S11.E09: Thanksgiving and Taking

[The Crazed Spruce]

Quote

Murphy's reluctant Thanksgiving dinner guests fear the worst.

[Annber03]

Damn. That ending. 

Amen, Murphy Brown. Just...amen. Perfectly stated. 

[UYI]

Holy. Shit.

It started out so funny, only to take such a sharp turn and never look back. This is going to take some time to process, for real. 

Edited November 23, 2018 by UYI

[friendperidot]

I was in tears.

[greekmom]

All the feels episode.  My allergies started to act up.

Damn it Murphy, you could have gotten a turkey and all the trimmings from Whole Foods for the same price I bet!

[GHScorpiosRule]

21 hours ago, Annber03 said:

Damn. That ending. 

Amen, Murphy Brown. Just...amen. Perfectly stated. 

I know! I really wasn’t expecting that turn or how it ended.

And if anything annoyed me, it was Pat’s obnoxiousness at Murphy’s. 

I know I shouldn’t compare, but dammit. Murphy lives in DC, and I find it difficult to believe anyone would call about the food truck.  But creative license and all that, I guess.

I still love the show, though.

But I did love Phyllis’s “Former member of the NYPD here,” 😄😆

Edited November 24, 2018 by GHScorpiosRule

[greekmom]

1 minute ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

I know I shouldn’t compare, but dammit. Murphy lives in DC, and I find it difficult to believe anyone would call about the food truck.  But creative license and all that, I guess.

Exactly!!! They are lined up all along the streets taking up excellent parking space for people who want to go visit the Smithsonians!

[AntiBeeSpray]

13 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

Damn. That ending. 

Amen, Murphy Brown. Just...amen. Perfectly stated. 

Word. So well done.

Really liked the whole ep. Covered all emotions and was very well acted.

[Snow Apple]

We should have seen it coming when they talked about them being undocumented. But the beginning was so funny that we didn't see it and it was like a punch in the gut. It only took one second to take me from laughing at Murphy's disastrous dinner to chills at the knock on the door and then the announcement of who it was. 

Damn is the word for it.

Edited November 23, 2018 by Snow Apple

[Irlandesa]

In spite of the heavy ending, this was the funniest episode I felt. 

And the funniest line for me took place during the scariest part of the episode with the immigration agents.

Immigration Agent:  You don't look like you're from here.  Where were you born.
Pat:  Ohio.
Agent:  If I were to say "The Buckeye State."  What state would I be talking about?
Pat: Ohio.

Edited November 23, 2018 by Irlandesa

[Annber03]

Just now, Irlandesa said:

In spite of the heavy ending, this was the funniest episode I felt. 

I also loved all the guys' reactions upon realizing that wasn't a severed thumb they were looking at during that news story :p. 

[ams1001]

So Pat's vegan diet is nothing but various forms of fake meat?

Just now, Annber03 said:

I also loved all the guys' reactions upon realizing that wasn't a severed thumb they were looking at during that news story :p. 

Miguel's dad hugging him in the background was the best.

[Snow Apple]

I liked the turkey hotline guy even though they would never say that in real life. 

Also when Murphy pulled out the instruction manual from the oven.

[theredhead77]

So glad this episode aired tonight and I hope it was a calculated choice with families watching together. I hope it starts conversations about the very real people impacted by this very real issue.

I was straight up crying by the end, wondering why Murphy didn't out herself. I hope they follow up on it later.

 

Edit: I also liked that Avery stared documenting and there was no 'network battle'. Just film, deal with the distribution later. 

Edited November 23, 2018 by theredhead77

[aemom]

9 minutes ago, Snow Apple said:

Also when Murphy pulled out the instruction manual from the oven.

I wonder how long she's actually had that oven?

[friendperidot]

Quote

Edit: I also liked that Avery stared documenting and there was no 'network battle'. Just film, deal with the distribution later. 

And that so showed that Avery is Murphy's son and a true newsman. In most of the jobs I've had, documentation is everything. And in today's world, recording is a must. What I was taught in ancient days, "if it isn't written down, it didn't happen." Now, there's an adjustment to that, "if it isn't videoed, it didn't happen." Well, except in the medical and psych field, patient privacy and HIPPA and all that. 

Quote

I wonder how long she's actually had that oven?

Probably, years, Murphy has a long history of not being a cook. 

