Previous Episodes Discussion

[Meredith Quill]

See forum for individual episode topics from S02.E16 onwards.

[paulvdb]

"grown-ish" Opens as Freeform's Biggest Series Launch in 2 Years

Quote

The debut of "grown-ish" (Jan. 3, 2018, 8:00-8:31 p.m. EST) ranked as Freeform's biggest series launch in 2 years among Total Viewers (1.562 million), Adults 18-49 (917,000/0.71 rating), Women 18-49 (658,000/1.01 rating), Women 18-34 (340,000/0.98 rating) and Females 12-34 (448,000/0.96 rating) - since "Shadowhunters" on 1/12/16.

The listed numbers in this press release seem to be the L+3 ratings. I know the L+SD numbers were lower.

Edit: read a bit further and they are indeed the L+3 numbers.

Quote

Posting the biggest-ever L+3 increases of any Freeform comedy debut, "grown-ish" jumped by strong double digits over its L+SD numbers across key target demographics, soaring by +64% in Total Viewers (1.562 million vs. 953,000), +76% in Adults 18-49 (917,000 vs. 521,000), +80% in Women 18-49 (658,000 vs. 366,000), +79% in Women 18-34 (340,000 vs. 190,000) and +73% in Females 12-34 (448,000 vs. 259,000) after just 3 days of TV playback.

Edited January 9, 2018 by paulvdb

[paulvdb]

Quote

In the series premiere, Zoey Johnson arrives at California University certain she will be a hot shot on campus, but quickly learns she may have a little more growing to do.

Quote

Zoey starts to experience "fear of missing out" for the first time in her life when she tries to juggle her schoolwork, extracurricular activities and, of course, partying.

I liked these first two episodes enough to continue watching. It looks like being on Freeform has given them more freedom to deal with issues like drug use that we never really saw with Black-ish on ABC.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

Zoey is elated when it seems like her crush has feelings for her, but starts to worry he may see things differently when she receives a late night "U up?” text.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I like that the show isn't depicting a squeaky clean version of college (see: 90210 of yore). That alone is worth something already. I think it's unrealistic that Zoey has such a black and white view of drugs because I'm sure that her classmates at her fancy private school were doing the same, but since ABC only delved into that in a single episode (when she took Junior to a party), they are taking the opportunity to depict her as the good girl having her eyes opened (see: Julie in the first season of The Real World).

The show also gets points for visible diversity. I know some people have said they're not surprised by it since the show is set in LA, but given how many tv shows are set in LA and show a stunning lack of diversity, the bar has been set pretty low.

[Raja]

5 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I like that the show isn't depicting a squeaky clean version of college (see: 90210 of yore). That alone is worth something already. I think it's unrealistic that Zoey has such a black and white view of drugs because I'm sure that her classmates at her fancy private school were doing the same, but since ABC only delved into that in a single episode (when she took Junior to a party), they are taking the opportunity to depict her as the good girl having her eyes opened (see: Julie in the first season of The Real World).

The show also gets points for visible diversity. I know some people have said they're not surprised by it since the show is set in LA, but given how many tv shows are set in LA and show a stunning lack of diversity, the bar has been set pretty low.

On the other hand as a high level, wasn't she headed for Brown on Black-ish? Californian university there seemed to be a lack of East Asians. There being something like three times their proportion of the general population in the student bodies after Proposition 209

[jumper sage]

Finally watched the first 2 episodes on Hulu - Don't know what's wrong with Freeform.

I liked it.  I liked the dealer and his binder of drugs.  In my day (80s) they would have their moms sew in pockets of a jacket.  At least now he can ditch the binder, harder to ditch your jacket.

I liked when she would talk to the camera, gave it more of a contemporary vibe.  Loved the guy from Black-ish and his midnight till 2 am class.  Nice selection of friends.

Episode 2 she and Ana became friends.  My friends and I were texting back and forth our own stories of starting college.  You really do learn a lot, socially, in that first year.

[DearEvette]

I was pleasantly surprised by this.  Originally I really hadn't planned to watch, just kinda decided that Dear White People was enough college drama for me.  But I saw some provocative tweets and decided to give it a try.

