Season 5 Discussion

[FrancesL]

Quote

Just about everything in this episode pissed me off. The Abby and Simone situation burned me up. Simone is a teenage girl. Teenage girls are a boiling stew of out-of-control hormones and feelings. I was a teenage girl once and I felt crazy all the time. My mom and I fought horribly. It was nothing for me to slam my door and stay in my room with my boombox and practice dancing for hours and not come out for anything. Abby acting like Simone sitting in her room was a crisis situation is one of the dumbest things I've seen on this show, and that's saying a lot.

This was the part of the show that annoyed me the most. Simone's behavior struck me as typical teenage girl behavior, so Abby acting like Simone's outburst was abnormal behavior and getting angry at Mike for the inconvenience of having deal with his daughter seemed wrong (and I'm just glad that Simone didn't overhear the conversation). In fairness to Abby, I think that Mike could definitely take more responsibility as a parent, so I completely understood Abby's frustration. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of the responsibilities of taking care of the children fell on Collettes' shoulders when she was with Mike. He clearly needs to step up more as a parent and help out more with the responsibilities, so I understand why Abby was upset. What I didn't understand was Abby's unwillingness to see his children as her responsibility too, now that they were living together as family. Abby was the one who wanted them to be a family in the first place, which means taking the good with the bad. Getting annoyed with Simone (and then Mike) for disrupting her schedule seemed incredibly self-centred, and suggested that she definitely saw them as separate families and didn't really want to be a second mother to Simone.  Simone can definitely be a brat, but it's also clear that she has grown to like Abby and sees her as someone she can talk to, so I was disappointed in Abby's annoyance over  Simone's "crisis". She wants to bond with Mike's kids but doesn't want the responsibility that comes with it.  Also wanting to celebrate her daughter's acceptance into college with her own "family", excluding Mike and his kids was a pretty hurtful move.  

[OoogleEyes]

On 7/13/2018 at 3:33 PM, bichonblitz said:

What's with all the facetiming bullshit? We get it, already. It's 2018 and these ladies are soooooo hip.

 

Seriously. Who looks fabulous all day long to *want* to facetime? Not me. And who the hell wears spiky high heeled golden shoes when they are just hanging out at the crib un the evening?

[bilgistic]

I don't even wear pants at home unless it's winter. Big t-shirt and underwear and definitely no bra.

[catrice2]

I will say that one of my main reasons for continuing to watch is the clothes. There were several outfits in this episode that I loved including the floral dress.  I hope Barbara is not even in the last episode. She just annoys me

[voiceover]

Wow.  At least the last regular season ep of Sex & the City was *believably* happy.  This was just...crap.

Thanks for the Jake/Abby car crisis, though.  Edit that together, and there's the ending I believe.  The rest of it was a sad regrettable waste of talent and bedside table lamps.

[catrice2]

I don't even know where to start. After Abby's crappy Behavior we're to believe that Mike just let her change her mind again? And of course she gets to be right about Jake's new Romance not working out.

 

Delia ends up with one of the worst hairstyles I've ever seen and a baby and I guess Tony somehow became responsible?  

Albert and Jo parents?  Was there ever any suspense and who's she was going to choose and why bring back the other guy? I know I fast forwarded through a lot but I missed the point of that.

Are we to assume that Phoebe's relationships never worked out because she always wanted to be with a woman?

Barbara just no. I can't even with that clown outfit that she had on coming to Abby's party. She looked like a jester.

Well I'm glad somebody liked the end of Sex in the City because I certainly didn't.  

I think both endings were equally crappy well I probably give a nod to Sex in the City because I somewhat caresd about some of those characters unlike this show

[MrsWitter]

6 hours ago, catrice2 said:

Delia ends up with one of the worst hairstyles I've ever seen and a baby and I guess Tony somehow became responsible?  

Albert and Jo parents?  Was there ever any suspense and who's she was going to choose and why bring back the other guy? I know I fast forwarded through a lot but I missed the point of that.

