S11.E06 Results May Vary

[The Crazed Spruce]

Quote

The team gears up for its live all-day coverage of the midterm elections, competing against Avery, who is reporting with John Haggerty, the Wolf Network's conservative superstar; Pat is horrified when Miles forces him to wear a conservative suit.

[AntiBeeSpray]

Really like this episode so far. I feel so bad for Avery and Murphy and co. lol.

Glad they said this at the end after both Murphy's show and the one her son was on both saw the outcome: 'Elections have consequences. Vote.'

Edited November 2, 2018 by AntiBeeSpray

[Kohola3]

Loved it, really well done. Some laugh out loud moments and really loving Avery.

[Eureka]

Frank was the best part of this one. Not enough use of Avery. Even though this whole episode was about politics, it felt much less over the top than the rest of the season has been. Might have been my favorite so far, and I really liked the #metoo one.

 

That “ayuh” from the NH lady disappointed me though. As someone who grew up in Maine, that just not how you say it. (Lol)

Edited November 2, 2018 by Eureka

[stonehaven]

I loved this one..enough of a parody of 24 hour news culture....and also loved Avery....

[friendperidot]

I had to laugh at Murphy's line about the baby that she fought with Dan Quayle to have, even though my memory is shot and I don't remember exactly how it went.

I really liked the ending with both news teams looking at the results and being surprised. Along with the ending message that voting has consequences. I've already cast my vote. Now I'm left to worry for nearly a week about the consequences.

[Annber03]

Agh, that ending. Powerful, and yet it got me nervous all over again. 

I laughed at Phyllis randomly walking in front of the group while the cameras were rolling, and Frank and Murphy stumbling over their words towards the end :p. And everything with Avery was good, too (the whole thing with Trump calling in, oh, man). I liked this one, too. I hope the message got through well enough to people. 

[Tanichka]

Still not really feeling this show, but it's improving.  Not a horrible episode.  I can do without Phyllis, though.  And the acting by the main characters?  Hope they're not expecting Emmy nominations.

[Annber03]

4 minutes ago, friendperidot said:

I've already cast my vote. Now I'm left to worry for nearly a week about the consequences.

Same. My mom and I went out and voted last week. The time since then has felt like it's been crawling along. 

[GHScorpiosRule]

My two favorite lines were Murphy telling Avery about her fighting with Quayle when she conceived-and I think she said that same child (Avery) is now working with Quayle who’s now working at Wolf???. The other was Murphy telling her viewers how she was still awake and her son now owes her $20.

”From Sea to Signing She” had me ?????

Haggerty, who was a spoof of Hannity didn’t quite pull off the snarm and slime of the real deal. But I loved Avery telling him how someone younger would come along to dethrone his ass and then howled like a wolf.???

[ombelico]

I can't help but notice that this week's episode and last week's episode were both written by some of the writers of the original version of the show (Gunzenhauser, Donzig, and Peterman), and I don't think it's a coincidence that (IMO) they have been the strongest so far, since they know these characters and the DNA of the show so well. 

As far as I'm concerned, there can never be enough Avery. I love that (as far as I remember) we finally know Avery's middle name - Robert. That makes sense that Murphy would name him after Robert Kennedy. 

I was so happy for Pat when he found his groove!

[AdeleDazeem]

12 minutes ago, ombelico said:

I can't help but notice that this week's episode and last week's episode were both written by some of the writers of the original version of the show (Gunzenhauser, Donzig, and Peterman), and I don't think it's a coincidence that (IMO) they have been the strongest so far, since they know these characters and the DNA of the show so well. 

As far as I'm concerned, there can never be enough Avery. I love that (as far as I remember) we finally know Avery's middle name - Robert. That makes sense that Murphy would name him after Robert Kennedy. 

I was so happy for Pat when he found his groove!

I was half watching. Not really paying attention. I thought that was a nod to Robert Pastorelli by the writers. 

[Kohola3]

26 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

Same. My mom and I went out and voted last week. The time since then has felt like it's been crawling along. 

Ditto.  And I seriously fear the "wow" that might be coming.

[theredhead77]

I loved this episode (and every one thus far). I'm curious where the Avery path at Wolf will go, after going after Not!Hannity.

 

The tag at the end was beautiful. 

[babyhouseman]

I enjoyed it. It felt like more old style MB. I smiled more than I usually do during sitcoms. I liked Winnesuckit, "amen to that", and the foxbot woman changing. 

[aemom]

There were so many moments where I laughed out loud: Frank's many embarrassing moments on air, Corky losing her shit and swearing,  Murphy finally getting tongue tied.

