S04.E07: Episode 7

[Jax7917]

1 hour ago, CleoCaesar said:

Not a bad episode. I hate all the characters I've seen her play, but I do think Maura Tierney is a very good actress. She adds a certain gravitas. So I liked her half of the episode. The neighbor chick is such a ditz that her whining about her late-20s existential crisis was very tiresome to listen to, but painfully realistic.

Had to fast-forward most of Noah's scenes because I just don't care about him.

It was delicious karmic punishment for him. He threw away a 20-year marriage and family life with 4 kids to chase some overly dramatic waitress...and this is his just deserts.

Yeah except I don't think Noah regrets leaving Helen . He's never once shown it or said it . In fact , he seems to love the single life and being a sex God as per his point of view . I think he misses his kids and his relationship he used to have with them when he was with Helen but that seems like the extent . 

[hoodooznoodooz]

I also liked Anton complaining about his birthday party with the Martin Luther King napkins, and Noah asking, “They make those?”

Edited July 30, 2018 by hoodooznoodooz

[chabelisaywow]

Quote

I think he misses his kids and his relationship he used to have with them when he was with Helen but that seems like the extent

I don't think he ever had a relationship with them.

[Lozu68]

5 hours ago, Trillian said:

I thought they were. In this episode, I noticed that Helen referred to Noah as her “first husband”.  That’s not a term that most women would use unless there’s a second husband - otherwise, she would have just said “ex-husband”.  Then again, I know long-cohabitating couples who refer to themselves as husband and wife.  By the time I clued into this, I couldn’t get a good look at Helen’s left hand, although I saw, during their lovemaking scene, that Vic was not wearing a ring.  Will have to pay more attention in the future, although rings or lack thereof isn’t definitive. I do hope Helen wasn’t stupid enough to move her kids across the country without the financial legal protections of marriage, or at least a damn strong cohabitation agreement.

Regardless of their status, I enjoyed the image of Noah, lonely and forlorn, standing in Helen’s gorgeous house and getting a glimpse of their normal domestic life with his children. Not to mention being told that Helen does not consider him to be a friend.  It probably doesn’t help that I find the actor singularly unattractive (as opposed to just not finding him attractive), but Noah the character deserves it after what he put Helen through.  Ya reap what you sow, buddy. 

You are so right, you reap what you sow! He hurt them all when he chose to leave, no matter how many trampolines he buys them...he has been very emotionally checked out on them. I love how Noah referred to Cole as “an old friend.” Dude...you slept with his wife!! You blew up his life (and he was a grieving father) And he still thinks of Helen as “a friend”...though he humiliated her several times over with the affair. His older kids were pretty mad at him then...the younger ones have now caught up. 

Edited July 30, 2018 by Lozu68

[Bandolero]

I actually commend Noah for trying and fighting to stay in his kids’ lives.   Yes he fucked up when he left Helen the way that he did but I don’t think he ever turned his back on his kids (at least I don’t think he did). 

I also don’t think it’s right to try to exclude him from the kids’ lives... I think it is best for the kids to have a healthy relationship with their father. All that anger is no good for anybody.

[cardigirl]

18 minutes ago, Bandolero said:

I actually commend Noah for trying and fighting to stay in his kids’ lives.   Yes he fucked up when he left Helen the way that he did but I don’t think he ever turned his back on his kids (at least I don’t think he did). 

I also don’t think it’s right to try to exclude him from the kids’ lives... I think it is best for the kids to have a healthy relationship with their father. All that anger is no good for anybody.

I agree that both parents should be involved in their children's lives. I think co-parenting can be really tough, and the show tends to show Noah's frustration with Helen blocking his efforts, but that is supposed to be his point of view, wherein Helen's mind, she may feel she is more accommodating to Noah than he believes.  Although, I definitely would have explained to my ex why our son didn't want to go to a concert after finding out how sick Vic is.  She just left Noah hanging on that one.   

So, I think the show is trying to show some of the reality involved in being divorced with young kids that still need a large amount of caretaking. Helen is right when she says the majority of that care falls on the mother. 

Last season, Noah 'rescued' Whitney from an abusive situation.  I'm kind of surprised they haven't shown if their relationship has gotten any closer. His phone call to Whitney indicates that it has not. 