This whole episode was a train wreck, but somehow I am most fixated on Delia’s hair and Jo’s pregnancy being the most egregious developments. Why did they do that to Delia? She is just so gorgeous and always looks impeccable. Is that hairstyle going to become fashionable four years from now? The future is scary.

 

Also, how old is Jo supposed to be? She was Abby’s friend from college, so they should be roughly the same age and we had a perimenopausal Abby a couple of years ago (and this is four years in the future). I know not every woman transitions at the same time (obviously) and, you know, Janet Jackson and Brigette Nielsen, but this development just felt absurd and unnecessary to me. And I agree, what the heck was the point of bringing back sex addict chef? Or Becca? It was like they decided we needed a cast reunion. Where was that hot younger guy Abby dated early on? Or the gigilo?

 

This all said, I’m think I’m really going to miss hate watching this show.

Edited July 20, 2018 by MrsWitter

[LuvMyShows]

I will def miss hate-watching this show.  Now, onto this episode:

• Who put up all the decorations for the party, since Abby wasn't there?  I didn't hear that talked about when Jake was on the phone saving the day.
• No way in hell with the graduation party later and all the necessary prep, would Abby have wanted to be away from the house for the length of time that it would have taken to drive to wherever it was for the car (since they made a point of indicating that it was far).
• And regarding the car, WTF?  I couldn't tell from the convoluted car-and-abby-breakdown conversation whether there was or was not an intentional plot for Abby to buy that crap car so that somehow Lily would have to go to the local college (???).  But if Jake had half a brain, he would have asked her what year the car was, and when she mentioned how old it was, he could have simply said "No, I will not be a part of buying a car that will end up costing too much in repairs and won't have the reliability that Lily needs."  And given the area where they live, there are bound to be hundreds of sh*t cars for sale at hundreds of dealerships that are much closer.
• Was Becca at the party because Lily had remained close to her even after her breakup with Jake?  Otherwise, why in God's name was the ex-girlfriend of your dad at the party?  And I don't remember if Frumpkis was there, but if he was, same thing, only worse, cause this would be the ex-husband of one of your mom's friends.
• And where were Lily's friends at the party?
• Either the fashion coordinator really hates Retta, or someone actually thinks that she looks good in that color-blocking style that she is always wearing.  And her skirt always comes up to just under her boobs.  Neither of those two ways of dressing do her any favors.
• Jo's hot foreign ex-employee looks just like Tony now.
• Could Abby's initial (and second) reaction to Barbara's career news have been any more selfish?
• Abby's dad looked like he was doing very, very well...I thought that he had Alzheimer's or something several years ago, which means that by the time of Lily's college graduation party, it would be about 6 years after that diagnosis.
• Why did Phoebe say she was the leader of the coven when they were all gathered on the deck?
• And just such a colossal "no" to the solution of Abby and Mike being married and maintaining separate households.  Given that it was four years later, Simone would be in college or living on her own.  And Lily was already in college.  So the two of them can't manage to parent two boys together?
• Jo and Albert having a kid is so random.  Between them and Delia and Tony, it's like the writers are saying that to be truly happy, evolved, and grown-up, a person has to have a kid.
• I have to say that I did like the plot device of having Abby carry in the cake as the segue to 4 years later.  It tidied up the plot point that I couldn't get past, which was why on earth Jake had carried the first cake out to Abby on the deck, rather than leaving it in the kitchen where it didn't risk catastrophe.

Yes, indeed, I will miss hate-watching this show and snarking on it...but on the bright side, I'll have more free time!

[gesundheit]

Pleased about Phoebe's ending. Otherwise? Good lord. I will definitely miss hate-watching.

[For Cereals]

THAT was it?  Should’ve just read Luv’s post...

[chick binewski]

Even though it seems to me almost every show ends with a fast-forward since Mad About You did it years ago, it was the one touch I liked in this finale. 

That being said I still don't believe Abby and Mike are or were ever in love (and the final shot seemed to imply Abby was actually torn between him and Jake), the show wasted Retta, hooking Phoebe up with a woman is not enough to make the relationship interesting and the finale solidified my theory that the show hates Delia. Those bangs wtf. 