I also liked that Phyllis's assistant nagged her into voting.  Was he not able to vote because he's not a citizen?  He's been in the US since he was 2, how come he hasn't obtained citizenship yet?

In my neck of the woods, I rarely have an election where I want to vote for any of the candidates, but I always vote anyways. I remind myself of the women who gave up their lives to fight for the right for women to vote. I feel that if I don't vote, then I dishonor their memory.

Edited November 2, 2018 by AEMom
Typo

[ombelico]

16 minutes ago, AdeleDazeem said:

I was half watching. Not really paying attention. I thought that was a nod to Robert Pastorelli by the writers. 

Murphy has a framed photo of Robert Kennedy behind her couch (and did in the original run of the show as well), so I think character-wise that homage makes more sense (YMMV). There was also a joke in the original show that on her list of possible baby names (before she settled on Avery) she had "Robert Kennedy Brown" (and "Desmond Tutu Brown").

[Annber03]

9 minutes ago, AEMom said:

I remind myself of the women who gave up their lives to fight for the right for women to vote. I feel that if I don't vote, then I dishonor their memory.

Yes! I always think about that, too. That, and I just like being able to have a say in what's going on in general :).

[Sarah 103]

1 hour ago, Eureka said:

Frank was the best part of this one. Not enough use of Avery. Even though this whole episode was about politics, it felt much less over the top than the rest of the season has been.

So far this has been the best episode. They didn't make it an issue of the week and had it more about the characters and human interaction. The major issue was an old fashioned Get Out the Vote Campaign, and that felt in keeping with the show. I really hope there are more episodes like this. I want to see more of Avery at the Wolf Network. 

52 minutes ago, stonehaven said:

I loved this one..enough of a parody of 24 hour news culture....and also loved Avery....

I was thrilled that Avery wanted Trump to keep talking. He was totally in sit back and grab the popcorn mode. It was dumb of Corky to cut the woman off. As long as she was talking, they didn't have to talk or worry about filling airtime.

I think my biggest complaint was Pat. It would have worked better if he was a last minute replacement because something happened to the person who was originally going to do the big board/numbers type of stuff.   

52 minutes ago, friendperidot said:

I had to laugh at Murphy's line about the baby that she fought with Dan Quayle to have, even though my memory is shot and I don't remember exactly how it went.

In season 3, Murphy has a brief relationship with Jake Lowenstein, her ex-husband (they were married for about a week during the late 1960s). Murphy finds out she's pregnant and decides to keep the baby. Dan Quayle goes on TV and says this, which Murphy Brown then edited into an episode https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnhhZ0LVNPU

34 minutes ago, ombelico said:

As far as I'm concerned, there can never be enough Avery. I love that (as far as I remember) we finally know Avery's middle name - Robert. That makes sense that Murphy would name him after Robert Kennedy. 

20 minutes ago, AdeleDazeem said:

I was half watching. Not really paying attention. I thought that was a nod to Robert Pastorelli by the writers. 

When they said Robert I thought that was a strage choice. Of course it was for Robert Kennedy. I feel so stupid for not picking up on that. That being said it works both ways. The in-universe explanation is that it is for RFK. The writers probably chose it as a way to honor Robert Pastorelli. 

9 minutes ago, AEMom said:

I also liked that Phyllis's assistant nagged her into voting.  Was he not able to vote because he's not a citizen?  He's been in the US since he was 2, how come he hasn't obtained citizenship yet?

Miguel's parents as well as Miguel are undocumented immigrants. It is difficult for undocumented immigrants to become full citizens. 

[tessaray]

I was skeptical of how things would play out filming and airing an election episode before the actual election but they did a pretty decent job.   The Wolf Network stuff was actually funny.  

[aemom]

4 minutes ago, Sarah 103 said:

Miguel's parents as well as Miguel are undocumented immigrants. It is difficult for undocumented immigrants to become full citizens. 

I must have missed that point when the character was introduced.  Thanks!

[Sarah 103]

7 minutes ago, tessaray said:

I was skeptical of how things would play out filming and airing an election episode before the actual election but they did a pretty decent job.   The Wolf Network stuff was actually funny.  

I knew it could be done. Jack and Bobby did a similar episode in 2004. I think it aired on or the day after election day. They mentioned the candidates but it was vague. You'd hear the announcer on the news say something like "A critical swing state goes to Kerry," but they wouldn't say which state. 

Edited November 2, 2018 by Sarah 103

[tessaray]

5 minutes ago, Sarah 103 said:

I knew it could be done. Jack and Bobby did a similar episode in 2004. I think it aired on or the day after election day. They mentioned the candidates but it was vague. You'd hear the announcer on the news say something like "A critical swing state goes to Kerry," but they wouldn't say which state. 

