S01.E03: There Won't Be Blood

[Pete Martell]

I felt like they were torn in various directions in this episode, between the more brash and silly humor with the party and most of the family, and the plot with Darlene. All I could think was that a lot of the people who would have loved the "PC gone wild" plot with Darlene and Mark probably stopped watching the show, so it was going to get a more mixed or negative reaction from the remaining viewers. 

The story didn't annoy me as much as I thought it would - they did try to have Darlene represent both sides, and they made a good portion of the reactions feel based in the history of the Conners and showing Darlene as continuing her parents' behavior whether she likes it or not. Sara Gilbert and the guy who played the principal were pretty good, and they didn't overdo the cutesiness or social issue element with Mark in the way I thought they might. 

I just couldn't watch the scene where Darlene insulted the guy who owned the insult diner. You could tell where that was going from early on and that type of humor just makes me cringe like nothing else. I'm not saying the scenes were bad - it's just my own personal taste.

What was it Darlene said she was dressed up as?

The other Conner scenes were more of a mixed bag. I would have preferred seeing more of DJ, Gina and Mary, as the scenes about Harris trying to get Dan to let her drive the car and especially the scene with Matthew Broderick felt very padded. I haven't actually seen Matthew Broderick act in a long time so I can't remember if he was just always...like that, or not. I actually liked the Harris story and I think it was just having the same scene for the third or fourth time that made it where you started to kind of just see the actress reciting her lines. Anyway, I did like the last scene with Mary in the car. And the scene with Jackie describing Harris' awful driving cracked me up. Jackie getting the reaction she wanted from Dan about her boyfriend and reacting with righteous fury was also funny - and a lot like her old self. 

The stuff with Becky taking the candy was coarse but it reminded me of the old show, especially the bit where Gina kept silent in exchange for half the candy bar. That made me laugh. There's a peril in just throwing one-liners at Becky, as they did here, although there were also parts I laughed at (like her finding out she wasn't on Dan's insurance).

Sara Gilbert is the one who seems to get the most coherent focus, but John Goodman was the real MVP of the episode for me, even with so much good work from the rest of the cast. I thought he might just phone it in for this possible last season but he's had a lot more vitality in these last two episodes and he reminds me a lot of what Dan was in the first seasons of the show (just older and not as energetic, obviously). I grew tired of Dan as the seasons passed, but he was a big reason why I loved the show as a kid, so it's nice to have a little of that back. He also works so well with pretty much everyone and that helps connect what otherwise feels like disparate strands. 

Edited October 31, 2018 by Pete Martell

[howiveaddict]

Or maybe  Broderick  didn’t get to rehearse much 

[chocolatine]

35 minutes ago, JacquelineAppleton said:

Einstein was white, that's why his Jewishness doesn't matter. It's largely black and brown cultures that "cultural appropriation" relates to, not white Germans.

The principal said it was wrong for Mark to dress up as Frida Kahlo because Mark can never experience the discrimination that Mexicans experience. Are you saying that Jews in Germany and other European countries didn't experience discrimination? Some of the most influential scientists of the 20th century had to flee Nazi persecution: Einstein, von Neumann, Fermi, Ulam, etc. If it's wrong for non-Mexicans to dress up as Frida Kahlo (who was half-white, by the way), it's also wrong for non-Jews to dress up as Einstein for the same reason.

[Pete Martell]

5 hours ago, Mu Shu said:

They’re pushing it too hard with that kid.  It doesn’t feel natural, and he doesn’t fit in with the Conners.  Not because of orientation.  He doesn’t look like his parents, nor does he have any mannerisms that suggest he is theirs.  Harris is a brat, but she looks and acts like she belongs to Darleen and David.

mark is miscast.  I turn the channel when he comes on.  As I do with Mary, Geena, DJ.

I think there's a risk of it being too much, too "TV," too cute, etc. but I thought the balance was better in this one as the focus was more on Darlene and then Dan, rather than making a production of Mark himself. 

I have mixed feelings about Mark for the reasons you mention. I really hope we get to see more of Johnny Galecki if this gets another season because I have a feeling the character of Mark will benefit from not just being in the Conner orbit. As of now he just seems somewhat grafted on, as DJ and his family do. 