[Lemons]

11 hours ago, scrb said:

I don't buy Anton's father's objection to Princeton.  If Anton got accepted with a full ride, I find it very hard to believe he'd object to his son going there.  Was it all a setup so that Noah and Anton would do this trip and then it turns into a road trip with Cole to look for Alison?

 

Anton's father's whole thing is that the Ivy League's are elitist and will treat Anton badly.  He thinks he should be at a state school with the regular people...

[chick binewski]

Speaking of feeling trapped, do we have any idea if Helen's folks ever escaped their panic room? Or where to Martin disappeared? At least the actress who plays Whitney gets a mention in each week's credits.

[Milburn Stone]

21 minutes ago, Lemons said:

Anton's father's whole thing is that the Ivy League's are elitist and will treat Anton badly.  He thinks he should be at a state school with the regular people...

If I were talking to Anton's father, I'd bring up that Princeton didn't seem to do a whole lot of harm to Michelle Obama.

[Mindthinkr]

8 minutes ago, Milburn Stone said:

If I were talking to Anton's father, I'd bring up that Princeton didn't seem to do a whole lot of harm to Michelle Obama.

Excellent point. 

[Guest]

5 hours ago, LilaFowler said:

Oh, but Noah's old friend is now the head of the English department (did you know that? has Noah mentioned it enough?) 

Yet another plot point in this show which has me all:

The other thing I thought was interesting (inasmuch as anything interests me on this show) was Sierra telling Helen that her mother wrote a cookbook and that a copy was on the counter. Helen found no such cookbook written by Sierra's mother. And then whatever babble came out of Sierra's mouth next, Helen told her everything she had said was, in effect, not true at all. So, Helen knows she's dealing with a known idiot/bullshitter and yet ditches her daily misery (because her car has no gas and she forgot to sign one of the kid's notes...oh, poor you, Helen!) to drive out to the desert in VIk's Porsche to model high-end hippie clothes in the desert with dipshit Sierra and then have some sexy times with her later on? God. You know what would really help you, Helen? A 9-5 desk job. 

[Razzberry]

I love how even the tents are over the top with convenient electrical hookups apparently.

Edited July 30, 2018 by Razzberry

[TexasGal]

58 minutes ago, Giant Misfit said:

The other thing I thought was interesting (inasmuch as anything interests me on this show) was Sierra telling Helen that her mother wrote a cookbook and that a copy was on the counter. Helen found no such cookbook written by Sierra's mother. And then whatever babble came out of Sierra's mouth next, Helen told her everything she had said was, in effect, not true at all. So, Helen knows she's dealing with a known idiot/bullshitter and yet ditches her daily misery (because her car has no gas and she forgot to sign one of the kid's notes...oh, poor you, Helen!) to drive out to the desert in VIk's Porsche to model high-end hippie clothes in the desert with dipshit Sierra and then have some sexy times with her later on? God. You know what would really help you, Helen? A 9-5 desk job. 

I think this is a continuation of the ongoing prior conversations where Helen and Vic know/speculate that her mother is a famous actress and have either forgotten, or are trying to guess, who her mother is.  Helen was hoping she'd say oh its "Cooking with Jane Fonda" or whatever so then she'd know who her mother is.

[Mindthinkr]

2 minutes ago, TexasGal said:

I think this is a continuation of the ongoing prior conversations where Helen and Vic know/speculate that her mother is a famous actress and have either forgotten, or are trying to guess, who her mother is.  Helen was hoping she'd say oh its "Cooking with Jane Fonda" or whatever so then she'd know who her mother is.

I remember seeing Susan Sarandon and Michelle Pheiffer but couldn’t make out (or remember) any others. 

[Bandolero]

Yes I found this interesting... there were several cookbooks by famous folks on her counter, I think. I did find that kind of odd.

[Razzberry]

If your husband has merely weeks to live, it's important to spend time with people you don't really know or like out in the desert getting your chakra realigned.

[CarpeFelis]

Helen drove herself and Sierra out to Joshua Tree. Granted Sierra can probably find another ride back (and I don’t like her much), but I thought Helen taking off without her was a rotten thing to do.