I like that it is edgier and a bit darker than Blackish.  A comedy but NOT a network comedy.  I like that they toned down her super coolness.  I was also really pleasantly surprised by the frank depiction of drug & alcohol use in college and that Zoey herself wasn't immune.  I like how all the 'good' Jewish girl and 'good' Indian guy aren't all that good.  I also liked the bits of classism sprinkled about.  And how each character is a really, sharply drawn personality. 

The only thing I didn't like was Zoey's stupid crush on Super Activisit Bruh.  But I'll welcome it if it is a springboard to being a commentary on bad college relationships.

[Artsda]

[ElectricBoogaloo]

12 hours ago, DearEvette said:

I like that they toned down her super coolness. 

I liked this because it's common for kids who were used to being a big fish in a little pond (whether it's being popular, a star athlete, or the smartest kid with the highest GPA) to flounder a little when they get to college, especially when they go to a large university.

[slf]

I really like it. It's funny at all the right times and is a lot edgier and more diverse than I would've expected from this network. Not sure how into Zoey's inevitable romance with Aaron I am but I'm willing to give it a shot (if I were actually this show's target demo I'd probably love it, lol). Yara Shahidi is ridiculously pretty and has charisma for days.

[numbnut]

I don't know much about Freeform but this felt like a typical network show, even with its diverse cast (minus Asians). It's cute but simplified, truncated character arcs are not for me.

7 hours ago, slf said:

if I were actually this show's target demo I'd probably love it, lol). Yara Shahidi is ridiculously pretty and has charisma for days.

ITA.

Edited January 10, 2018 by numbnut

[DearEvette]

I think there were things you definitely wouldn't see on an 8:00 network show.  For instance the profanity, I don't think "shit" has made it to network yet.  Also I can't remember ever seeing someone on a sitcom getting ready to snort lines of coke.  I also don't think if it were on ABC the network would have been happy with what is looking like Zoey's continued drug use.  The "just one more time" sets off bells for me. 

It feels like they are gonna try and push the envelope a bit, so they might be able to delve into some things they can't on ABC.  It'll be interesting to see what else they try.

Apparently the ratings were great for these two eps.  According to Deadline, it was the best debut Freeform has had since 2012.

[Dee]

The following exchange had me in tears:

Aaron: "You look like Willow Smith!"

Luca: "You're built like a tall Jada!"

[tennisgurl]

This show definitely has a different vibe than Black-ish, and while I think the show has some definite growing pains in a pilot/early episodes sort of way (some of the introductions and Breakfast Club comparisons were clunky as hell) I think the show has a lot of potential. Its funny, but also has laid the groundwork for some dramatic stuff down the road. Plus, I like the cast so far, and Zoe's new friends are all pretty interesting characters who seem to work well together, so that should help a lot. I had some doubts, but I think Yara Shahidi will be able to carry a show just fine. She is quite talented and has some real star power. 

I also find the approach to sex, drugs, and alcohol in college to be quite refreshingly frank and honest. It doesn't really glorify partying, but it also isn't some kind of PSA where a puff of pot sends you straight to the ER. Zoe's drug fueled binge was quite funny, but i think it could also lead to a more dramatic story if she starts using them too much. I also thought they would stretch out her feud with her roommate for longer. 

This show makes me weirdly nostalgic for college. Granted, I only graduated like 4 years ago, but still! 

[Racj82]

6 hours ago, Dee said:

The following exchange had me in tears:

Aaron: "You look like Willow Smith!"

Luca: "You're built like a tall Jada!"

Bruh, you went to the Barber and said fuck my shit up.

I'm already all in with this show. Any negative comments I've seen don't even make any sense to me like this being a typical network show.

It's also zigging when I'm expecting zag. Zoey making choices I wasn't expecting.

I'm looking forward to the rest of the cast getting A plots soon. I know it's Zoey's show but I look forward to seeing more of everyone else.

Edited January 11, 2018 by Racj82

[mehtotheworld]

Judging by how annoyed I was by all of these youths, I really don't think I'm the demographic they're going for with this one. I'll keep watching it because I did like most of what I saw, but I can't with the rat tails, the "I don't care so much I missed out on registration for no reason," the casual pill popping/pushing, just no. I just want them all to make good choices and live up to their potential! And to stay off my lawn, gosh dangit!

Instead of having to take that class, wouldn't they all just register online anyway? I did that 10 years ago when I was in college, and it wasn't new then. Did I miss something? If it's such a large campus, as mine was, I can't imagine they would close registration like that and not allow students to just log in and choose your courses.

