Season 5 Chat

[OnceSane]

Quote

After dropping Junior off at college, Dre and Bow are beside themselves when they find him back at home announcing his decision to take a gap year. Meanwhile, Jack and Diane begin to question whether they should still be sharing a room.

Airs October 16, 2018.

[Gothish520]

Looking forward to new eps. I binge-watched the series over the spring/summer and LOVED it. I wonder if they will mention the separation or Bow's father's passing at all.

[QQQQ]

Between Dre's polka dot sweater, his plaid pants, and Junior's op art wallpaper, I was glad to make it through the episode without a full-blown seizure. 

[Traveller519]

I kinda like the new twist on Stephens. I mean he could only be so socially clueless for so long right? I especially liked the way he self-realized the path back to slavery.

I'm disappointed they didn't stick to their guns in Junior needing to get a place of his own if he was going to take a gap year. A gap year can be good, but without a plan or some avenue for experiences what does he actually gain? Junior seemed willing to accept that too. 

[ItCouldBeWorse]

A gap year isn't usually a gap in a person's resume.  It's filled by what the student did during the year: work, travel, volunteering, a last chance to do something special before settling down to college.  It can differentiate one from everyone else.

The problem is that Junior is taking the gap year out of fear, not out of a desire to do something else before he settles down to school.  And Junior loves to learn!  His original plan to try different courses was exactly right.  And, no freshman picks an adviser himself, he would have been assigned one.  (They seem to be conflating adviser with mentor.) I wish we knew what he did over the summer.  He actually might need to talk to someone about his recent fear of starting something new, which apparently did not exist last year when he moved from private school to public school in his senior year!  Perhaps he should withdraw from Howard and try to gain admittance to a college closer to home for now, and then attempt to transfer to Howard when he has regained some confidence.

Edited October 17, 2018 by ItCouldBeWorse

[PupCal]

He was only at Howard for two days before coming home and he has a scholarship? Hell no put him back on the plane.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

2 minutes ago, PupCal said:

He was only at Howard for two days before coming home and he has a scholarship? Hell no put him back on the plane.

In real life, he might have been able to defer his admission and scholarship to take a gap year, but he would have needed to obtain his deferral in May, so that the school would have had the opportunity to take someone off the wait list.  Notifying the school once the term had begun?  He'd have lost his scholarship and probably had his admission revoked, unless he had some diagnosed medical condition which prevented him from attending. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

The neighbors decide to rent their house out for homestays and it's causing problems for the Johnsons. Dre develops a newfound joy of calling the cops over petty neighborhood issues but begins to question the example he is setting for Jack. Meanwhile, Diane develops her first crush and Bow wants to help but lets Zoey take the lead.

Original air date: 10/23/18

[TwistedandBored]

The show has Junior regressing so much and I don't like it. Junior might not have been a street smart kid but he was book smart and they seem to be taking that away from him now too. 

Honestly, I feel like the show itself doesn't know how a gap year works. If they wanted the actor to stay, they could have had him go to school nearby instead of this gap year. 

[Dee]

Quote

Diane: "What's so important that couldn't wait until morning?!"

Ruby: "Watching you and Jack, walk into that room together, and shut the door behind yourselves? Well, it made Grandma feel, some kind of way. Alright baby, now listen listen listen. You're a young lady now, and you need your privacy; before you and Jack grow up to be little weirdos the family doesn't bring to cookouts."

Diane: "Well you've never been a twin before, so of course you don't understand our bond. Look, me and Jack, we're like bacon and eggs! Or you and shoplifting!"

Ruby: "What?! Whatsthatyousay!"

Diane: "Hey....don't act brand new."

Ruby: "....Yeah."

The above exchange cracked me up.

[Jodie Landon]

I enjoy the Junior-centered episodes because I really love how the actor chooses to play him, but I hate this gap year business. I really wanted Junior to thrive in college but I guess watching him find his way could be interesting. His Brooklyn roommate reminded me a lot of my New York classmates at my HBCU. Coming from laid back Hawaii the Brooklyn persona was a bit overwhelming lol.

I was wondering when Jack and Diane would finally get their own rooms, but I hate that Ruby made their relationship into something dirty.

I love when Junior stands up to Dre, even though I didn't blame Dre for kicking him out.

[QQQQ]

1 hour ago, Jodie Landon said:

I was wondering when Jack and Diane would finally get their own rooms, but I hate that Ruby made their relationship into something dirty.