[CarpeFelis]

1 hour ago, Razzberry said:

If your husband has merely weeks to live, it's important to spend time with people you don't really know or like out in the desert getting your chakra realigned.

Oh, is THAT what they’re calling it now...

[meep.meep]

4 hours ago, hoodooznoodooz said:

I also liked Anton complaining about his birthday party with the Martin Luther King napkins, and Noah asking, “They make those?”

I think it actually was Malcolm X napkins which is even worse.

 

3 hours ago, Milburn Stone said:

If I were talking to Anton's father, I'd bring up that Princeton didn't seem to do a whole lot of harm to Michelle Obama.

Anton's father did go east to college and didn't find it to be the glorious life affirming time that you guys expect.  His objections are based on his direct experience.  He keeps mentioning that they had decided that Anton should go to school in-state.  My read is that he was separated from his family by a great distance (and 3 time zones) at a time when he needed their support and doesn't want that to happen to his kid.  That's actually good parenting.

[chick binewski]

I was furiously googling Susan Sarandon cookbooks, which of course there are none.

This show sends me down some strange paths.

[Elizzikra]

Quote

Did I skip an episode? Last week Alison was in LA with Noah, when did she disappear? If Cole was still out in Morro Bay, who was watching the kid? Also, if Cole is on his way back (& coincidentally so close to Chicago), how does he know that Alison is missing? 

Alison left Joanie with Athena and I assume that she stays with Luisa when it's Cole's time with her. Either Luisa or Athena (or both) could have noticed that Alison is missing and notified Cole.

Quote

Anton's father did go east to college and didn't find it to be the glorious life affirming time that you guys expect.  His objections are based on his direct experience.  He keeps mentioning that they had decided that Anton should go to school in-state.  My read is that he was separated from his family by a great distance (and 3 time zones) at a time when he needed their support and doesn't want that to happen to his kid.  That's actually good parenting.

I thought he actually went to Princeton, where he felt totally unprepared because, despite being smart and getting good grades, his life experience was so totally different from that of his peers that he started developing feelings of self hatred and inadequacy (Anton's mom said something about how Anton's father thought Princeton would make him "hate his own skin.")

Quote

I remember seeing Susan Sarandon and Michelle Pheiffer but couldn’t make out (or remember) any others. 

Nicole Kidman.

[yourmomiseasy]

9 hours ago, Razzberry said:

I love how even the tents are over the top with convenient electrical hookups apparently.

All the yurts I've been in have had electricity so that didn't seem odd to me that theirs would.  Admittedly, I've only been in a few.  I'm assuming there's more than one place out in Joshua Tree that has yurts like this though  -- you can probably find a couple on airbnb.

 

So is it just normal for parents to take off and ditch their kids on a whim?  it seems to be on this show.  Although Helen made arrangements for hers to stay with Noah, I wouldn't be surprised if she was already in the car when she called.  

[EtheltoTillie]

The Alison disappearance makes no sense. Last week she was arrested and was staying at Helen's. This week Helen is home alone at the beginning. So there was no explanation of what happened after the arrest and bailout. Was she going to have to remain in the area? Wouldn't Helen have noticed her missing?  

Edited July 31, 2018 by GussieK

[Lozu68]

2 hours ago, GussieK said:

The Alison disappearance makes no sense. Last week she was arrested and was staying at Helen's. This week Helen is home alone at the beginning. So there was no explanation of what happened after the arrest and bailout. Was she going to have to remain in the area? Wouldn't Helen have noticed her missing?  

 

The episodes in this show (and many others) don’t necessarily follow the characters day to day. And sometimes the different  POV’s often overlap in time (so while Cole finished his walkabout and started to drive back to Montauk, Alison had her bad day and flew to CA, and returned soon after (that wasn’t supposed to be a long trip...she had no bag with her.) 2-3 days later, Athena is worried Alison hasn’t called  for 3 days, calls Cole, Cole calls Noah, and here we are.

(and in my head...Helen’s trip to Joshua tree was after Alison left her house, and after the conversation with Noah about Vik dying...so during the “three days no one has heard from Alison.”

Edited July 31, 2018 by Lozu68

[Lozu68]

14 hours ago, Razzberry said:

If your husband has merely weeks to live, it's important to spend time with people you don't really know or like out in the desert getting your chakra realigned.