I've just got to say, Francia Raisa is way too obviously not from Miami or Cuban. Get someone who can do the Miami/Caribbean Hispanic accent or just keep her character LA-based! Jeez. Also, it's kind of hilarious that she's 29 years old. She looks young, so I thought I must have misjudged how long ago Secret Life was, but no. Full blown adult.

Other than Yara Shahidi, my favorite parts of the show were the parts with Charles. I am officially old.

Edited January 11, 2018 by mehtotheworld

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

Zoey makes a deal with Dean Parker to tutor the star basketball player in order to get a letter of recommendation, but her friends seem to think the relationship is something more.

Promo:

[TeapotWakeen]

the discussion about what "hooking up" meant was great!

[jumper sage]

Count me as one who likes the show.  So much like real college - good times.  Loved the whole hooking up and its levels.

[peachmangosteen]

10 hours ago, mehtotheworld said:

I'll keep watching it because I did like most of what I saw, but I can't with the rat tails, the "I don't care so much I missed out on registration for no reason," the casual pill popping/pushing, just no. I just want them all to make good choices and live up to their potential! And to stay off my lawn, gosh dangit!

This! I was aghast at some of the stuff lol. I'm such a mom now apparently. 

[tennisgurl]

The whole thing about nobody agreeing on what any of the hook up terminology actually meant was hilarious, the struggle really is real on that front. 

I especially laughed at Zoe wondering what Aaron was up to, and cutting to Aaron trying to get better service on his phone while wondering why she hadn't texted him back. And Vivek clearly isn't as up on the lingo as hr thought he was, and for some reason, decided to ask Charlie for clarification. Poor guy doesn't know Charlie like we do. 

"U Up might as well be a Chris Brown song". "We were watching Big Bang Theory, racist". 

I like the show so far. Continues making me nostalgic for college, while also reminding me how tiring it was. If someone texts me U up now, I am pretty much always asleep already, or halfway through a book. 

[BingeyKohan]

Wasn't there also a good quote that referred to the movie Get Out? I got distracted and missed it and haven't seen it cited anywhere else. 

[Aileen]

The look to the camera around his vack! Zoey is channeling Jim Halpert!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Meet the characters featurette:

Chloe x Halle discuss Grownish:

Trevor Jackson discusses the show:

Edited January 12, 2018 by ElectricBoogaloo

[Skyfall]

Did it feel like we missed several episodes? Like why did the two guys hate each other? When did she start liking the other guy? And we really had no build up to the first kiss and "hooking up".

[Dee]

Aaron and Luca became frenemies in the Pilot. Zoey didn't consider Luca as a romantic option until she hung out with him at the Kid Ink concert.

[Skyfall]

3 hours ago, Dee said:

Aaron and Luca became frenemies in the Pilot. Zoey didn't consider Luca as a romantic option until she hung out with him at the Kid Ink concert.

She definitely considered him before then as the line was “...I get to hangout with the other guy I like.” And yet after last week we only knew she liked Aaron.

[Dee]

She thought Luca was mildly interesting, but didn't consider dating him because of her crush on Aaron & Luca's own blase attitude.

[shawband]

I like it and Black-ish.  The only thing that really gets me when I see it, is the weird relationship between Dre and the Zoey.  He is way too over top.  

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Ahhh, the old "what does hooking up mean?" debate! I remember when I started college, it generally meant any kind of sexual contact and a few years later it specifically meant sex. I was like wait, when did that happen? I'm glad to see that it still has different definitions to people!

While Zoey wasn't being completely honest with the guys, I also think that until you have the DTR conversation, it's not surprising that you might be seeing other people - especially when you're a college freshman. But it was a rookie mistake to switch back and forth with them on the phone. Seriously, girl, let it go to voicemail and call back when you're done talking to the first guy!

[gingerella]

On 1/10/2018 at 5:35 PM, tennisgurl said:

This show makes me weirdly nostalgic for college. Granted, I only graduated like 4 years ago, but still! 