8 hours ago, Cherpumple said:

I'm surprised how much this show is starting to feel like the original series. I watched last year out of nostalgia, despite not liking it much, but it feels a little more comfortable this year, even with the huge change. But one thing that continues to irk is the disjointed feel. In the original run you really got the sense that everyone in the family had a unique dynamic with every other person, and we saw lots different interactions. But now, we have whole episodes without Mark or Harris, or whole episodes where Becky and Darlene don't interact, or Jackie only talks to one or two people. The most egregious issue for me is that Becky doesn't seem to have any real relationships with her nieces or nephew. Aside from a few generic one-liners, I can't think of a single conversation she's had with any of them, or any indication of what kind of aunt she is (aside from a disinterested one). It's very weird to me, and quite disappointing and sad, especially considering how close she's been to Jackie her whole life.

Yes. They do try, but it does feel very separated, especially Darlene's portions. I guess it's the consequence of writing multiple stories and trying to use as much of their sublime cast as they can. I think they do write the interaction well enough in episodes with just one story (like the season premiere). I hope we may get a few more of those before the season is over. 

[andipandi]

I liked this episode a lot, it did feel like the old show. Nice costumes and callbacks. The PC issue is tough. I want to respect other cultures but "appreciation isn't appropriation" is exactly how I feel. Our schools don't let elementary kids wear costumes on halloween, we have stupid "vocabulary day" where you dress up as a word. Which usually involves me making a paper hat. Older kids no costumes at all.

Things that make complete sense: No blackface, no religious mockery, no demeaning stereotypes, especially in the school zones.

Banning Frida doesn't fit that. She was a great artist. Reinforcing positivity, celebrating other cultures, crossing comfort zones, heck, learning art history, seems to be what Halloween can be great for.

Dutch Milkmaid/French Royalty (avec ou sans tete)/Robin Hood: AOK for anyone

Drunk Irishman: bad

Leprechaun: ok

Frito Bandito: bad

Juan Valdez: good? Probably not.

Merida (scots), Elsa (norway?ish?): Ok for all

Moana (pacific islander), Mulan (china), bad for white kids, even if they don't wear the wig/muscle shirt/face paint.

I would have loved my little girl to go as these great characters. My doorbell has been rung by many Elsa's of varying ethnicities with the blonde wig.  They all looked great. 

[Jacqs]

There's been instances of white Americans going to Japan and refusing to wear traditional dress or eat local food even in circumstances where the local Japanese want them to, the Americans saying it would be appropriation. The locals thought the Americans were deeply racist for doing this, rather than enlightened.

[Lily H]

Judging from the other comments, this is going to be an unpopular opinion, but I HATED this episode. It was a pale and unfunny imitation of all the great Roseanne Halloween eps of the past, and the PC BS made it unwatchable for me. I won't be watching any more.

[CherryAmes]

17 minutes ago, JacquelineAppleton said:

There's been instances of white Americans going to Japan and refusing to wear traditional dress or eat local food even in circumstances where the local Japanese want them to, the Americans saying it would be appropriation. The locals thought the Americans were deeply racist for doing this, rather than enlightened.

How would anyone know?  I've got a SIL from Japan and I can't think of any situation where a tourist would be expected to wear traditional dress.  And as for the local food -who cares?  Lots of tourists are stupid and go to other countries and bitch about how they can't get a hamburger to save their life.   If they want to go to the trouble and expense to visit another country and not try the local cuisine, their loss, but I doubt the locals particularly notice or care.

Edited October 31, 2018 by CherryAmes

[iMonrey]

Quote

You may want to argue he should be able to wear that particular first costume (I have no idea what it was – something from a violent movie/game I guess?), but the school absolutely has a right – and an obligation – to set limits.  If he wanted to go as a Nazi or in blackface, would you be telling Darlene the same thing?  I doubt it.  I loathe when reasonable restrictions are lumped in with ones unreasonably broad, so as to paint all limits as “PC nonsense.”  

