S02.E17: This Big, Amazing, Beautiful Life

[love2lovebadtv]

On 3/6/2018 at 10:57 PM, WhosThatGirl said:

Eh. I mean it gives insight into Duja and her mom but I don’t care that much.

Also the ending was written on the wall of Dujas mom leaving her with Beth and Randall.

And yeah.. even if this wasn’t my favorite episode, the effort that the people behind this show put into just one episode is amazing. All the quick cuts to the generations of life, that litte scene when Duja cut her hand and she was watching The Manny. It’s just amazing to me the effort this show goes into for one episode.

Next week is going to kill me. I just know it

On 3/6/2018 at 10:53 PM, chaifan said:

Leaving her daughter was the easiest thing she could do.  It was a total cop out. 

I don't understand why child services was called on Deja in the first place.  She was a teenager left alone at a normal dinner time.  Yes, she injured herself, but there was no sign of abuse or anything worse than just being a poor latchkey kid. 

Like Lady Calypso above I found myself totally bored with 90% of this episode and saw no point in devoting an entire episode to this backstory, especially when it was pretty obvious Shawna was just going to bail in the end again.

I think that since Deja went to the hospital as a minor, hospital personnel is obligated to contact her parents. Her injury was due to an accident but it would be irresponsible of the hospital to release her without a parent and they couldn't reach Deja's mom. For all they know, Deja was neglected (which is abuse) and not a latchkey kid. 

Either way, I was disappointed that this episode focused almost entirely on Deja's family. 

[tvfanatic13]

I breathed a sigh of relief when Deja did not pawn Gigi's broch. My grandmother, called Gigi by our next generation!, gave me a beautiful ring that I would never part with, even in desperate times. 

[DianeDobbler]

I was away from home where this show was playing on the only channel that had reception in the television where I was staying. The other episode I'd watched was Jack's death, where I was completely distracted by Mandy Moore's glam 'do and lip gloss after her character had awakened in a panic in a burning house, etc. etc. etc., and yet the show didn't bother mussing her hair even a little bit. The entire time she was on the phone I was thinking - seriously? All this effort for this "long-awaited" episode and that's the hair?

So, too, every time Deja's mom, the crack addicted Shauna, opened her mouth, there were the gleaming white, perfect teeth. Expensive teeth. Not the teeth of someone with a rough life, no money, and addictions. It also bothered me when she decided to leave in the middle of the night. I feel that this show will always do it. Force a moment to where it thinks it will play for the next beat, and hell, if it's maybe 11pm at night and the woman leaving Randall's house obviously has nowhere to go but her car, let's set that aside because it's so dramatic to see her there ready to leave while her daughter slumbers upstairs where she belongs. Why the hell couldn't that scene have happened in the morning after she had a good night's sleep? I have no use for the woman - it's just that I didn't believe this episode. Randall and his wife would not have pasted concerned but respectful but stricken looks on their faces as the mom said that, and then presumably let her walk out into the late night with nowhere to go but her car. It was meant to play as "The mom finally realizes she has to let Deja go, and this is the best place for her - what a lot of mixed feelings going on here!" But because of the timing, I was distracted and couldn't process the dramatic beat. It was annoying, just like the hair.

[debraran]

5 hours ago, DianeDobbler said:

I was away from home where this show was playing on the only channel that had reception in the television where I was staying. The other episode I'd watched was Jack's death, where I was completely distracted by Mandy Moore's glam 'do and lip gloss after her character had awakened in a panic in a burning house, etc. etc. etc., and yet the show didn't bother mussing her hair even a little bit. The entire time she was on the phone I was thinking - seriously? All this effort for this "long-awaited" episode and that's the hair?

So, too, every time Deja's mom, the crack addicted Shauna, opened her mouth, there were the gleaming white, perfect teeth. Expensive teeth. Not the teeth of someone with a rough life, no money, and addictions. It also bothered me when she decided to leave in the middle of the night. I feel that this show will always do it. Force a moment to where it thinks it will play for the next beat, and hell, if it's maybe 11pm at night and the woman leaving Randall's house obviously has nowhere to go but her car, let's set that aside because it's so dramatic to see her there ready to leave while her daughter slumbers upstairs where she belongs. Why the hell couldn't that scene have happened in the morning after she had a good night's sleep? I have no use for the woman - it's just that I didn't believe this episode. Randall and his wife would not have pasted concerned but respectful but stricken looks on their faces as the mom said that, and then presumably let her walk out into the late night with nowhere to go but her car. It was meant to play as "The mom finally realizes she has to let Deja go, and this is the best place for her - what a lot of mixed feelings going on here!" But because of the timing, I was distracted and couldn't process the dramatic beat. It was annoying, just like the hair.

I noticed those things too, re Mandy's hair although Milo said they cleaned him up a bit, in ER because they thought if he looked like someone who went through a fire like that, the fans might know he was collapsing soon. He seemed stilted even saying it, because "duh" everyone knew he was dying that day and before the show ended.   I still thought he looked awful.

The really white teeth I see on occasion on shows, some make a homeless person have a film on their teeth, other times, I like "whoa! I need sunglasses" lol I guess you can think they improved the whitening toothpastes.  : )

What lost me is the two of them letting Deja's mom go when she was homeless and not trying to stop her (you get what you wish for sometimes) and then I feel Deja would feel conflicting emotions. Randall and Beth aren't her parents and you just don't go into a nice house and bed and feel, "I belong here" it's like being on vacation but there are many reminders you aren't one of them. It takes time but as much as I like the show, this year wasn't my favorite and I feel the Deja story line wasn't thought out well. Initially Sterling said after she left with her Mom in an interview he wanted to work with her again but she wasn't on the cast list for the next few months they can see. I guess it he was misinformed , lied for some reason or they decided then to write her back in because 2 shows later, she was there.

I look forward to the fall with some fresh stories and i hope a good balance of smiles with the depression and sadness. I want to see older Rebecca laugh and smile, Kevin find a soul mate and Kate be happy with Toby, his illness not dominating their marriage. It would be a change though, Kate is usually, "It's all about me" maybe concentrating on Toby will help her in some ways.
 

[MaryPatShelby]

What I want to know is, great actress availability or not, why is it necessary to give the Pearsons another daughter?  Did the writers really think they couldn't mine any stories out of Tess and Annie?  I think those actresses are pretty good, too.

[ShadowFacts]

1 hour ago, MaryPatShelby said:

What I want to know is, great actress availability or not, why is it necessary to give the Pearsons another daughter?  Did the writers really think they couldn't mine any stories out of Tess and Annie?  I think those actresses are pretty good, too.

I think they wanted to echo in some way how Randall was not able to be cared for in his birth family and got placed with a loving family.  At the same time having an older child dropped into their midst has a lot of dramatic potential, and Tess and Annie can be featured in the dynamics of a new sister with problems. 

[Elinor Carlisle]

I seriously couldn't care less about Deja and her mother. Seeing a bit of Deja' background is not that bad, but building the entire episode based on this story? It is too much. 

2x17 was the only This Is Us episode I didn't like a bit.