Yes, there was no need to go all Flowers in the Attic in her insinuations. That could have been handled much better, or not at all, since their room sharing has been a storyline already. Isn't Zoe's room vacant 75% of the year? I think she could stay with Diane during breaks. (I lost my room when my parents moved freshman year of college; stayed in sister's room or guest room thereafter).

[vibeology]

Am I crazy or did they not establish that Junior was going to take a gap year last year with Bow being on board? I'm sure that happened.

[Dee]

Junior semi-joked, once, about needing a gap year, to Rainbow, last year, but nothing was solidified.

[Empress1]

10 hours ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

A gap year isn't usually a gap in a person's resume.  It's filled by what the student did during the year: work, travel, volunteering, a last chance to do something special before settling down to college.  It can differentiate one from everyone else.

The problem is that Junior is taking the gap year out of fear, not out of a desire to do something else before he settles down to school.  And Junior loves to learn!  His original plan to try different courses was exactly right.  And, no freshman picks an adviser himself, he would have been assigned one.  (They seem to be conflating adviser with mentor.) I wish we knew what he did over the summer.  He actually might need to talk to someone about his recent fear of starting something new, which apparently did not exist last year when he moved from private school to public school in his senior year!  Perhaps he should withdraw from Howard and try to gain admittance to a college closer to home for now, and then attempt to transfer to Howard when he has regained some confidence.

Yeah. Malia Obama took a gap year and did internships, and that was all lined up with her acceptance. She got in, deferred for a year, and worked during that time. She didn't just loaf around the White House. I wouldn't let Junior live at home without a plan either. He needs some sort of job. If he wants to laze around, they SHOULD kick him out (he wouldn't be lazing for long; LA is expensive as hell). Bow is right that the four years of college is for "figuring it out." Some students have their majors all picked out when they get to school; some don't. It's fine that Junior doesn't. I assume Howard has some course requirements, so he could start there, see what he likes, and then go from there.

Also like @ItCouldBeWorse says, Junior has dropped out, not taken a gap year. IRL he'd have to re-apply AND he'd lose his scholarship. I wouldn't let him do that either, after TWO DAYS. Classes hadn't even started yet! He has no idea that he doesn't like it!

The twins getting their own rooms makes sense at their ages, although I have known boy/girl siblings that shared rooms until somebody left home (NYC, space is at a premium). How many bedrooms do the Johnsons have? Pops lives in the guest house. There's a master, Zoe's room, the twins' room, Junior's room, a room for Ruby, and does the baby have his own room?

[Arcadiasw]

2 hours ago, Dee said:

Junior semi-joked, once, about needing a gap year, to Rainbow, last year, but nothing was solidified.

The way they ignore Junior at times I doubt Bow remembers the conversation. Junior was scared and panicked when he didn't have a plan like his roommate.   A lot of kids don't have a major going in. Some change their major. Junior should've been shipped back and go with his original plan. If after a year he wants to take a break, then he could take a year off but if he takes a year off he's doing something besides sitting at home.

I rolled my eyes at Zoe saying Junior is 18 and can do what he wants. If he's still living at home and is financially dependent on his parents, Bow and Dre still have a say. Same goes for Zoe. 

[Joimiaroxeu]

I'm with Ruby, Jack and Diane are too old to be still sharing a room, twins or no. That probably should've stopped after she got her first period. It's not like there's not enough space in the house.

How could Junior move out if he didn't even have a job? Were Bow and Dre still giving him an allowance?

Lol, Junior going all Cell Block C with Jack.

[Arcadiasw]

54 minutes ago, Empress1 said:

 

The twins getting their own rooms makes sense at their ages, although I have known boy/girl siblings that shared rooms until somebody left home (NYC, space is at a premium). How many bedrooms do the Johnsons have? Pops lives in the guest house. There's a master, Zoe's room, the twins' room, Junior's room, a room for Ruby, and does the baby have his own room?

I guess six which is possible for a house that size. One or both parents could move out but Diane should be in Zoe's room. At least the room situation is realistic here unlike Randall's home on This Is Us.

Edited October 17, 2018 by Arcadiasw

[Boofish]

I wouldn't make Zoe give up her room for Junior whether she used it 6 times a year or 60. I love Junior but no black household I've ever been in does 18 mean you are grown and you can do as you please. I'm sure this first episode was just establishing why Junior is still home/comic relief. But I can't imagine ANY of the adults allowing him to sit around and be useless until he "figures it out."

Being 18 only meant I could vote or join the military.  It for dang on sure didn't mean I was grown and could do whatever I pleased in the house my mother was paying for ... I'm laughing at the notion of even having enough nerve to say that to her.