Me too, and college was way longer than 4 years ago for me! Despite not being anywhere near the demo for this show, I found it to be refreshingly honest and straightforward about what freshman college year is like so far. And although college was decades ago for me, the experiences they're showing could mirror my own experience so it was very easy to relate to this epi. I liked all the characters for the most part, but I dont think they need to kooky night class or the blackish character at all, he adds nothing, just weird and out of place. And please show, dont put Dre on again, the more they can move away from blackish the better because I think that show will hold them back. Some of the writing was, let's say...too forced? The East African Warlord thing was just like "what?!" If you want to reference war lords, best do it SE Asian style, or Myanmar warlords or whatever, but there aren't a lot of warlords in East Africa so the writers fucked up on that one considering it was a line played alot in clips for the show. Im also not sure about the twins characters...they dont really add anything so far. I'd rather have one solid added character in their place. Also, one last little thing...I'm not sure of the ages of the cast members but most of them seem to play their roles too mature, IMO, other than Zoe, and I dont know her real age. But overall, the rest of the cast did very well, IMO.

[DearEvette]

Team Luca!  Not really but I like the character so much more than I like Aaron.  And his burns were much better:

"Mullet in the back with a fade. How you wanna be a redneck & black at the same time”

I like the girl posse an how different they all are.

Yeah we had the  "Hooking up" meaning breakdown back in the day.  Although some people felt it just meant hanging out, the consensus was that it was basically casual sex.

Bets throwaway gag was Charlie's list of OJ movies on the white board that included the "Bronco Chase" and the "Murder Trial" 

And finally, Zoey's playa game was way wack.  You can easily juggle two guys in the era of modern communication.  You just have to know how to do it.

[luckyroll3]

On 1/11/2018 at 5:48 AM, TeapotWakeen said:

the discussion about what "hooking up" meant was great!

Whenever I speak with the teens I work with, I always need them to clarify what definition of "hooking up" they are using.  

On 1/12/2018 at 7:25 AM, Skyfall said:

Did it feel like we missed several episodes? Like why did the two guys hate each other? When did she start liking the other guy? And we really had no build up to the first kiss and "hooking up".

I felt the same way.  We also didn't get any follow-up on the adderrall storyline.  Hopefully they won't drop that.

I love Luca and how absolutely ridiculous, but true to life he is.  I was dying when he said, "I look good in all light" when Zoey said the limo had bad lighting for selfies.  

Edited January 14, 2018 by luckyroll3

[Empress1]

13 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Ahhh, the old "what does hooking up mean?" debate! I remember when I started college, it generally meant any kind of sexual contact and a few years later it specifically meant sex. I was like wait, when did that happen? I'm glad to see that it still has different definitions to people!

While Zoey wasn't being completely honest with the guys, I also think that until you have the DTR conversation, it's not surprising that you might be seeing other people - especially when you're a college freshman. But it was a rookie mistake to switch back and forth with them on the phone. Seriously, girl, let it go to voicemail and call back when you're done talking to the first guy!

When I was in college, "hooking up" meant the stuff between making out and having sex. If you had sex, you'd say you had sex (although if you'd gotten or given oral sex, you'd say you hooked up). Only our parents said "hook up" to mean "meet up with." 

Zoey SHOULD be dating around! She's a few weeks into college and there hadn't been any exclusivity talks. Maybe she was more cautious because the guys hate each other?

Is Zoey a virgin, do we know?

[Racj82]

16 hours ago, Empress1 said:

When I was in college, "hooking up" meant the stuff between making out and having sex. If you had sex, you'd say you had sex (although if you'd gotten or given oral sex, you'd say you hooked up). Only our parents said "hook up" to mean "meet up with." 

Zoey SHOULD be dating around! She's a few weeks into college and there hadn't been any exclusivity talks. Maybe she was more cautious because the guys hate each other?

Is Zoey a virgin, do we know?

Yes she's a virgin. She barely even dated in high school really. Not that this means she still couldn't of had sex with someone. But, that was never a thing that happened on the show.

[TwistedandBored]

I really like this show so far. I love Zoey and I like that she is not always perfect. I also like the whole girl group. 

Also, I feel like I missed a couple of episodes after they dropped on me on that Aaron and Zoey. I even checked Hulu to see if there was other episodes between 2 and 3 just to make sure...lol. 

I think they sort of rushed her crushes and get togethers with both Aaron and Luca but I am not mad. Both guys are hot af and I loved the two roasting each other. 

[peachmangosteen]

I'm glad other people felt like there were some episodes missing. I was so confused.

I still can't decide if I wanna keep watching or not. In some ways I really love the show, but in other ways I feel like it's just not for me. I feel like maybe I'm just too old and/or basic for it lol.