True...but Vik has texted that he had a work thing and wasn’t coming  home on time anyway (or did I not read his text correctly? Wasn’t wearing my glasses!) That’s when Helen decided to go. I was actually glad to see her go do SOMETHING with another human being...she seems wound very tight, and has no friends. 

But yeah...a 9 to 5 would fix those problems too!?

[LuvMyShows]

14 hours ago, meep.meep said:

Anton's father did go east to college and didn't find it to be the glorious life affirming time that you guys expect.  His objections are based on his direct experience.  He keeps mentioning that they had decided that Anton should go to school in-state.  My read is that he was separated from his family by a great distance (and 3 time zones) at a time when he needed their support and doesn't want that to happen to his kid.  That's actually good parenting.

I respectfully disagree.  I don't think it's good parenting at all to let a bad experience almost 20 years ago, drive decision-making 20 years later for someone else, especially since that same place provided a good experience for his wife.  Why should his fears dictatorially determine his son's future?  (And just because it's what they decided when Anton was born, before Anton had his own life/experiences/preferences/needs, doesn't mean they should blindly stick with that same decision now.)  Anton's father has no idea what Princeton is like now, nor does he have any interest in finding out, which is a terrible example to set for modeling decision-making.  And rather than support an open conversation with the son about the experiences of the two parents, and their fears and hopes, and the son's own needs/fears/hopes, the father completely shut down all discussion on the subject.  Again, terrible example to set.  The father's unwillingness to talk created a take-sides issue for the son, which is one of the worst things to do in co-parenting.  It also resulted in the son's decision to simply choose an equally unacceptable option to both parents, which is not the way at all to make such a life-altering decision.

[attica]

21 hours ago, Milburn Stone said:

Re sensory deprivation tanks and Helen's panic attack...I did the tank thing back in the eighties a few times. I was always explicitly informed before getting in that the hatch was totally openable by me from the inside, should I feel the need to do that, and it was. (I never did feel the need--but a big reason I never felt the need was that I never panicked, and a big reason I never panicked was that I knew I could exit the tank at any time.) It strains my credulity that Helen's tank would not be the same way. I mean, can you imagine a good rationale for a tank to be constructed to make it impossible for the occupant to get out on his own? And can you imagine getting into one that was built that way?

I've done this recently. First of all, most places don't call them 'sensory deprivation tanks' anymore: they're 'floatation tanks.' The place where I go has three different versions. A pod with a lid, a room with a tub (no lid) and a room with an extra large tub for couples. In all cases, there are big light switches and panic buttons on the inside of the tub/pod easily accessible. In fact, my place asks you to hit the panic button twice if you're panicking, because it's fairly easy to just bump into when you're floating. And none of the tanks/tubs are more than a foot deep of liquid, so if floating free freaks you out, you can just sit. Obviously, the show had to light Tierney so we could see her distress, but IRL, there's utter blackness in the room. Nary a photon. Which is unusual for a city-dweller like me, for whom even nighttime is fairly well lit. Which makes whatever physical space you're in kind of irrelevant, since you can't see any of it to know how close the walls are or are not. There's plenty of room to move around, such as stretching your arms up or over your head. My place offers spa-type muzak (you know, that new agey, plinky, pan-pipey stuff) if you want it, or you can have your own tunes if you bring them, or you can go silent (which I prefer).  You can still hear the splash of the water and your heartbeat, so not completely sound-free.  I really enjoy it. Time inside passes quickly, and it leaves me in a pleasant fuzzy-yet-clear mind space. I've solved problems that had been bothering me for days after an hour in the tank. No more expensive than a massage.

[meep.meep]

2 hours ago, LuvMyShows said:

I respectfully disagree.  I don't think it's good parenting at all to let a bad experience almost 20 years ago, drive decision-making 20 years later for someone else, especially since that same place provided a good experience for his wife.  Why should his fears dictatorially determine his son's future?  (And just because it's what they decided when Anton was born, before Anton had his own life/experiences/preferences/needs, doesn't mean they should blindly stick with that same decision now.)  Anton's father has no idea what Princeton is like now, nor does he have any interest in finding out, which is a terrible example to set for modeling decision-making.  And rather than support an open conversation with the son about the experiences of the two parents, and their fears and hopes, and the son's own needs/fears/hopes, the father completely shut down all discussion on the subject.  Again, terrible example to set.  The father's unwillingness to talk created a take-sides issue for the son, which is one of the worst things to do in co-parenting.  It also resulted in the son's decision to simply choose an equally unacceptable option to both parents, which is not the way at all to make such a life-altering decision.