[Callaphera]

Wow. Like everyone else, I wasn't expecting that sudden swerve from funny to heartbreaking - talk about emotional whiplash - but that hit me hard. 

One little nitpick: the jaunty credits music at the end after the fade to black? Could have done without that suddenly popping up after such an emotional, heavy moment. 

[aemom]

I was curious if a turkey hotline even exists and Butterball has one!

Their schedule is on the bottom.

https://www.butterball.com/about-us/turkey-talk-line

[Kohola3]

1 minute ago, AEMom said:

I was curious if a turkey hotline even exists and Butterball has one!

 

The Butterball hotline was featured on a Thanksgiving episode of The West Wing.  It's been around forever.

Heartbreaking episode.

[Tanichka]

A very special “Murphy Brown”.  Just in case we don’t grasp the gravity of their situations, we have a third rate sitcom to beat us over the head with it.  Preachy, heavy-handed, and no laughs.    😝☹️😝☹️😝☹️😝☹️😝☹️😝☹️😝☹️

Edited November 23, 2018 by Tanichka

[Ria]

Solid episode. I really liked Miguel’s mom. Murphy in the kitchen couldn’t help but be funny. Like most, I wasn’t expecting the sudden turn from funny to moving. 

Weak spot was Pat. The “Ohio”lines were both funny and spot on. But up to them he was just obnoxious. Why didn’t he just spend the day with his Vegan millennial friends instead of being a rude drip at the party? 

[aemom]

1 hour ago, Kohola3 said:

The Butterball hotline was featured on a Thanksgiving episode of The West Wing.  It's been around forever.

Heartbreaking episode.

We don't have the hotline in Canada  :-(

14 minutes ago, Ria said:

Weak spot was Pat. The “Ohio”lines were both funny and spot on. But up to them he was just obnoxious. Why didn’t he just spend the day with his Vegan millennial friends instead of being a rude drip at the party? 

Murphy forced him and everyone else to come.

[Empress1]

10 hours ago, Snow Apple said:

We should have seen it coming when they talked about them being undocumented. But the beginning was so funny that we didn't see it and it was like a punch in the gut. It only took one second to take me from laughing at Murphy's disastrous dinner to chills at the knock on the door and then the announcement of who it was. 

That's what it was. I was laughing at the beginning - how they were all so loath to eat Murphy's $350 turkey because they know she can't cook, the fact that she kept talking about how it cost $350 (her delivery on "three hundred and fifty dollars" was great), Phyllis being on strike. And I love the relationship Avery has with Murphy's friends. I absolutely buy that they were his aunts and uncles as he was growing up. And when they got in the truck I thought, well, hilarity is going to ensue! The oven in the truck is too small! They'll be eating food truck food and Murphy will say something about her $350 turkey going to waste! ... Wait, what's happening?

Phyllis saying she'd take care of Miguel, that he'd always have a roof over his head as long as she was around, made me tear up. And his parents were so stoic, saying they always knew the day might come and they'd set money aside and he needed to keep working hard and achieve his goals. It was heartbreaking.

(My vegan friend doesn't eat soy substitutes on Thanksgiving - tofurkey is disgusting. She eats lots of sides.)

[theredhead77]

9 hours ago, friendperidot said:

And that so showed that Avery is Murphy's son and a true newsman.

Word.
I really hope they come back to it with blow back from the Wolf network (because we all know they'll find a way to spin what happened to be 'a good thing').

In the beginning I wasn't thrilled when Avery was the "token liberal" on a conservative network but as the show has gone on I appreciate what they are doing with his story.

[MrPissyPuppy]

1 hour ago, Ria said:

Solid episode. I really liked Miguel’s mom.

She was played by Selenis Leyva who is probably most familiar as Gloria Mendoza on Orange is the New Black.   

[babs j.]

I was thinking it was a so-so episode with some good lines until the end.  I was, as they say, gobsmacked.

[GHScorpiosRule]

2 hours ago, AEMom said:

 

Murphy forced him and everyone else to come.

She demanded he show up. I didn’t see anyone hold a gun or threaten him with losing his job if he didn’t come. That said, once he did, there wasn’t any need for him to act like an asshole.

Murphy had me crying when she teared up. And I just love Avery more and more. I know I keep saying this, but Murphy and Avery’s relationship is the BEST thing about this show. And I 😆😆 when Frank said it was his fault they all had to suffer, because Murphy was going all out to cook a turkey because she loved him and wanted to do it for him. And the nuts from Southwest Airlines!😂😂🤣🤣🤣

[theredhead77]

Did they ever say why the turkey cost so much? Sure, she has $350 to spend on a turkey but why?! Especially around Thanksgiving when they are all but free at the store.