I had to Google that show. At first I wondered why I'd never heard of it but thinking about it, pretty sure I didn't get the WB back then. 

I did laugh at the Kornacki mention, too. 

[rhys]

35 minutes ago, Sarah 103 said:

 The major issue was an old fashioned Get Out the Vote Campaign, and that felt in keeping with the show. I really hope there are more episodes like this

Miguel's parents as well as Miguel are undocumented immigrants. It is difficult for undocumented immigrants to become full citizens. 

I've always found this so odd that we in the U.S. will allow (encourage) an immigrant without proper paperwork to join the military but, crikey, can't allow him or her to vote.

[friendperidot]

Sara 103, I do remember how Avery came to be and I remember the fight between the show and Dan Quayle over a very public figure and unmarried woman having a baby out of wedlock, it wasn't as much a scandal as the show and Dan Quayle made it into, but at that time, very few unmarried women in public life had babies, but it was pretty commonplace in the real world where most of us live. My long term memory is much better than my short term memory, I can remember things from 50 years ago, but not what was said 15 minutes ago. So, what I don't exactly remember is what her line was tonight about fighting with Dan Quayle.

[Sarah 103]

16 minutes ago, friendperidot said:

So, what I don't exactly remember is what her line was tonight about fighting with Dan Quayle.

I didn't think it was referencing a specific line, just the fight in general, unless I'm missing/forgetting something. 

[Bastet]

“Avery Robert Brown” – Hee, I love when moms full-name adult children, and it’s perfect that Murphy named her son after her mom and Robert Kennedy.  I liked the reference to Dan Quayle’s "glamorizing single motherhood" freakout about her pregnancy, and I loved their bet – Avery won’t make it through 24 hours of extended coverage without losing it on Haggerty vs Murphy won’t make it through without nodding off.  They continue to be the best part of the show.

But there's much more I like, including another round of great lines:

“He runs a zoo, and all he does is throw raw meat to his audience.” 

“Where truth goes to die.”

“Yes, of course that is just one poll – ours”
“The only one we trust”

It was a fun take on 24-hour election coverage in general, at both networks:

- Replacing one pretty young sycophant with another, Trump calling in to his buddy and still going on about the Electoral College, no collusion, fake news, and witch hunts, hours later

- Pat dressed like Miles, Frank on energy drinks (I love how Joe Regalbuto kept his leg shaking under the table the whole time), Corky losing it with the in-show version of Joe the Plumber and the 15 other people in East Winnsocket, and "After 17 hours, some of us are a little punchy” followed by everyone finally losing it, with Miles sending in Pat.

“Welcome to the next two years.”
And then the tag: Elections have consequences. Vote.

That was powerful, especially closing an episode that explicitly noted Democratic voter turnout in midterm elections is typically pathetic, but this year may be different. 

[magicdog]

Quote

Frank was the best part of this one. Not enough use of Avery. 

Ditto on both counts.

 

I don't think those behind the show know how news works anymore.  When there's 24 hour coverage - especially for election reporting - the same news crew is not kept on in some marathon broadcast.  Usually, each show crew runs their usual duration (say, "Fox & Friends" from 4am EST - 9am EST) then they pass the torch to the next crew (since they do need a break - a four hour show is exausting) and if needed, various personalities are brought in between until the results are called.   I know they were going for the funny in telethon like situations on live TV, but very little of the episode rang true to me.

The Trump impersonator sucked!  How hard would it have been to find a better one?  He barely sounded at all like the man!

Loved Frank's bits and his patriotic socks!

Menapausal women mean?  Nice one writers, the over 50 women will love that one (not!).

Loved seeing Pat step up, and guffawed at his line about dressing like he was meeting the wife his parents picked out for him.

Just now, Bastet said:

Replacing one pretty young sycophant with another,

Very true to life.

[tessaray]

24 minutes ago, magicdog said:

Menapausal women mean?  Nice one writers, the over 50 women will love that one (not!).

Heh.  Some may not but this one certainly remembers how intensely irritating (previously tolerable) things could be.  It's weird but I actually find Corky a litle more interesting now because of the menopause storyline.  I didn't care for the southern schtick in the original show.  

[Sarah 103]

1 hour ago, magicdog said:

When there's 24 hour coverage - especially for election reporting - the same news crew is not kept on in some marathon broadcast.  Usually, each show crew runs their usual duration (say, "Fox & Friends" from 4am EST - 9am EST) then they pass the torch to the next crew (since they do need a break - a four hour show is exausting) and if needed, various personalities are brought in between until the results are called.   I know they were going for the funny in telethon like situations on live TV, but very little of the episode rang true to me.