I don't think Dan was arguing that kids should be able to wear whatever they want, I think he was arguing that the school was going too far. By your own admission you had no idea what Mark's first costume was. Neither did I. How did the school determine it was inappropriate? I also thought the second costume was innocuous enough to pass muster so yeah, it gets to the point where there's no way of knowing what's acceptable and what's not. Common decency would dictate not allowing your kid to dress up like a Nazi or wear a KKK costume. But some obscure video game character doesn't fall within that same realm.

It also seemed like the objection to the second costume was that Mark wasn't of Hispanic descent. Darlene could have pointed out they had no way of knowing or proving that. So that was even dumber.

Edited October 31, 2018 by iMonrey

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

I don't think Dan was arguing that kids should be able to wear whatever they want,

That's what he said, verbatim.  But perhaps what he meant was "they should be able to wear whatever they want, within reason, and this particular costume shouldn't be a problem."  Everyone involved in the discussion was instead written to speak in sweeping terms, which was the problem with it; it yielded some funny lines, and it wasn't awful, but it just wasn't handled with the sharpness and nuanced wit the show used to be famous for. 

Shifting gears slightly, when Dan said something about Halloween being 24 hours where there are no rules, Darlene responded, "Those are the Purge movies, Dad."  I'd never heard of those films, but about an hour later when I was scrolling through the programming guide, there one was, with a summary about a night in which nothing is illegal.  Good timing.

Edited October 31, 2018 by Bastet

[Reality police]

14 hours ago, mbaywife123 said:

To all of you with elementary school children send them dressed to the school party/carnival dressed as a peanut.

Nothing scares the school more than a possible peanut or peanut product on their grounds these days,

OMG. I love you for this!

[Colorado David]

1 hour ago, Lily H said:

Judging from the other comments, this is going to be an unpopular opinion, but I HATED this episode. It was a pale and unfunny imitation of all the great Roseanne Halloween eps of the past, and the PC BS made it unwatchable for me. I won't be watching any more.

Actually I myself tend to agree with your opinion. I got zero funny out of it except the cleverness of some of the costumes.  If the show is going to push the PC agenda, it needs to do so gently and with humor, rather than whacking us over the head with it (I can watch any news if I need to see someone yell at someone else about what is righteous PC. Yelling does not equal funny.)  I'll still be watching, but as a Halloween epi this was a dud for me.

Weird logic about the offensive vs non-offensive thing. Suppose I'm a kid who's lost a parent recently - does this mean your child cannot dress up as a ghost? Ghosts represent the dead, so only dead people can dress as dead people. Ditto zombies. (I have no idea the dividing line between "that is fiction, this is not fiction therefore banned.")

Edited October 31, 2018 by Colorado David

[Jacqs]

frankly, if we took the belief to it's logical extreme it would mean that non-whites shouldn't dress up as white characters and gay and lesbian actors should never play hetero characters.

[CherryAmes]

23 minutes ago, Bastet said:

Dan said something about Halloween being 24 hours where there are no rules, Darlene responded, "Those are the Purge movies, Dad."

If they can keep writing little moments like this the show is going to do just fine!

[gesundheit]

Man, I really love the way they're using Becky this season. She is cracking me up. As for the costume situation, the POINT of Halloween is appropriation. None of that made sense to me. Sure, if he just came dressed as just "a Mexican" that's a problem. And SURE as hell if he'd put on brown-face to dress as Kahlo, that would be deeply offensive. But it was clear who he was and without offense. If he dressed that way every day? Appropriation.

Oh and Laurie Metcalf fully had her old fire last night. That was fun to see.

[langford peel]

Lampooning the politically  correct is biting the hands that feed this show. PC people are this shows niche audience and they are notoriously easy to offend.

If they had any comedic balls they would have someone dress up in a costume as a character from “The Planet of the Apes.”

[Pete Martell]

19 minutes ago, Colorado David said:

Actually I myself tend to agree with your opinion. I got zero funny out of it except the cleverness of some of the costumes.  If the show is going to push the PC agenda, it needs to do so gently and with humor, rather than whacking us over the head with it (I can watch any news if I need to see someone yell at someone else about what is righteous PC. Yelling does not equal funny.)  I'll still be watching, but as a Halloween epi this was a dud for me.