Anton's father keeps bringing up that they made a decision.  To me that means that they went through those discussions and conversations in order to make the decision.  It's not his fears dictating anything - his fears were one of the factors in making the decision that they did.  Which, from his point of view, now counts for nothing.

Even going to a school in California, Anton could be separated from his family by hundreds of miles.  It was an 8 hour drive to visit my daughter at school in the southern part of Los Angeles.

[LuvMyShows]

1 hour ago, meep.meep said:

Anton's father keeps bringing up that they made a decision.  To me that means that they went through those discussions and conversations in order to make the decision.  It's not his fears dictating anything - his fears were one of the factors in making the decision that they did.  Which, from his point of view, now counts for nothing.

But the point is that the decision (regardless of how much discussion occurred or not at that time) was made almost 20 years ago, when the (bad) experience was much fresher in their minds.  And by refusing to allow any current conversation on the topic, and disallowing any new facts/experiences/growth to be considered, especially with the person (Anton) who's life is being affected, the father has created a very detrimental and bullying climate, which is the exact opposite of role modeling for a young mind.

[gingerella]

19 hours ago, CarpeFelis said:

Helen drove herself and Sierra out to Joshua Tree. Granted Sierra can probably find another ride back (and I don’t like her much), but I thought Helen taking off without her was a rotten thing to do.

If stranding her with a hoard of faux earth goddesses and horny frat douchebags is rotten, what is it called when she bangs Helen's partner?

[Elizzikra]

Quote

But the point is that the decision (regardless of how much discussion occurred or not at that time) was made almost 20 years ago, when the (bad) experience was much fresher in their minds.  And by refusing to allow any current conversation on the topic, and disallowing any new facts/experiences/growth to be considered, especially with the person (Anton) who's life is being affected, the father has created a very detrimental and bullying climate, which is the exact opposite of role modeling for a young mind.

As Anton's mother (I can never remember her name) pointed out, things are different now than they were when Anton's father was in college and bombed out. There is a better understanding of the types of supports that students from lower income families need and there are programs that help students transition from high school to college. Then again, Anton's mother is an educator and his family doesn't appear to be particularly impoverished, so I'm not sure why Anton's father is so sure that he will struggle at Princeton. Sure he doesn't have the world experiences that a lot of his Princeton peers would have but he's plenty smart and his mother would have ensured that he was educated in the best school she could get him into, plus plenty of enrichment at home. He may still struggle but it's far from certain that he would fail.

[Blakeston]

2 hours ago, Elizzikra said:

As Anton's mother (I can never remember her name) pointed out, things are different now than they were when Anton's father was in college and bombed out. There is a better understanding of the types of supports that students from lower income families need and there are programs that help students transition from high school to college. Then again, Anton's mother is an educator and his family doesn't appear to be particularly impoverished, so I'm not sure why Anton's father is so sure that he will struggle at Princeton. Sure he doesn't have the world experiences that a lot of his Princeton peers would have but he's plenty smart and his mother would have ensured that he was educated in the best school she could get him into, plus plenty of enrichment at home. He may still struggle but it's far from certain that he would fail.

Janelle said that Anton's father (Carl?) was doing well at Princeton, and had a 3.4 GPA, but left because he felt marginalized. He found it unbearable to be a black man in that environment.

I'd have to think that Princeton would be a lot more used to African-American students than it was 25 years ago, and the faculty and staff would be a lot more racially aware. I'm not sure a state school in California would be much better, in that regard.

That said, I think his hatred of Princeton is as much about what it symbolizes (ie, a haven for wealthy white jetsetters) as anything else.