Agreed. As you pointed out, they went with what was funny instead of what was accurate and I'm okay with that. I think it would have been just as good an episode if they kept it to 4 hours of coverage and have something else be the obstacle. 

[Ailianna]

5 hours ago, magicdog said:

The Trump impersonator sucked!  How hard would it have been to find a better one?  He barely sounded at all like the man!

I think he was supposed to not sound too much like the current president.  For a couple reasons.  They didn't want it to seem like they took real clips (which the show overall has done before) and be accused of faking statements so that people thought it was actual statements made by POTUS.  And because it was a little easier to laugh (for me at least) when I could read it as exaggeration of something true, rather than something specifically true.

[GHScorpiosRule]

16 hours ago, friendperidot said:

 So, what I don't exactly remember is what her line was tonight about fighting with Dan Quayle.

It was just Murphy needling Avery that Quayle, who made a HUGE issue about how Family  Values were going in the toilet because Murphy Brown was glamorizing having baby out of wedlock, is now also working at the Wolf network, where Avery-that same child Quayle was denigrating, also works. Irony, I think was the point.

16 hours ago, Sarah 103 said:

I didn't think it was referencing a specific line, just the fight in general, unless I'm missing/forgetting something. 

It was about how Quayle used a fictional character in his remarks about “Family Values” as if Murphy was a real person. So mock worthy and Diane English decided to use it in the show when it returned from summer hiatus.

15 hours ago, magicdog said:

 

The Trump impersonator sucked!  How hard would it have been to find a better one?  He barely sounded at all like the man!

Eh. He was close enough. The actor voicing him is Bob Dibuono, who played Trump on Larry Wilmore’s show.

Edited November 2, 2018 by GHScorpiosRule

[mojito]

Quote

I don't think those behind the show know how news works anymore.  When there's 24 hour coverage - especially for election reporting - the same news crew is not kept on in some marathon broadcast. 

My impression is that Murphy and the gang are the superstars of an otherwise minor cable network, so they needed to carry the day.

Loved that Pat stepped up in his own style. 

@tessaray, I'm enjoying Corky, too. I hardly noticed her in the original show. But Corky 2.0, is sometimes cranky and uncomfortable, and is pretty funny. As I mentioned before, they should use her menopausal moments as sight gags. Maybe it was my mood, but I, who at best will snicker at something that strikes me as funny, actually did a little guffaw when Corky went ballistic. Give Corky more camera time, even if she's not speaking. Her facial expressions are great.

Edited November 2, 2018 by mojito

[answerphone]

Wonderful episode, more like the old days!!  Excellent!

My only fleeting negative thought was that Murphy wouldn't allow all the disposable plastic and styrofoam containers Phyllis brought with the snacks.

[Tanichka]

11 hours ago, tessaray said:

The Wolf Network stuff was actually funny.  

Actually funnier than the Murphy in the Morning bits.  Hey, there's an idea for a new show - Avery on the Wolf Network!

Edited November 2, 2018 by Tanichka

[andipandi]

13 hours ago, Eureka said:

That “ayuh” from the NH lady disappointed me though. As someone who grew up in Maine, that just not how you say it. (Lol)

That stuck in my craw as well. Not only the pronunciation, but mixing up the states. I thought ayuh was a downeast Maine thing, not a general New England thing.

I usually hate cringe humor, but Franks antics this episode had me giggling. Loved Avery relaxed on the Fox couch.

[willowk]

I liked the tone, and mixing the silliness of the wall to wall cable news coverage of elections with the seriousness of the results. They left us hanging, as in real life, we don't now how the election will turn out which side, if any, will be happy with the results. I liked Murphy's line after the polls closed, about every American having the chance to participate. And also liked Avery making the head of the "Wolf Pack" nervous -there's always another wolf coming up behind you -true, so true.

[greekmom]

Loved the throw away line about Dan Quyale.  I remember when this happened and how stupid it was to comment on a fictional character. Unwed moms have been a staple in soaps since soaps started. 

Loved the rapport between Avery and Murphy.  

They are really struggling with Corky's character.  I mean how much more can you play up on the age thing with her?  

[Bruinsfan]

To be fair, Corky snapping and swearing on air badly enough that the actual show had to bleep it was the first time I've actually cracked up over the menopause jokes.