[jmonique]

Me: "Well, I hate how abrasive they've made Dre and Bow, but maybe I'll give the show another chance."

26 seconds into the show and Dre's voiceover: "Now, it's always tough to drop a kid off at college, but this was Junior, so," and he proceeds to bounce right out of the dorm and to abandon his son.

Me: Welp, that was fast.

I just can't stand how much Dre openly disrespects his own son, then wonders why Junior is like that.

[morakot]

Doesn't Ruby have her own place? If she's so concerned, she could vacate the guest room. I believe the baby got Zoe's room but I don't know where she stays when she's home. 
 

As for Junior's sudden gap year, I can give him a pass for not having a plan as it really wasn't something he was expecting to do, though he could have thought about it all on his solo flight home. If they need him around for a year for the plot, he could volunteer in Dre's old neighborhood, take over for his brother's nanny, work as an intern at the ad agency, or similar. 

[UNOSEZ]

Real College University... Lol y'all trying to kill me man

[woodstock]

The image of Junior carrying the lamp cracked me up for some reason. Like dude wasn't there something more important to grab? I do want the hoodie he wore at the beginning of the episode.

Another LOL moment Ruby's 'you can make a shank out of anything' line.

Gap years can be a great thing if you have a plan - internships, apprenticeships, volunteer work, working to save up money, etc. I wish I had taken a gap year after I graduated from high school; I was burned out on academics.

[Sheenieb]

1 hour ago, jmonique said:

I just can't stand how much Dre openly disrespects his own son, then wonders why Junior is like that.

Yes, the show hints at it, then it's dropped. When Junior told Dre that his words hurt and one of the things Dre charged him for was "his time." I was like, really? I would've liked this storyline more if Junior was pushing Dre and his family out of his room and thrived on his own. Make his family miss his presence and realize how much they depend on him. 

What Junior should do is either intern at the marketing firm or at the hospital. Give him something to do besides loaf around the house. Junior's been written as an academic, but emotionally immature. I'm going to hope that the show grows him up this season.

[Luciano]

16 hours ago, Traveller519 said:

I kinda like the new twist on Stephens. I mean he could only be so socially clueless for so long right? I especially liked the way he self-realized the path back to slavery.

Dre's sarcastically sad little "Awwww" when Stevens realized that his lecture was leading back to slavery was my favorite moment. That and Marques cracking up when Zoey said that Junior was reclaiming his virginity (or something like that).

[peeayebee]

I'm kinda blah on this show now. Last season's eps with Dre and Bow's marriage in trouble soured me on it. But I'll stick with it, at least for a while, and hope the laughs come back.

I'm sure Junior will do stuff besides sit around the house and make shivs. It'll probably be fun seeing him do volunteer work and maybe work a job or two.

[xander874]

11 hours ago, TwistedandBored said:

Honestly, I feel like the show itself doesn't know how a gap year works. If they wanted the actor to stay, they could have had him go to school nearby instead of this gap year.

They should've started the show taking place in the spring and have Junior defer then.  It was silly. But this is TV world, so I have to let it go.

As far as bedrooms, there is one for Bow/Dre, Jack/Junior, Diane, Devante and I think Ruby. I know she has been in the guest house, but I feel she also has a bedroom upstairs it seems - she's always up there. And does Pops live there or not? It's confusing but regardless, I think they could've shuffled a bit better. 

[morakot]

Pops lives in the guest house (where Ruby sometimes joins him). I don't know where Ruby entertains her many gentlemen callers nor where other house guests (like Bow's brother) stay.

[Arcadiasw]

1 hour ago, Boofish said:

I wouldn't make Zoe give up her room for Junior whether she used it 6 times a year or 60. I love Junior but no black household I've ever been in does 18 mean you are grown and you can do as you please. I'm sure this first episode was just establishing why Junior is still home/comic relief. But I can't imagine ANY of the adults allowing him to sit around and be useless until he "figures it out."

Being 18 only meant I could vote or join the military.  It for dang on sure didn't mean I was grown and could do whatever I pleased in the house my mother was paying for ... I'm laughing at the notion of even having enough nerve to say that to her.

 

I can see that with Bow and Dre because they do coddle their kids. They let their kids get away with a lot of lip.

[SoMuchTV]

Can someone refresh my memory about Zoey?  Is she no longer in school (and in another series)?  I thought maybe her school just started later than Junior's but

Spoiler

she's mentioned in next week's episode description as well.