[TiredMe]

I’m really annoyed that DElia had a baby at all. Not all women feel the need to be a mother. They could have had one of them represent! And yea that hair. 

I did sort of want Abby and Jake reunited even though I should wish better for Jake. Lol

[SunnyBeBe]

I watched most of the finale.  At least it's over.  

I had grown to dislike Abby so much, that I was just glad that Jake was spared in the end. 

I agree that there was a lot of stuff that made me go ?  Like, why Abby's father's dementia reversed.  Hmmm....and, Jo pregnant? I guess they just wanted to surprise the viewer. I guess we should be grateful that they gave it enough time to pull that stuff together.  

Is anyone hate watching anything else?  You might check out DIETLAND. It's pretty incredible and I mean that in the truest sense of the word, but, we have a lively, healthy and interesting discussion on it on these boards.  Please stop by. 

[catrice2]

God knows I didn't watch this twice but for some reason the one thing that stuck out in my mind was that the father called his new wife or girlfriend by the wrong name and when Abby spoke to her she called her by the right name I guess to underscore the fact that he still has Alzheimer's.

[catrice2]

23 hours ago, LuvMyShows said:

I will def miss hate-watching this show.  Now, onto this episode:

• Who put up all the decorations for the party, since Abby wasn't there?  I didn't hear that talked about when Jake was on the phone saving the day.
• No way in hell with the graduation party later and all the necessary prep, would Abby have wanted to be away from the house for the length of time that it would have taken to drive to wherever it was for the car (since they made a point of indicating that it was far).
• And regarding the car, WTF?  I couldn't tell from the convoluted car-and-abby-breakdown conversation whether there was or was not an intentional plot for Abby to buy that crap car so that somehow Lily would have to go to the local college (???).  But if Jake had half a brain, he would have asked her what year the car was, and when she mentioned how old it was, he could have simply said "No, I will not be a part of buying a car that will end up costing too much in repairs and won't have the reliability that Lily needs."  And given the area where they live, there are bound to be hundreds of sh*t cars for sale at hundreds of dealerships that are much closer.
• Was Becca at the party because Lily had remained close to her even after her breakup with Jake?  Otherwise, why in God's name was the ex-girlfriend of your dad at the party?  And I don't remember if Frumpkis was there, but if he was, same thing, only worse, cause this would be the ex-husband of one of your mom's friends.
• And where were Lily's friends at the party?
• Either the fashion coordinator really hates Retta, or someone actually thinks that she looks good in that color-blocking style that she is always wearing.  And her skirt always comes up to just under her boobs.  Neither of those two ways of dressing do her any favors.
• Jo's hot foreign ex-employee looks just like Tony now.
• Could Abby's initial (and second) reaction to Barbara's career news have been any more selfish?
• Abby's dad looked like he was doing very, very well...I thought that he had Alzheimer's or something several years ago, which means that by the time of Lily's college graduation party, it would be about 6 years after that diagnosis.
• Why did Phoebe say she was the leader of the coven when they were all gathered on the deck?
• And just such a colossal "no" to the solution of Abby and Mike being married and maintaining separate households.  Given that it was four years later, Simone would be in college or living on her own.  And Lily was already in college.  So the two of them can't manage to parent two boys together?
• Jo and Albert having a kid is so random.  Between them and Delia and Tony, it's like the writers are saying that to be truly happy, evolved, and grown-up, a person has to have a kid.
• I have to say that I did like the plot device of having Abby carry in the cake as the segue to 4 years later.  It tidied up the plot point that I couldn't get past, which was why on earth Jake had carried the first cake out to Abby on the deck, rather than leaving it in the kitchen where it didn't risk catastrophe.

Yes, indeed, I will miss hate-watching this show and snarking on it...but on the bright side, I'll have more free time!

Who was Becca and how did I miss the fact that Abby and Mike had different households? 