I wonder if Avery is going to run into trouble with network execs over his friction with the Hannity analog. I think his implied threat would have a lot more weight behind it if he were working at a neutral network; the Wolf Network isn't going to depose their star mouthpiece in favor of someone who's essentially a token non-propagandist. He's a new hire, not Shepard Smith.

[treeofdreams]

I loved every minute of this episode.  I rarely laugh out loud - at anything - but this got to me several times.  I thought each character was perfection.  I especially loved them all losing it in the last few minutes of the show, and Miles saying "So close!"

And thanks to Sarah 103 for posting the Dan Quayle clip.  Loved seeing original version Murphy!

[Eureka]

It may be an unpopular opinion, but I am finding the Pat character very tiresome. We get it, anyone in his generation gets the tech stuff and older people don't. I feel like he's a broken record. (See now I am dating myself, lol, but I am Gen X, we had record players!)

[babs j.]

I loved last night's episode.  We've all seen the news cover a story even though there's nothing to report - usually an election or the weather.  I live in an area that usually doesn't get much - and sometimes no - snow but all the weather and news people are on red alert because of the possibility of snow.  There was absolutely no reason to broadcast for seven hours when there would be no actual vote totals until they were off the air..

[Ria]

20 minutes ago, babs j. said:

I loved last night's episode.  We've all seen the news cover a story even though there's nothing to report - usually an election or the weather.  I live in an area that usually doesn't get much - and sometimes no - snow but all the weather and news people are on red alert because of the possibility of snow.  There was absolutely no reason to broadcast for seven hours when there would be no actual vote totals until they were off the air..

Don’t most shows have a variety of guests on to offer opinions and analysis? They don’t have the anchors talking for hours. They could have had Murphy mix it up a bit with different guests instead of the three tiredly repeating themselves. 

Loved Avery on the Wolf network. He is a great addition to the cast. 

Pat is becoming too much of a stereotype. 

Overall a very good episode. 

[babs j.]

Another stupid thing is the"experts" rating the NBA and NFL drafts right after they happen.  Some of those opinions can be really good for a laugh four years later.  But now it's expected.

[andipandi]

Pat could have found a more comfortable and stylish suit without looking like a circus clown/club kid.

[eel2178]

17 hours ago, Sarah 103 said:

Miguel's parents as well as Miguel are undocumented immigrants. It is difficult for undocumented immigrants to become full citizens. 

However, are we really supposed to believe that people don't know DACA recipients aren't eligible to vote? That seems pretty naïve.

[izabella]

1 minute ago, eel2178 said:

However, are we really supposed to believe that people don't know DACA recipients aren't eligible to vote? That seems pretty naïve.

There are lots and lots of people who don't know that DACA recipients can neither vote nor can they apply for citizenship - ever.  They also don't know that legal resident immigrants who are not citizens cannot vote.  They are many who don't know that illegal immigrants cannot vote, nor is there any path to legal residency or citizenship for them, either.  Which is why they often ask, "they've been in this country for years, why didn't they bother to become citizens?" and don't know the answer is "they can't."

[Kohola3]

8 minutes ago, izabella said:

There are lots and lots of people who don't know that DACA recipients can neither vote nor can they apply for citizenship - ever.  They also don't know that legal resident immigrants who are not citizens cannot vote.  They are many who don't know that illegal immigrants cannot vote, nor is there any path to legal residency or citizenship for them, either.  Which is why they often ask, "they've been in this country for years, why didn't they bother to become citizens?" and don't know the answer is "they can't."

I'd wager that there are a majority of citizens haven't heard about The Dreamers until very recently.  And a majority of people seem to believe that undocumented aliens can walk into this country and sign up for all kinds of welfare.  They can't.  Even legal immigrants who are not yet citizens are denied most assistance. 

Which is why the fear mongering surrounding immigrants is so absurd.

[eel2178]

37 minutes ago, izabella said:

There are lots and lots of people who don't know that DACA recipients can neither vote nor can they apply for citizenship - ever.  They also don't know that legal resident immigrants who are not citizens cannot vote.  They are many who don't know that illegal immigrants cannot vote, nor is there any path to legal residency or citizenship for them, either.  Which is why they often ask, "they've been in this country for years, why didn't they bother to become citizens?" and don't know the answer is "they can't."

I learned in my high school Political Science class (1978) that you have to be a US Citizen to vote. What are we teaching our kids these days?

[Callaphera]

1 hour ago, eel2178 said:

However, are we really supposed to believe that people don't know DACA recipients aren't eligible to vote? That seems pretty naïve.

I didn't know that until I saw the episode.

In my defense, I'm not American but I love me some snarky shows about American politics and while I'm not the target audience for Murphy Brown (because not American), I Learned Something New last night.