[ridethemaverick]

On 1/9/2018 at 3:24 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I like that the show isn't depicting a squeaky clean version of college (see: 90210 of yore). That alone is worth something already. I think it's unrealistic that Zoey has such a black and white view of drugs because I'm sure that her classmates at her fancy private school were doing the same, but since ABC only delved into that in a single episode (when she took Junior to a party), they are taking the opportunity to depict her as the good girl having her eyes opened (see: Julie in the first season of The Real World).

The show also gets points for visible diversity. I know some people have said they're not surprised by it since the show is set in LA, but given how many tv shows are set in LA and show a stunning lack of diversity, the bar has been set pretty low.

 

Her being a good girl initially didn't surprise me. Black kids are less likely to do hard drugs, and her experience mirrors mine and those of my friends who got our first real exposure in undergrad. 

I liked it well enough. I thought I would have it since I find YS's acting and monotone voice very snooze inducing (and that crying scene showed me she hasn't improved). But there are enough interesting secondary characters to keep me watching so I'm in.

Loved the freaknik reference. Atlanta was so lit back then.

The Charlie thing just didn't work for me.

Luca is giving me Jaden Smith vibes. Not a fan.

[Artsda]

I liked Cash's character, hope he sticks around.

[Dee]

The twins pouring the appetizers into their purses cracked me. The struggle is real.

[AnimeMania]

I actually liked this episode, I wasn't to crazy about the others.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

When Zoey’s Instagram becomes a flooded with haters, she wonders if it’s time to alter her brand.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

18 hours ago, ridethemaverick said:

Her being a good girl initially didn't surprise me. Black kids are less likely to do hard drugs, and her experience mirrors mine and those of my friends who got our first real exposure in undergrad. 

I'm not surprised that she hadn't done drugs in high school. I was just surprised that she had a very Just Say No attitude about drugs with the slippery slope, especially considering that she took Junior to a party where their classmates were drinking and doing drugs and she had a very casual attitude about it at the time. If I recall correctly, she told Junior to calm down because it was no big deal. I have no doubt that she knew some of her private school classmates were taking the same kind of drugs she was shown taking in this episode, so it seems like a retcon that she's so against them now.

[qtpye]

Yeah, this episode seemed to come together and reminded me of blackish in a good way. I think Zoey has more chemistry with Cash than the Revolutionary or the hippie guy.  The Revolutionary guy is really not a good actor and he seems to be just mouthing his lines with no feeling.

[tennisgurl]

I liked Cash, even though him cheating is clearly an issue. Even if schools lets star athletes get away with pretty much anything (besides sucking at their sport of choice) that could stil blow back. We also got our first Black-ish style "Here is A Problem That We Will Talk About" fourth wall break about the problems surrounding student athletes, which was nice to see. 

I also liked the stuff with Nomi, and the girl who blew her off when she found out she was bi instead of a lesbian. There are definitely issues like that in the LGBTQ community, and I extra liked that even Nomi (and the rest of the gang) were weirded out when it turned out that Nomis awesome new guy is bi too. I hope he sticks around a little bit, and we can explore those double standards more. 

Even revolutionaries have to pay the bills, Aaron. 

[BingeyKohan]

I missed Lucca.

Zoey is still popping pills, right? Didn't she down one quickly before the first tutoring sesh? We're in for a very special episode down the line?

[possibilities]

I think I like this show more than I like Black-ish. Black-ish has been seeming pretty sexist lately, relies too much on Dre being a baby and everyone dumping on Bow. grown-ish is pretty even-handed and fair, I think, in who's being ridiculous at any given moment.

[jhlipton]

5 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

Even if schools lets star athletes get away with pretty much anything (besides sucking at their sport of choice) that could stil blow back.

It's a way the schools cheat the athletes again.  By turning a blind eye to the cheating, they don't require that the athletes get the skills the need, whether they make it to "The Bigs" or not.

[jhlipton]

On ‎1‎/‎15‎/‎2018 at 6:53 AM, peachmangosteen said:

I still can't decide if I wanna keep watching or not. In some ways I really love the show, but in other ways I feel like it's just not for me. I feel like maybe I'm just too old and/or basic for it lol.

I'm spoiled by Dear White People, which this a pale copy of.  It's alright, but not great.  The "Squad" is cute enough to keep me watching for now.