Was there some explanation I missed?

[morakot]

I think she's in school in California (see "Grown-ish") and also may be going back to school later than a new freshman. Don't US colleges have a freshman week before everyone else turns up?

[SoMuchTV]

1 hour ago, morakot said:

I think she's in school in California (see "Grown-ish") and also may be going back to school later than a new freshman. Don't US colleges have a freshman week before everyone else turns up?

That's probably all it is. Sitcom college kids can have some very convenient schedules.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

It also depends on the school. If you're on quarters, the schedule is drastically different than semesters. I transferred from a school on semesters to a school on quarters and when I initially saw when the term started, I was like wait, whaaaaaat? Even if both schools are on semesters, their start dates can be a few weeks apart.

[tennisgurl]

Dre and his history lessons are actually making an impact on his co-workers, even Stephens! Shocking!

Yeah, I dont think thats how Gap Years traditionally work. Normally its a time to travel, or do volunteer work, or get real work experience, or something like that. Its not usually just dicking around your parents house! I dont like this whole thing, it seems out of character for Junior. He has always loved school and learning, and he seemed so happy to be going to Howard last season. I can get him being afraid, but, its normal for freshman to not know exactly what they want to do forever. People change their majors all the time, its not a huge deal, as long as you stay in school! I would be seriously pissed if I was Dre and Bow. 

I can understand Jack and Diane not sharing rooms anymore, but why does Ruby have to make things weird?!

Despite all this complaining, I am still happy to have the show back!

[GHScorpiosRule]

That was just awful.

[xander874]

36 minutes ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

That was just awful.

I meant to talk about this in my earlier post. I didn't think it was terrible, but it was definitely off. It just didn't feel like black-ish for some reason. Everyone seemed half-hearted. Maybe after the drain of the separation story last year, my bearings are off, but it was a subpar episode to me.

[Arcadiasw]

4 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

 

I can understand Jack and Diane not sharing rooms anymore, but why does Ruby have to make things weird?!

 

Because it's Ruby. Nearly everything she talks about leads to violence or sex.

[helpmerhonda]

Taking a gap year with the Gap Band cracked me up.

[tennisgurl]

On 10/17/2018 at 12:11 PM, woodstock said:

The image of Junior carrying the lamp cracked me up for some reason. Like dude wasn't there something more important to grab? I do want the hoodie he wore at the beginning of the episode.

 

That especially made me laugh because when my cousin graduated college, she kind of floated around, not really knowing what to do, and was crashing with various friends for awhile. All she carried with her was one duffel bag with some clothes, her laptop...and a lamp. Still not sure why she felt the lamp was necessary, but she still has the thing, even though she has her own place now, so what do I know?

[dirtypop90]

ABC and/or the creators of blackish messed up here: Junior should've gotten the show in college and Zoey should've gotten the gap year and stayed on blackish.  I totally get they want to keep the actor (I have always liked him the most of the child actors).  But it is very unbelievable that Junior, as he has been presented, would take a gap year, even less that he would take a gap year without planning what he would do in his gap year first.  Junior was also the smart one, and Zoey the flighty one.  The actor who plays him also would've been a better lead that Yara...I watched the first couple episodes of grownish and couldn't finish the season; the acting was so painful to watch and Zoey is just not an interesting character.  A show about Junior at an HBCU could've been GOLD.

[Dee]

Zoey is/was just as smart (save becoming valedictorian) as Junior.

And Junior is/was way more flighty than Zoey could ever be. There's a reason Andre & Rainbow chose to trust the younger Johnson sibs to Zoey and not her brother.

Junior is often unfailingly naive (hence his panicked return from Howard), whereas Zoey is much more grounded (she tends to be the voice of reason in most situations).

[dirtypop90]

^ I strongly disagree about Junior being more flighty than Zoey or more grounded BUT I did watch the beginning of grownish and she is awful on that--she tried to drop out of school to chase behind her basketball-playing boyfriend and the show just throws different boys at her and NEVER focuses on her studies.  So maybe she is flighty and dumber on grownish. I actually don't remember her that much from blackish; I don't remember her doing much. I do remember having average grades and throwing together her college essay and Bow being worried about her getting into college.

[Dee]

How is Zoey more flighty?

On Grownish, she didn't try to drop out of school to chase Cash (a man she loved & who loved her back). She briefly considered transferring schools, depending on where Cash got drafted, and made the point to Rainbow that she could even take classes online if she wanted. It was Rainbow, as usual, who harassed Zoey, because Zoey wasn't adhering to her strident demands.