Weird logic about the offensive vs non-offensive thing. Suppose I'm a kid who's lost a parent recently - does this mean your child cannot dress up as a ghost? Ghosts represent the dead, so only dead people can dress as dead people. Ditto zombies. (I have no idea the dividing line between "that is fiction, this is not fiction therefore banned.")

Surely if the show was trying to be PC they would have doubled down on Mark and Dan being wrong, and had a Very Special educational scene - maybe with someone like Gina (who has little else to do anyway). I felt like the show was trying to present both sides - actually I felt like they agreed more with the idea that "PC" has gone too far but didn't walk to fully walk into that mine field. 

[andipandi]

If Mark had left the giant axe home, I'm sure no teacher would have called him out on the fortnight costume.

[snarkylady]

17 minutes ago, langford peel said:

If they had any comedic balls they would have someone dress up in a costume as a character from “The Planet of the Apes.”

Now that's funny!

[Homily]

25 minutes ago, langford peel said:

Lampooning the politically  correct is biting the hands that feed this show. PC people are this shows niche audience and they are notoriously easy to offend.

If they had any comedic balls they would have someone dress up in a costume as a character from “The Planet of the Apes.”

I'm curious why you think this - are you actually watching the show?  If you are are you assuming you're the only outlier?  If you're not then how would you know what this show is doing or not doing?

Edited October 31, 2018 by Homily

[willowk]

21 minutes ago, Pete Martell said:

Surely if the show was trying to be PC they would have doubled down on Mark and Dan being wrong, and had a Very Special educational scene - maybe with someone like Gina (who has little else to do anyway). I felt like the show was trying to present both sides - actually I felt like they agreed more with the idea that "PC" has gone too far but didn't walk to fully walk into that mine field. 

I thought it was a great plot point for a Halloween episode. There has been so much back and forth on this topic the past few years. Personally I found it easy to believe Dan being old school about this issue, and Darlene okay with it to a point but no further. I think the idea of "cultural appropriation" is baffling to many, and Darlene epitimized that by understanding about the action hero costume but thinking the school went way overboard with the rules. Her position was moderate and pragmatic, something we rarely see in our polarized debates on such things these days.  I saw it as gently mocking the ultra-liberal position on this issue but didn't get into the caustic territory Barr generated by her presence last year. For what its worth (if anything) my own view lies between Dan and Darlene. I grew up at a time when we could wear any costume, although most went as cowboys, witches etc., and I know none of us kids thought we were mocking or demeaning other cultures. It was a celebration. However I have since come around that some costumes should be off limits but think often they've gone too far in the effort not to offend. So the positions of the characters presented an interesting mix to me.

Edited October 31, 2018 by willowk

[langford peel]

Comedy is dead. What Lenny Bruce or Richard Pryor or Mel Brooks or Red Foxx or even Joan Rivers would have said or done would get them fired out of hand.

i would have dressed Gena in a Planet of the Apes costume. Had the show canceled. Because of political correctness.

Now that’s funny.

[Colorado David]

Lol Mark's first costume was Fortnight, a game where players run around shooting each other. Funny how we let all the violent stuff slide - be Freddy, be Jason, be Michael Myers (mind you no weapons), but the representation - nah we're all fine with that. Be a character from Call of Duty. Be the Halo sergeant. Be Rambo. And for the gals, be Hela from Thor. She wiped out tons of people.

[Pete Martell]

6 minutes ago, Colorado David said:

Lol Mark's first costume was Fortnight, a game where players run around shooting each other. Funny how we let all the violent stuff slide - be Freddy, be Jason, be Michael Myers (mind you no weapons), but the representation - nah we're all fine with that. Be a character from Call of Duty. Be the Halo sergeant. Be Rambo. And for the gals, be Hela from Thor. She wiped out tons of people.

I thought he changed that costume because that wouldn't have been alright either.

[andipandi]

^He did. The school said no violent game characters, even sans weapons.