Edited July 31, 2018 by Blakeston

[Snewtsie]

Just watched the episode, and I'm surprised so many people here liked it.  It was probably my least favorite so far the season.  Sorry, just too much Helen.  It's like she was a Noah with all her words of wisdom for everyone else while we all know her own life is a mess.  And really?- she could not think of any fears? - How about Vic's cancer?  How about pregnancy at 50?  How about relocating to a place that feels totally foreign to her?  She's rightfully terrified of all those things, but she suddenly draws a blank?  When Gaia (sp?) handed over her Guru Baton to Helen I rolled my eyes and wondered if that really happened from anyone else's POV.  I kept thinking she should shut up and try to learn something to give her more perspective on handling her own problems, but no - first she snarked & then she handed out advice.  Me thinks the others might not really have been as appreciative of her involvement as she imagined they were.  

Noah's segment was more of the same that we always get - Noah to the rescue. It's becoming more & more clear to me Noah & Helen will end up back together because they are the same types of people. And Cole & Alison will end up back together because - well, just because.

[msrachelj]

On 7/29/2018 at 10:09 PM, Giant Misfit said:

AND right after Noah exclaims, "They're gonna run out of cars," in front of the rental car place.

Also huge laughs at the ludicrous Burning Lady meeting in the desert sponsored by Free People. 

And then the whole driving lesson with Spock, Jr. (was Trevor's left eyebrow always so pointed?!). Was the child drunk that he couldn't steer straight in an open parking lot? 

And was Anton ever even accepted into Princeton? Good to know Anton's fallback school is the U.S. Marines. Makes total sense. 

Every Monday morning after this show airs I feel like calling my ophthalmologist to complain about my eye pain from all the eye rolling the night before. 

how was anton accepted into any college when he said he still had to take his ged test??

On 7/30/2018 at 2:30 PM, Lemons said:

Anton's father's whole thing is that the Ivy League's are elitist and will treat Anton badly.  He thinks he should be at a state school with the regular people...

anton's father is an ass and a hot head and more.

[CarpeFelis]

2 hours ago, gingerella said:

If stranding her with a hoard of faux earth goddesses and horny frat douchebags is rotten, what is it called when she bangs Helen's partner?

Heinous?

6 minutes ago, msrachelj said:

how was anton accepted into any college when he said he still had to take his ged test??

anton's father is an ass and a hot head and more.

High school seniors get accepted all the time without having graduated yet...

[Guest]

3 minutes ago, msrachelj said:

how was anton accepted into any college when he said he still had to take his ged test??

I think he was going to take the GED so he could either graduate early or drop out then join the Marines. So, basically it was a set up for his one-way ticket on a road trip filled with middle-aged-men drama. 

[Lemons]

7 hours ago, attica said:

 Obviously, the show had to light Tierney so we could see her distress, but IRL, there's utter blackness in the room. 

I would panic in a second.  It would literally take me one second before the panic button was pressed.  

[DiabLOL]

8 minutes ago, Lemons said:

I would panic in a second.  It would literally take me one second before the panic button was pressed.  

I wouldn't even get in.

[Penman61]

10 hours ago, attica said:

 My place offers spa-type muzak (you know, that new agey, plinky, pan-pipey stuff)

Apropos of absolutely nothing, I can't stop hearing this being spoken by Joe Pesci or My Cousin Vinny's Marisa Tomei...

[JennyMominFL]

Go to say, as a former Marine  and as a mom with a son who tried to join the Marines with a GED, they wont let you enlist. The only branch that would take my son with a GED was the Army National Guard.. He just finished his 6 years.

Edited August 1, 2018 by JennyMominFL

[Elizzikra]

Quote

And really?- she could not think of any fears? 

I think that Helen could identify plenty of fears - she just didn't have the nerve to put them on the piece of paper and own up to them. By the end of the episode, she could (and did) face her fear of Vik dying - but instead of putting it on a little piece of paper, she drove home and talked to him.

[LuvMyShows]

6 hours ago, Snewtsie said:

It's like she was a Noah with all her words of wisdom for everyone else while we all know her own life is a mess.  And really?- she could not think of any fears? - How about Vic's cancer?  How about pregnancy at 50?  How about relocating to a place that feels totally foreign to her?  She's rightfully terrified of all those things, but she suddenly draws a blank?  When Gaia (sp?) handed over her Guru Baton to Helen I rolled my eyes and wondered if that really happened from anyone else's POV.  I kept thinking she should shut up and try to learn something to give her more perspective on handling her own problems, but no - first she snarked & then she handed out advice.  Me thinks the others might not really have been as appreciative of her involvement as she imagined they were.  