[GHScorpiosRule]

3 minutes ago, theredhead77 said:

Did they ever say why the turkey cost so much? Sure, she has $350 to spend on a turkey but why?! Especially around Thanksgiving when they are all but free at the store.

Something about where it was raised and fed? Heritage something? I don’t think they actually said why she would spend so much on a turkey. It’s too bad Antenna has a marathon of Growing Pains airing until Monday. I was hoping to see a reairing of the Thanksgiving episode from early season-where Miles brought LIVE turkeys to the shelter! 🤣😂😆😆 

[nilyank]

That was the best acting that Candice has done in years. It was gut-wrenching.

Edited November 25, 2018 by nilyank

[iMonrey]

Quote

Edit: I also liked that Avery stared documenting and there was no 'network battle'. Just film, deal with the distribution later. 

I don't imagine the "Wolf" network would have been interested in airing the footage. 

I laughed at a lot of this but honestly, the writing on this show is clunky. For example, it was a great visual gag when Murphy pulled the instruction booklet (still packaged) out of the oven, but apparently the writers didn't think we were smart enough to know what it was so she had to read out loud "congratulations on your new oven." That was overkill and sort of ruined the joke. Then there was the bit where Frank and Corky were trying to sneak past Murphy onto the elevator. Corky had a great line then slunked over to where Miles and Frank were standing and it looked so staged and fake, like a high-school play. Ouch.

As much as I got a kick out of the whole "Murphy can't cook" gag, let's face it - this trope has been used about 1,000 times on TV. Who the hell doesn't know turkey has to cook for hours? Is she from another planet? Even people who have never cooked know that, assuming they have experienced Thanksgiving at some point in their lives. 

[AntiBeeSpray]

4 minutes ago, nilyank said:

That was the best acting that Candence has done in years. It was gut-wrenching.

I don't think it was just acting. It seemed pretty real, emotion wise.

[Bastet]

3 hours ago, iMonrey said:

For example, it was a great visual gag when Murphy pulled the instruction booklet (still packaged) out of the oven, but apparently the writers didn't think we were smart enough to know what it was so she had to read out loud "congratulations on your new oven." That was overkill and sort of ruined the joke.

I agree they should have let the visual stand on its own, but Bergen's line delivery saved it for me.

My mom grumbled, "No one is that dumb" when Murphy asked how long her giant turkey had to cook just as the doorbell rang, but on a sitcom, I go with it.  Especially since Murphy's complete ineptitude in the kitchen is a long-running gag.

I liked this one a lot.  Phyllis continually instructing Avery to refill her wine was terrific, as was, "Why would an angry wife chop off her husband's finger?" to clue the guys in on what they were looking at.  And you know I loved, "As a former New York City cop …"  And then, of course, her assuring Miguel's parents she'd take care of him.

Miguel's mom emerging from the kitchen, saying she'd done all she could and it was in God's hands, was just mildly funny, but when the lights went out and she declared, "The Lord has spoken," I laughed out loud.

It was nice hearing Avery say something like "the whole family is here" when he walked in. 

I'm less irritated by Pat bringing his own food than I'd normally be because Murphy responded to vegan by saying, "That's the green stuff, right - I'm sure we'll have some of that," so he wasn't completely out there thinking he'd have absolutely nothing to eat, but still.  Either decline the invitation and go somewhere serving your kind of Thanksgiving meal, or go and accept that you might be having the side salad for dinner and then stopping off for food on the way home.  But, like the "what, a turkey the size of my oven takes a while to cook?" thing, I just have to roll with it on a sitcom.  It was worth it to have him there for the "Ohio" stuff with the ICE agent.

I like that they lulled the audience into thinking this was an episode just about wacky Thanksgiving hijinks, and then threw in the "no, we came back on the air to say something" twist -- especially on a night when some people are watching with people they don't normally watch with.  It probably led to some arguments, and maybe some discussion.

Edited November 23, 2018 by Bastet

[stonehaven]

As someone who never cooks, I was once complimented by the housing inspector on how fantastic my oven looked....I adored that scene with Murphy pulling out the instructions....that hit hard for me....the show was funny and then it wasn't. Even if we only get a few more episodes with this show, I like that they are going all in...a reboot with a purpose....

