does so with a few laugjs along the way. 

And at least we have everyone interacting, unlike last season where it seemed like oaths between the families rarely overlapped. Jay actually being nice to Phil unprompted by any major event was nice to see too

[TheLastKidPicked]

Pretty gutsy move to show how old white guys like Jay really do see the world:

"The White Man took pity on these natives, but their kindness was mistaken for aggression"

The show does a good job with the differences in the characters, and I enjoy it when they explore the generation gap once in a while.

[mostlylurking]

6 hours ago, vibeology said:

Because it's cheating. Hearing the other team's play and changing your own call as a result is cheating.

I mean it is, but it's not like Cam was purposely spying on the other coach.  He heard it inadvertently, it's not like he can un-hear it.  Is he just supposed to let his team lose?  Totally off topic, but I kind of don't understand insider trading either.  I mean if someone gives me a tip, am I just not supposed to do anything about it and let my stock tank?  I guess so, lol.  Good thing I'm poor...one less thing to worry about;)

[TheLastKidPicked]

I think the issue wasn't that Cam was purposely spying or that Cam intentionally cheated.  The issue is that he was being held up as a genius coach who made a brilliant call based on his amazing instincts.

And he knew his call wasn't based purely on his amazing coaching skills and he felt guilty about it.

[Artsda]

I liked seeing a family holiday dinner episode. With everyone too. 

The scene of all of them at dinner finding out all the secrets seemed like it was taken from Friends though. Thanksgiving and all the secrets get blurted out in a few mins. Friends was 10x more funny.

[Blakeston]

On 11/16/2017 at 1:13 AM, sweetandsour said:

 I don't even know why it was such a big deal to everyone that Claire was doing a 10k when it was well established in earlier seasons that Claire is a runner.

The big deal was that she "won."

Jay's version of Thanksgiving was funny, but I really don't like that they made him out to be that much of a bigot. (That said, I realize that there are plenty of people his age who have that perception of Thanksgiving.)

Edited November 17, 2017 by Blakeston

[Latverian Diplomat]

Today in nerdy nitpicks. Negative reinforcement is not criticism or punishment. Instead, "a response or behavior is strengthened by stopping, removing or avoiding a negative outcome or aversive stimulus."

https://www.verywell.com/what-is-negative-reinforcement-2795410

Sure, this is a common misunderstanding. OTOH, Alex is supposed to be a smart kid at an elite college, and even lowly education majors at state universities have to learn that one.

It was interesting, perhaps refreshing that Haley did not have an embarrassing secret; she was actually very supportive of Phil.

[tennisgurl]

Haley wasn't in the episode much, but I thought she came off pretty well here. She didn't have a big silly secret, she was just trying to support Phil. Also, that magic trick was pretty awesome. Point for Phil!

The whole "everyone lies and it all comes out* thing has been done to death, but a lot of the physical comedy, like Mitch and his nun chucks, made it work anyway. Not a bad episode, and I enjoy when the whole family comes together, but nothing that amazing either. You can tell this show is several seasons past its prime, even if it hasn't gotten embarrassing yet. 

Gloria trying to get her steps in was funny, but, as others have said, when it kill Gloria to wear flats every once in awhile? Or even just smaller heels? I like heels too, but not every single day when I am trying to work out. 

So not bad or anything, but it came off as a lesser version of the Friends episode where everyone's secrets got blurted out in one mad rush. 

"Hurricane Gloria didn't break the porch swing, Monica did!" 

"Thats a lot of information to get in 30 seconds..."

[Ottis]

This is the first MF episode that I turned off and deleted without finishing. After seeing two stories of how individuals who allegedly were winners were actually frauds, I lost interest.

[jhlipton]

On 11/16/2017 at 6:07 AM, BusyOctober said:

Is it written in Sofia Vergara's contract that she; a) MUST wear tight, low cut tops in EVERY scene b) MUST jiggle her boobs and wiggle her butt in EVERY scene

Maybe not, but it's in mine!

On 11/16/2017 at 11:17 AM, mostlylurking said:

I kind of don't understand insider trading either.  I mean if someone gives me a tip, am I just not supposed to do anything about it and let my stock tank?

No, if you know something that's going to hurt (or help) a stock, you're supposed to report it to the Securities and Exchange Commission so that others don't have their stock tank  or lose out on an investment.