I believe Frumpkis and the guy that they bought in the last episode( that I guess I missed when he was on the first time) was there a talking about a cake. I also did not understand that.. so where was Barbara's ex or one of Delia's old boyfriend's ... oh wait I forgot Albert was already there with one of her best friends... and a kid of one of her other best friends.. because they keep it in the family.

Between the clothing choices and the  heavy makeup that they always had on Barbara yes we have to assume that somebody hates her.

I never watched house so I don't know anything about the actress that played Abby other than this show but I couldn't tell if she was annoying because of the character she was playing or it's a lot of those mannerisms and facial expressions are just her.

To be honest the only person's acting that I ever believed on this show was Jo and they had her way  too over-the-top snarky.

I will miss some of the wardrobe choices that they had for Delia and Abby.

[bilgistic]

Y'all have covered all my gripes with the show, so I just have to co-sign. What a dumpster fire.

Abby is unbelievably selfish and narcissistic. Everything she does under the guise of "doing it for family/friends" is really to make her look better/feel better about herself. Who goes to buy a car (to bribe her kid) at a dealership three hours before a major family event--her daughter's high school graduation?!? It's your kid's day. Try not to ruin it, damn!

I also wondered why there were no people Lily's age at either party. Just Abby's friends because it's always about Abby.

I can't fully express how much I hate "everyone gets a baby"! Fuck. Off. With. That. Neither the Delia we knew the entire series nor the Jo we knew would've wanted another child. If Jo is the same age as the actress, Alanna Ubach, who plays her, she would be 46 in real time when pregnant. Do women in their 40s with grown kid(s) really want another baby?? This plot point pisses me off extra hard because I don't like kids (except my 10-year-old niece, who is awesome), and have never wanted kids. Plenty of women don't want kids and don't have to have them to have some perfectly fulfilled life.

Oh, and show? People don't hang out with their ex-spouses for funsies. WHY would Jo's ex-husband be at a college graduation party for his ex-wife's friend's kid?

I REALLY wanted Abby to trip and fall face-first into that cake she carried back inside after Jake took it outside.

This fucking show. I loved to hate you.

Edited July 21, 2018 by bilgistic

[LuvMyShows]

14 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

Is anyone hate watching anything else?  You might check out DIETLAND. It's pretty incredible and I mean that in the truest sense of the word, but, we have a lively, healthy and interesting discussion on it on these boards.  Please stop by. 

I've been curious about Dietland, so maybe I'll check it out.  Many of us on PTV are currently hate-watching The Affair, which wasn't hate-watching at first (like this show has always been for me).

13 hours ago, catrice2 said:

God knows I didn't watch this twice but for some reason the one thing that stuck out in my mind was that the father called his new wife or girlfriend by the wrong name and when Abby spoke to her she called her by the right name I guess to underscore the fact that he still has Alzheimer's.

Thanks for mentioning this.  I remember not exactly catching what was said, but hearing something involving two different names.

13 hours ago, catrice2 said:

Who was Becca and how did I miss the fact that Abby and Mike had different households? 

I never watched house so I don't know anything about the actress that played Abby other than this show but I couldn't tell if she was annoying because of the character she was playing or it's a lot of those mannerisms and facial expressions are just her.

Becca was a famous actress on the show, who was Jake's much-younger girlfriend (I think he was directing her in a movie or TV show).  She became pregnant, and we thought the baby was his, but then I think the baby turned out to be black.  Jake wasn't around when the baby was delivered, and Abby delivered it, or got Becca to the hospital, or something heroic and wonderful.  I don't even think Abby and Jake were divorced yet.  Anyway, Becca was going to raise the child herself, and then she panicked, and left the baby with Abby (or something like that).  Abby was going to raise the child herself, but then Becca came to her senses, and came back for the child.  (Feel free to correct any details I got wrong!)

The thing with Mike and Abby was very quickly mentioned at the party.  I think it occurred after many other people's updates had occurred.  They showed Mike and Abby together, and I thought someone said something about a web feature or article about them being married with two households.