I think the show is balancing its audience. There are the righties who identify with the blue collar, working poor POV, and roseanne's antics are a plus for them. There are of course lefties who are like, "what, we were rich? We ate cornflake casserole too." Jackie's voice is lefty. Last year everyone was hating on ABC for airing such right wing stuff, it got popular with the Last Man Standing crowd. There are righties who are mad roseanne got kicked off. This week's episode, I saw an ad for the Republican Party, FFS.

So I think the writers are trying to show balance.

[izabella]

I really liked this episode.  It felt like the old show, and the cast is starting to grow on me, except for DJ, who seemed a non-entity this time.  I didn't like the reboot with Roseanne in it - only saw the episode where she forces her granddaughter's head under the running faucet and jumps on her to keep here there, and that was enough to turn my stomach.  Abuse is not funny.  So I'm really glad I get a chance to enjoy this show again.

So happy to see Laurie Metcalf back in her groove!

[WednesdayAddams]

I thought this episode was pretty funny. Loved Dan commenting that Halloween is 24 hours without laws and rules.

Mathew Brodderick was in Modern Family not that long ago, and was hilarious. It must have been all that lingo that he just couldn't remember and clearly looked at the cards for. Wish they did something different for him, so it could have been funnier. 

[Colorado David]

Probably shouldn't allow M&M costumes, sends wrong message that candy is a good thing. Oh wait...

umm no Dorthy's from Wizard of Oz, she killed the WW of the W.  Pretty darn violent.  Just where do the superhero costumes fall? They cause immense damage and downright killed some people, but I doubt schools are banning Ironmans. Or Batmans. But yes, NO CLOWNS - clowns are never funny and always frightening.

Edited October 31, 2018 by Colorado David

[CherryAmes]

1 hour ago, langford peel said:

Lampooning the politically  correct is biting the hands that feed this show.

Are the people posting here who like The Conners supposed to feel insulted?  I'm guessing being called PC is an insult, right?

Edited October 31, 2018 by CherryAmes

[CherryAmes]

7 minutes ago, SirFilligryFlirt said:

People being so afraid of clowns is what makes clowns hilarious. 

My daughter used to be terrified of clowns as a child, now she just hates them.  I don't find someone's else's fear of something hilarious (well mostly) but in this case I do find it inexplicable.  People have tried to explain what it is about clowns they find scary and I do get what they're saying but still...to me I see a clown I see happiness.  Other people see a clown and they see death with a red nose!

Edited October 31, 2018 by CherryAmes

[Annber03]

I don't really have a fear of clowns, myself, but I can totally see where they'd scare other people. Especially when you factor in things like It and the real life case of John Wayne Gacy. 

[Colorado David]

They were fine until Gacy, 80s clown movies, some tv episodes including tales of the unexpected, and Stephen King literature. But back in the Emmett Kelly days, fine.

[CletusMusashi]

Dan wasn't "mostly wrong." Honestly, I don't even know where he was wrong at all.

I mean, the 24 hour no rule thing was obviously just him making a joke. So what else?

Rules against violent or scary characters are taking the fun out of Halloween? True.

Kids used to have more leeway on Halloween costumes? Also true.

And if she doesn't want trouble with the school, that's a valid reason not to fight with them over this, but she should give the kid a heads up that it's not him, it's the school? Also true.

In fact, I'm not even sure what part of this Darlene truly disagreed with at any point. 

Edited November 4, 2018 by CletusMusashi

[chitowngirl]

I was afraid of clowns long before Gacy.  A McDonald’s was opening and Ronald McDonald was there. My mom waited in line for a long time with my older sister and me to meet him. I wanted no part of it.

[Pete Martell]

5 minutes ago, chitowngirl said:

I was afraid of clowns long before Gacy.  A McDonald’s was opening and Ronald McDonald was there. My mom waited in line for a long time with my older sister and me to meet him. I wanted no part of it.

The Ronald McDonalds of the '70s can be pretty terrifying.

[CherryAmes]

30 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

Especially when you factor in things like It and the real life case of John Wayne Gacy. 