1 hour ago, Elizzikra said:

I think that Helen could identify plenty of fears - she just didn't have the nerve to put them on the piece of paper and own up to them. 

Just a few of the many problems with this episode...Helen's faux wisdom and garden-variety advice that the young women supposedly (or only in her mind) lapped up, the blank piece of paper and the fact that Gaelle (sp?) clearly didn't even read everyone's paper, which must have been a bummer to the people whose didn't get read, given why they came in the first place.

More random snark that I don't think has been mentioned yet:

• All these exes are constantly in each other's houses.  When my kids were young, the kids did the walking to and from the car to the house and vice-versa, while the other parent stayed in the car.  No entering each other's house, ever!
• Helen already knows that the neighbor has said she doesn't have many friends.  So when she confessed about sleeping with a married man, and then saying that she is friends with the wife, I thought that it would have at least caused Helen to speculate in her own mind about this possible connection.
• That pregnant woman went from 0 to 100 in getting angry at Gaelle when they were all at that table (can't remember what it was about), but it came across as very stilted and random.
• They made a point of showing Helen slurring her words when we first saw she was toking, but then she went on to say many more words and none of them were slurred.
• Noah's backyard stone patio was of course super gorgeous and quaint.
• Selfish Noah called Whitney at an hour when he even said on his message that it was late and she was probably asleep.
• Lover-of-the-year Noah of course gave Janelle remarkable sex.
• In actual elapsed time on the show, it hasn't been very long that Noah has had a personal relationship with Janelle, yet there he was saying that he was offering to do that stuff with Anton for her.
• When Helen told Noah about Vik having cancer, Noah said she should have told him sooner, and when she asked why, he couldn't reply like a normal person and say "because that was bound to affect the kids so I should be aware", but instead had to self-importantly say "because we are friends", even though we've seen no indication that they are friends.

[JenE4]

Seriously?! ANOTHER one of these assholes abandons their family to go find themselves? Guess Stacy’s not going on that damn field trip. Permission slip?!? Kids and their “needs”—I’m going to cleanse my crystals...but first I’m going to need some crystals. Uh, speaking of which, the whole POINT of the trip was supposedly for this moonlight crystal ceremony, but instead Teen Guru decides, you know what girls, Helen fixed us all, so let’s skip the rest and go snort some coke at a house party. 

The sexytimes between Helen and Sierra was obviously foreshadowed many times over, but I’m just glad they didn’t decide to become a polyamourous throuple, which I totally thought was going to be the end result—with Sierra giving birth to their baby, of course. But I guess because all women are judged by their vaginal value on this show (Alison is irresistible yet broken, Helen doesn’t “need” to be desired but she’s still hanging in there for an old broad) and now we find out Sierra is like the vaginal equivalent of couple’s therapy—one roll in the hay with her, and you’ll be running back to your spouse post haste. 

Anton is the son Noah always wished he had...you know, unlike those OTHER two sons...and those daughters. He wants to TALK with him and drive with him and values his advice. He even listens to his book! Most teenagers give the ol’ “You aren’t my real dad!!” to the step dad, but this show’s really cutting edge turning it around with the pro-step-Dad angle, the likes of which have remained unseen since the Brady Bunch.

[preeya]

8 minutes ago, JenE4 said:

Seriously?! ANOTHER one of these assholes abandons their family to go find themselves? Guess Stacy’s not going on that damn field trip. Permission slip?!? Kids and their “needs”—I’m going to cleanse my crystals...but first I’m going to need some crystals. Uh, speaking of which, the whole POINT of the trip was supposedly for this moonlight crystal ceremony, but instead Teen Guru decides, you know what girls, Helen fixed us all, so let’s skip the rest and go snort some coke at a house party. 