I'm not familiar with anything Lisa Edelstein has done either.  She's not too annoying in those cute TV Doctors of America commercials for Cigna.

[SunnyBeBe]

I watched Lisa on House and liked her pretty much on that show. Of course, the character House was so infuriating that it was difficult to focus on much else in that series. 

[catrice2]

18 hours ago, LuvMyShows said:

I've been curious about Dietland, so maybe I'll check it out.  Many of us on PTV are currently hate-watching The Affair, which wasn't hate-watching at first (like this show has always been for me).

Thanks for mentioning this.  I remember not exactly catching what was said, but hearing something involving two different names.

Becca was a famous actress on the show, who was Jake's much-younger girlfriend (I think he was directing her in a movie or TV show).  She became pregnant, and we thought the baby was his, but then I think the baby turned out to be black.  Jake wasn't around when the baby was delivered, and Abby delivered it, or got Becca to the hospital, or something heroic and wonderful.  I don't even think Abby and Jake were divorced yet.  Anyway, Becca was going to raise the child herself, and then she panicked, and left the baby with Abby (or something like that).  Abby was going to raise the child herself, but then Becca came to her senses, and came back for the child.  (Feel free to correct any details I got wrong!)

The thing with Mike and Abby was very quickly mentioned at the party.  I think it occurred after many other people's updates had occurred.  They showed Mike and Abby together, and I thought someone said something about a web feature or article about them being married with two households.

I'm not familiar with anything Lisa Edelstein has done either.  She's not too annoying in those cute TV Doctors of America commercials for Cigna.

 thanks I must have missed the Becca season. I can't say I was a faithful watcher of the show. I still don't know what happened to Phoebe's boyfriend with the dreadlocks, or what her brother had been in jail for. To me they always played  that as if he had abused her when she was a child or something. Their relationship was not normal but it was not explored. Let me clarify I have no problem with Phoebe having a female love interest I just don't feel like it was very well developed and she came off as kind of controlling and strange.  I'm not even sure if they clarify that she had gotten her work life together but all of a sudden with his girl out of nowhere she can confront people and let go of other people's issues. Additionally wasn't there an episode where Barbara freaked out in front of the camera? But now she's being offered the opportunity to be a co-host?  I don't think I even really watched it when Delia  got married so I don't know what that whole thing was all about.

[MrsWitter]

19 hours ago, LuvMyShows said:

Becca was a famous actress on the show, who was Jake's much-younger girlfriend (I think he was directing her in a movie or TV show).  She became pregnant, and we thought the baby was his, but then I think the baby turned out to be black.  Jake wasn't around when the baby was delivered, and Abby delivered it, or got Becca to the hospital, or something heroic and wonderful.  I don't even think Abby and Jake were divorced yet.  Anyway, Becca was going to raise the child herself, and then she panicked, and left the baby with Abby (or something like that).  Abby was going to raise the child herself, but then Becca came to her senses, and came back for the child.  (Feel free to correct any details I got wrong!)

Not wrong, but just an additional detail: Becca’s baby daddy was Taye Diggs! Because of course. Why couldn’t Taye Diggs have made an appearance at the party? That’s just as probable as all the other random stuff that happened and at least we’d get to see Taye Diggs. From an interview (Jan 2017) that Marti Noxon gave to HuffPost:

 

SHW: At the end of last season we find out that Taye Diggs (as himself) is Becca’s baby daddy. How did Taye feel about this decision?

MN: It’s a really great story because Paul and I worked with Taye Diggs on Private Practice and we thought it would be really funny because he’s so irresistible. Paul Adelstein sent him a funny text beforehand and his response was “Bitch, you know I’m down.” I think we’ll have t-shirts that say that on them at the end of the final season of the show.

 

Do you think they ever made these t-shirts? 

Edited July 22, 2018 by MrsWitter

[LuvMyShows]

1 hour ago, catrice2 said:

Additionally wasn't there an episode where Barbara freaked out in front of the camera? But now she's being offered the opportunity to be a co-host?  

Ooh, good pull...I had forgotten about that!