Rainbow has always treated Zoey the way many feel Andre treats Junior. Except Rainbow receives a free pass for her awful behavior, for....reasons.

Zoey has always gotten good grades in high school, got into pretty much every college she applied to, and received vociferous approval from Rainbow for exploiting white guilt to get into college.

And just because Zoey isn't shown in class doesn't mean that she doesn't go to class, or do well in class. She's been shown to pull all nighters to finish class assignments and remain in good enough academic standing to land prestigious fellowships. Hell, the whole reason she met Cash was because the Dean asked her to tutor Cash in the first place.

[dirtypop90]

^ I don't want to go way off topic because this is about blackish, but I'll just say I thought the whole Cash storyline was awful and made Zoey look dumb and flighty, which is why I stopped watching grownish.  They were together for like two episodes before she fell in love, slept with him, and then planned to turn her life upside down.  I'll agree to disagree. :)

[Dee]

Grownish established that Zoey and Cash spent significant time together during their arc, so it wasn't as if they met one day and became engaged the next.

Disagree that their relationship made Zoey look flighty or dumb. Naive, sure. But flighty & dumb, nope.

[Gothish520]

On 10/17/2018 at 12:11 PM, Boofish said:

I wouldn't make Zoe give up her room for Junior whether she used it 6 times a year or 60. I love Junior but no black household I've ever been in does 18 mean you are grown and you can do as you please. I'm sure this first episode was just establishing why Junior is still home/comic relief. But I can't imagine ANY of the adults allowing him to sit around and be useless until he "figures it out."

Being 18 only meant I could vote or join the military.  It for dang on sure didn't mean I was grown and could do whatever I pleased in the house my mother was paying for ... I'm laughing at the notion of even having enough nerve to say that to her.

LOl, ditto, and that crap doesn't flush in white households either - I was working full-time and STILL had a curfew from ages 18-20! 

[STOPSHOUTING]

Ugh, I hated this episode. I hated what they did to Junior. (This isn't how gap years work and is totally out of character for the Junior we know who has survived, and thrived, outside his parents purview for years.)  I hated how they continue to have Dre treat him this way—cruelly and abusively—and play it for laughs. I hate that Dre and Bow sat in that ugly, impractical new kitchen and and talked about, 'Why could Junior possibly want to do this/not be ready/etc" and never even MENTION that, oh right, as he was graduating from high school we were divorcing and blowing up his world totally, then his grandfather died, and this was all just a week or so ago, because they didn't even DECIDE to split until Junior's graduation, and then had separate lives/houses for several months in the story's timeline, and reconciled when Bow's father died so, given a 2-1/2 summer vacation, they couldn't possibly have been back together for more than a week or two, TOPS…Because none of that will ever be mentioned, referenced or brought up again.

And while it's good they FINALLY addressed the extremely unlikely ongoing shared bedroom situation for Jack and Diane, to do so by hinting at incest, and then follow up with an older brother acting like a prison cellmate ... It all struck me as a gross and insulting and not even slightly funny.

This show, which I once thought was wonderful, and whose historical sum-up/animations continue to be fantastic talking points for my young kids, is off my list.

Edited October 22, 2018 by STOPSHOUTING

[QQQQ]

Howard University's Deferment Policy:

Freshman applicants who have been offered admission to Howard University may request to defer their enrollment for up to one year. All FTIC deferment requests will need to be completed by June 30th of each year. Please note, if the student does not enroll in the subsequent academic year and would like to attend Howard University in the future a new application will need to be submitted by the established deadline for admission consideration.  To complete the deferment process, please send an email admission@howard.edu indicating your reason for deferment, what you will be doing during the gap period, and your preferred entry term.

All other applicants can only defer for a semester. These deferment requests will need to be completed by July 30th of each year. If the student does not enroll in the subsequent semester a new application will need to be filed for admission consideration.

[OnceSane]

Quote

The twins opt out of the family Halloween costume for fear it will hurt their social status in middle school. Dre and Bow take it upon themselves to protect them from bullies by putting together the best haunted house and invite the whole seventh grade. Meanwhile, Junior starts spending time with a girl from Ruby’s choir and Ruby doesn’t know how to feel about it.

Airs October 30, 2018.

[LadyintheLoop]

Quote

How many bedrooms do the Johnsons have?

I was hoping Ruby would have to leave so that Diane could have her room -- serve her right for meddling.

Even a barrier between the beds would have provided some extra privacy.