S1.E01: Pilot

[Squirrely]

I got a The Wonder Years meets Malcolm in the Middle vibe, but the actress playing the mom is no Jane Kaczmarek. I really do hope she softens up some as I found her to be a real downer. 

The children's theater sandwiched between a strip joint and massage parlor cracked me up. And I did love that the mom and older brother left 2 kids aged 12 and younger to find their way back home after dark from the sketchy "Hollyweird." Definitely a throwback to a time when helicopter parenting was not the norm! 

I was born in 1980 so this is a little before my time, but I still can relate. I recognized the Hi-C can with 2 holes right away, didn't wear seatbelts much until the 90s, and I remember our first TV with a remote! My parents were not hip with the times when it came to technology and their house is very 80s-90s to this day. 

[Yeah No]

On 10/18/2018 at 6:32 PM, SmithW6079 said:

But it's the creator's story to share as he wants. If he has no sisters and had seven brothers (one of whom was almost a priest), then that's the story he's telling, not someone else's just because its specificity troubles some viewers. That's like saying, "Why does the family in 'Fresh Off the Boat' have to be Chinese? I'd like it better if they were Cuban." Eddie Huang is sharing his story of his family (of course, he hated how ABC developed it & dropped out from involvement).

I don't see that comparison.  I don't care what background they come from, they didn't resonate with me in this first episode.  My point was that there were certainly a lot of elements in there that I felt I should have related to, I just somehow didn't.  And I actually find that kind of strange because I grew up in a very diverse city and environment and had a lot of friends from many different backgrounds, and I usually find something to relate to in nostalgia shows like this about my generation.  Sure, it's the creator's show to share as he wants, but if it's not resonating with a segment of the audience (as some others have also said here) then there's something off with the writing.  I think it mostly has something to do with the mother that's just a little too this side of offensive and wacko for my taste among other things.  Just my opinion.  I'll give it more of a chance but if it doesn't hook me soon I'm out.

[lucindabelle]

Am I the only one who loved mom? She was brusque and direct but I also thought funny and warm.

[possibilities]

I like her. I think she got less development in the pilot than the dad did, but she really comes into her own in ep2.

[methodwriter85]

On ‎10‎/‎18‎/‎2018 at 10:20 PM, Rockstar99435 said:

If it's 1972, aren't the oldest two boys in danger of the draft? You'd think the dad would use that a reason to keep the oldest kid in seminary/college. (I absolutely loved their conversation in the car about his dad digging in the dirt vs his kids reaching for the stars and don't think they needed to change any of that. But I just watched the This Is Us episode about Jack's brother being drafted and it seems weird the draft didn't come up here. Maybe the mom? It could tie into her fear and desire to keep the boys home.)

Well, the oldest son is 20, so he would've been born in 1952 and would have been too young for the 1969 and 1970 draft, which covered the birthdates for 1944-1951. He would have been eligible by the 1971 draft, but he probably wasn't called since no one seems to be mentioning the draft. Since he already got out it, it doesn't matter if he stays in college or not. The drafts were held from 1972-1975 but those numbers weren't used, meaning guys born from about 1953-1956 (which is probably where the second son hits) were pretty much safe. The parents essentially got very, very lucky with the timing of their kid's births.

Edited October 24, 2018 by methodwriter85

[Rockstar99435]

1 hour ago, methodwriter85 said:

Well, the oldest son is 20, so he would've been born in 1952 and would have been too young for the 1969 and 1970 draft, which covered the birthdates for 1944-1951. He would have been eligible by the 1971 draft, but he probably wasn't called since no one seems to be mentioning the draft. Since he already got out it, it doesn't matter if he stays in college or not. The drafts were held from 1972-1975 but those numbers weren't used, meaning guys born from about 1953-1956 (which is probably where the second son hits) were pretty much safe. The parents essentially got very, very lucky with the timing of their kid's births.

Really? So they had the lottery but then no one was called? How did that work? And why would they have the lottery if they didn't need to? I know almost nothing about the whole process but I got the impression from movies and tv that no one was enlisting because it was so dangerous and the draft was the only way to get enough people.

[lb60]

I was 12 years old in 1972 and raised Catholic, so I loved this.  We only had 5 kids in our family, though. lol

I think my favorite line was towards the end, when Timmy was singing and the mom said, he was so talented, he was practically an Osmond.  I loved me some Donny Osmond in 1972.

Loved the dad, too.

We were a Hawaii Punch family, but the two holes in the juice can cracked me up. However, it was always milk with dinner. I did think they needed a lazy Susan in the center of the table, though (what they had looked stationary).  Ours used to get quite the work out at meals.

I'm all in, so I hope it lasts.

[msrachelj]

On 10/16/2018 at 9:56 PM, GussieK said:

I enjoyed this. Definite parallels with the wonder years—and that’s not a bad thing. I love Mary McCormack and the guy from Southland who plays the dad. 

i'm not loving mary mc cormack here. something feels off in the acting. and she can be pretty nasty to her kids, especially the one with the new girlfriend. i want to love this show. so far it's ok. it has a 70's feel but not as much as i expected. i'll keep watching, i like the premise.

who is the voice that is narrating? whose family is this show based on?

Edited October 25, 2018 by msrachelj
add

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

On 10/24/2018 at 7:22 PM, Rockstar99435 said:

Really? So they had the lottery but then no one was called? How did that work? And why would they have the lottery if they didn't need to? I know almost nothing about the whole process but I got the impression from movies and tv that no one was enlisting because it was so dangerous and the draft was the only way to get enough people.

They had a lottery and some did__ get drafted. Seems like in the 1970? drawing  those who's number fell under 150 or so got drafted,did basic training ,but never had to go to Vietnam. I would have to guess those who's number was under 60?  actually ended up in combat?

Edited October 26, 2018 by One4Sorrow2TooBad

[CherryAmes]

Here's a link to how the lottery worked: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Draft_lottery_(1969).  Very interesting read.  I lived through this era but as a young Canadian girl I didn't know many details.  It does look like the boys on this show would have been extremely unlikely to drafted in 1972 "The draft numbers issued from 1972 to 1975 were not used to call any men into service as the last draft call was on December 7, and authority to induct expired July 1, 1973"   The older son probably avoided being drafted as he was in university and the younger ones didn't turn 18 until after they stopped calling men (teenage men, sigh) into service.

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

Thanks CherryAmes,  you're right, highly unlikely the lad would get drafted in 1972.

Edited October 27, 2018 by One4Sorrow2TooBad

[dcalley]

I rewatched the pilot on a flight recently (Delta has eps 1-4), and I noticed that the ladder Frank uses to get the shoes off the wire outside the children's theater is balanced on top of the car!

I also saw Joey making eyes to a nurse--the woman he was spying on?--in a hospital or doctor's office.