Like chitowngirl I can date my daughter's fear of clowns to Ronald McDonald - 90s version for her.  You'd think a nice man in make up with a big red nose and floppy shoes offering you a hamburger would be a good thing!

[Annber03]

I can see it with the Ronald McDonald character, definitely! He is rather creepy-looking. 

There's also an episode of "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" involving a clown that scared a lot of kids back in the day. 

Edited October 31, 2018 by Annber03

[Luciano]

4 hours ago, andipandi said:

Our schools don't let elementary kids wear costumes on halloween, we have stupid "vocabulary day" where you dress up as a word.

What.

18 hours ago, ams1001 said:

I liked her mom's "costume." That's the kind of thing I would do. (We don't do dressing up where I work but I will wear black with some Halloween socks and my little jack-o-lantern stud earrings that I may have permanently "borrowed" from my mom a few years ago.)

Last year, my cousin wanted everyone in her family to be in costume to take the toddler trick-or-treating, so her husband dug up an old Metallica shirt and said he was going as a Metallica fan. That is what Geena's costume reminded me of.

 

Favorite moment of the episode was Dan telling the neighbors that he and Roseanne had discussed not vandalizing their house the previous year but decided to go ahead and do it so the neighbors wouldn't feel discriminated against since they did it to every other house.

[Mu Shu]

3 hours ago, Pete Martell said:

Surely if the show was trying to be PC they would have doubled down on Mark and Dan being wrong, and had a Very Special educational scene - maybe with someone like Gina (who has little else to do anyway). I felt like the show was trying to present both sides - actually I felt like they agreed more with the idea that "PC" has gone too far but didn't walk to fully walk into that mine field. 

I pretty much agree with that.

But I still find Mark jarring.  It’s like he’s acting on Broadway, not on a sitcom.  He reminds me of that annoying kid who insisted that George or Kramer make some baseball player hit a home run for him on Seinfeld.  

[izabella]

7 hours ago, CherryAmes said:

My daughter used to be terrified of clowns as a child, now she just hates them.  I don't find someone's else's fear of something hilarious (well mostly) but in this case I do find it inexplicable.  People have tried to explain what it is about clowns they find scary and I do get what they're saying but still...to me I see a clown I see happiness.  Other people see a clown and they see death with a red nose!

 

Clowns are creepy.  They just are.  I can't explain it.  I don't know why.  The best I can guess is I must have watched a Twilight Zone episode or something  as a kid that had a creepy clown in it.  

I thought it was hilarious that clowns were on the list.  For me, PC means being considerate of others, but I don't mind poking fun at it and discussing if or when consideration becomes unreasonable.  That's something this show always did well - it brought out different points of view on topics that people could laugh about and talk about more seriously. 

Edited November 1, 2018 by izabella

[SparklesBitch]

Second week in a row I thought this show started at 8:30 instead of 8:00 and missed it. But anyway....

I loved the Halloween costumes, Jackie describing Harris’ terrible driving, Dan playing along with the Invisible Man costume, the return of the Muslim family,  and Darlene being over qualified for a job where she had to insult people on command. I’m mostly in this for Darlene, Jackie and Dan, and I’m loving them. 

Not sure how to feel about the fact that I’m jealous of Darlene’s wardrobe. I want her clothes! :) 

As for the PC costume culture, I’m with Darlene in which I get the spirit of the rule, but I think it gets taken too far. Mark obviously put a lot of thought into his costume and genuinely likes Frida Kahlo, so I don’t see why there should be a problem with that.

There should definitely be nothing like black face or Nazi crap or that sort of tasteless thing.

Totally didn’t realize Jackie’s boyfriend was Matthew Broderick. Is he always that bad? Wow. 

Laurie looked amazing in that cheerleader costume! 

[chitowngirl]

When my kids were small, the school used to have a Halloween parade. It ended because not all kids celebrated Halloween, exclusion, blah, blah,blah. The school got around it by having the week before be a “Say No To Drugs” week. Every day had a theme: wear a hat to put a lid on drugs, etc. Friday was a Walkout on Drugs parade and kids dress as their favorite storybook character, with the usual limits of no weapons, have to be able to get around comfortably. There were a lot of Harry Potter’s, Hermione, and various Avengers! Let kids be kids!