The sexytimes between Helen and Sierra was obviously foreshadowed many times over, but I’m just glad they didn’t decide to become a polyamourous throuple, which I totally thought was going to be the end result—with Sierra giving birth to their baby, of course. But I guess because all women are judged by their vaginal value on this show (Alison is irresistible yet broken, Helen doesn’t “need” to be desired but she’s still hanging in there for an old broad) and now we find out Sierra is like the vaginal equivalent of couple’s therapy—one roll in the hay with her, and you’ll be running back to your spouse post haste. 

Anton is the son Noah always wished he had...you know, unlike those OTHER two sons...and those daughters. He wants to TALK with him and drive with him and values his advice. He even listens to his book! Most teenagers give the ol’ “You aren’t my real dad!!” to the step dad, but this show’s really cutting edge turning it around with the pro-step-Dad angle, the likes of which have remained unseen since the Brady Bunch.

 

[hoodooznoodooz]

So who will be moving Sierra’s garbage receptacles now?

Edited August 1, 2018 by hoodooznoodooz

[LuvMyShows]

16 minutes ago, hoodooznoodooz said:

So who will be moving Sierra’s garbage receptacles now?

Is that what the young kids call it now? ;-)

[chabelisaywow]

I half paid attention when I watched on Demand / Saturday night. I liked Helen. I always tend to side with the one who gets cheated on.  When she couldn't shake Noah, I started not to sympathize with her.  I started not liking Allison and Noah and neither have done anything to redeem themselves.  I like Vik, so to hear he is dying, makes me wonder if I'll watch if they kill him off. Anyway - I liked this episode.  I agree - that Helen has a lot of fears. She has had issues about admitting weakness.  I had high hopes when Helen rushed home to Vik - but upon re-watching, neither of them say they love each other.  Vik doesn't want to die. Helen doesn't want him to die.  Bummer. hahah I guess, I'm just a hopeless romantic.  (Sorry for rambling) - oh Otter and the Kidney hunt, is a dumb story line.   I hope they find Allison in a tub of ice with hers missing. 

[cardigirl]

Well, I guess I thought Helen sharing her experience of mothering after being a mother of 4 kids with a young woman who was waiting to give birth was logical.  Until you go through it, you can't know.  It is scary, and then, you find how utterly exhausting, yet transformative it is, being a mom. From Helen's perspective, all the things these younger women were confessing to being afraid of she had faced and found not to be all that scary.  

I find Helen strong.  She has made mistakes, but her world was completely shattered, her partner walked out and she was left to try and figure out how to deal with four kids on her own. For awhile Noah was not in the picture much, certainly not as much as when he was full-time living with Helen. She met Vic, and had to navigate that relationship with those kids involved. Does she have fears?  I'm sure she does. I'm sure she's really sad and scared of losing Vic.  But she has been through some pretty tough shit already and is still standing.  Maybe she thinks she'll be able to navigate what's coming her way.

[Lozu68]

5 hours ago, chabelisaywow said:

I half paid attention when I watched on Demand / Saturday night. I liked Helen. I always tend to side with the one who gets cheated on.  When she couldn't shake Noah, I started not to sympathize with her.  I started not liking Allison and Noah and neither have done anything to redeem themselves.  I like Vik, so to hear he is dying, makes me wonder if I'll watch if they kill him off. Anyway - I liked this episode.  I agree - that Helen has a lot of fears. She has had issues about admitting weakness.  I had high hopes when Helen rushed home to Vik - but upon re-watching, neither of them say they love each other.  Vik doesn't want to die. Helen doesn't want him to die.  Bummer. hahah I guess, I'm just a hopeless romantic.  (Sorry for rambling) - oh Otter and the Kidney hunt, is a dumb story line.   I hope they find Allison in a tub of ice with hers missing. 

I didn’t take the lack of “I love yous” between Helen and Vik as a sign of the love not being there. It was a heartbreaking scene, with as little dialogue as possible....sometimes, the less said, the better.  

Needless to say...him promising her he won’t die is just going to make his ultimate demise that much harder to bear for the viewers?

[CleoCaesar]

7 hours ago, JenE4 said:

Anton is the son Noah always wished he had...you know, unlike those OTHER two sons...and those daughters.

To be fair, if my sons were even half as obnoxious and exhausting as Martin and Trevor, I too would latch onto the first sane, polite kid who took an interest in my work.