Edited October 31, 2018 by chitowngirl

[Pallas]

Boo!

Okay. List of prohibited costumes topics or statements going forward on this Conner night of nights.

1. Clowns. (Off-topic posts are scary.)

2. Should this show be on TV?

3. Statements we see as intended to throw more heat than light. Our call. No more. Warnings follow.

[AuntieDiane6]

Quote

Mathew Brodderick was in Modern Family not that long ago, and was hilarious. 

Yes ... I remember that episode.  He thought that Phil was coming on to him and Phil was only looking for a guy friend.  

Quote

It also seemed like the objection to the second costume was that Mark wasn't of Hispanic descent. Darlene could have pointed out they had no way of knowing or proving that. 

Exactly!  As for the Einstein reference above, the kid could have named any other scientist and who would know?  He could say he was the scientist from Back to the Future. I would tell my kid to dress as he or she wanted and we'll come up with some creative answers in case the costume is questioned. 

[Browncoat]

Sharknead O'Conner!  That was almost better than the Tippi Hedren/Birds costume from years ago (and one I'd still like to replicate if I could find appropriate birds). 

And Harris as Lizzie Boredom -- too funny. 

I didn't recognize Matthew Broderick at all, but I did like Becky's Descartes joke -- it was all in the delivery.  Lecy sold it.

Agreed that the costume rules went a little far, but also agree that there are some things that should not be allowed.  There's a fine line between being heavy-handed in addressing the issue, and not being overt enough.  I'm not sure they got it right, but at the same time, it should be discussed.

Overall, though, I did enjoy the episode. 

[Ebau]

20 hours ago, madpsych78 said:

 

If Matthew Broderick's character is in his 40s, then he's closer to Becky and Darlene's ages than to Jackie's!

 

Go Jax, you randy old biddy!

[Colorado David]

Rewatching.  Darlene's text from the school indicates zombies are not allowed. Sorry Michael Jackson, your thriller dance has become PC taboo. Seriously, zombies scare kids? I can see toddlers being scared, but not kids in school.

OMG Matthew Broderick sounds exactly like Wally Cox, for those old enough to remember...

Edited November 1, 2018 by Colorado David

[TattleTeeny]

5 hours ago, gesundheit said:

Man, I really love the way they're using Becky this season. She is cracking me up. As for the costume situation, the POINT of Halloween is appropriation. None of that made sense to me. Sure, if he just came dressed as just "a Mexican" that's a problem. And SURE as hell if he'd put on brown-face to dress as Kahlo, that would be deeply offensive. But it was clear who he was and without offense. If he dressed that way every day? Appropriation.

Oh and Laurie Metcalf fully had her old fire last night. That was fun to see.

I tend to agree, I think. If you are dressed as a specific person, then style yourself after that person--but within reason (meaning, IMO, no blackface and the like!). I also love a pun-inspired costume mashup; my friends and I love doing that!

Edited November 1, 2018 by TattleTeeny

[CouchTater]

9 hours ago, Pallas said:

Heh. There were a lot of very specific academic references that Broderick had to nail. It's text that may not seem that much harder to memorize than other lines -- until you have to do it, and prove it, on command. Sometimes the unfamiliar words aren't going to stick. They don't embed in memory because they're sterile, clean of context and emotion: not stirring, not poignant, not funny. And emotion is an actor's breath. 

I just watched, and it seemed to me that he was looking at Becky at times, as if including her in the conversation.  She was seated at the table while the rest stood, and he kept looking in her general direction, much like you'd do in a real-life conversation.  I didn't read it as cue-card dependence.

[geauxaway]

2 hours ago, Mu Shu said:

I pretty much agree with that.

But I still find Mark jarring.  It’s like he’s acting on Broadway, not on a sitcom.  He reminds me of that annoying kid who insisted that George or Kramer make some baseball player hit a home run for him on Seinfeld.  

Agree.  I don’t need a special message from Mark every other week.  

I did enjoy Jackie this episode.  Her comments on the ninja had me laughing out loud.