[iMonrey]

Quote

"Why would an angry wife chop off her husband's finger?" to clue the guys in on what they were looking at.

Which raises the question  . . . what channel were they watching where a severed penis wouldn't be blurred out?

[Ailianna]

15 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

I know I shouldn’t compare, but dammit. Murphy lives in DC, and I find it difficult to believe anyone would call about the food truck.  But creative license and all that, I guess.

 

15 hours ago, greekmom said:

Exactly!!! They are lined up all along the streets taking up excellent parking space for people who want to go visit the Smithsonians!

This is ina swanky residential neighborhood, though, not a tourist area.  I am sure someone would call and complain.  I would think the police would get the call first, but then again, someone may hve made the same assumption the ICE people did and called just assuming there would be people who could be deported in the food truck.

16 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

Which raises the question  . . . what channel were they watching where a severed penis wouldn't be blurred out?

Maybe it was blurred, and that's why they had so much trouble identifying it?

[dargosmydaddy]

It might have been nice if they used the weather as an excuse for why everyone ended up accepting the invitation. I realize they had a show to do Friday morning which might keep them from wanting to travel super far, but you'd still think that Pat (who is only an ancillary member of the group anyhow), Phyllis (who has mentioned having siblings, nieces, nephews, etc.), Frank (who had a million sisters), etc. would have had other invites on Thanksgiving. And snow on Thanksgiving in DC would be beyond rare... I wish they had commented on that rather than just using it as an excuse as to why Miguel's family stayed.

14 hours ago, Snow Apple said:

I liked the turkey hotline guy even though they would never say that in real life. 

Was it just me, or did it sound like the actor from the original run who would show up periodically as various unhelpful people? He was the deli guy who Jim had to teach how to make a sandwich, he was tending bar at one of the award ceremonies and would claim people hadn't ordered...

[Snow Apple]

I was going to say Pat should have brought a vegan dish to contribute but I think Murphy refused Corky's offer to bring something? So that may be why he didn't.

Edited November 23, 2018 by Snow Apple

[buckboard]

Quote

I kept wondering, why --as they sat around starving while waiting for the meal - they didn't have snacks from the food truck as appetizers.  

We had empanadas yesterday before sitting down to a traditional turkey and stuffing meal.

[Pink-n-Green]

18 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

I know I shouldn’t compare, but dammit. Murphy lives in DC, and I find it difficult to believe anyone would call about the food truck.  But creative license and all that, I guess.

Based on the outside of her townhouse, I'd always assumed Murphy lives in Georgetown.  Definitely not a place where a taco truck with or without a cracked tail light would be welcome.  I could definitely imagine an irate homeowner complaining about that to the police.  

 

15 hours ago, friendperidot said:

Now, there's an adjustment to that, "if it isn't videoed, it didn't happen." Well, except in the medical and psych field, patient privacy and HIPPA and all that. 

In the medical field, the rule we live by is, "if it isn't documented, it didn't happen"!

3 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I laughed at a lot of this but honestly, the writing on this show is clunky. 

I love this show, but I agree with what you said about the writing.  I often find myself thinking, "That was funny, but they should have said...".  I also find it annoying how the peripheral characters don't actually interact with other cast members at times.  Reminds me of when my kids were in their school plays in grade school and there was only one microphone so one kid would go up to the microphone and say his line then leave, then another kid would go up to make the reply and leave and so on."  Does that make any sense?  Phyllis does it a lot.

[Pink-n-Green]

2 hours ago, Ailianna said:

 

This is ina swanky residential neighborhood, though, not a tourist area.  I am sure someone would call and complain.  I would think the police would get the call first, but then again, someone may hve made the same assumption the ICE people did and called just assuming there would be people who could be deported in the food truck.

Unless it was some government fuddy duddy who wanted to use his "connections" because only the little people have to rely on the police!

[Wanda]

I’m always curious why people will watch shows they seem to hate so much. Just an observation. Not shows where there’s  there is an off episode you loathe (Roseambo being one of my can’t rewatch eps), but I read the forums for about 10 different shows and there are always people who couch their disappointment with a specific episode by critiquing the lack of quality within the entire production. Especially with a reboot like MURPHY BROWN. Anyone who didn’t understand what they were getting into, especially when the show creator and pretty much the entire original cast all back, should have figured it out before the first episode ended. And simple googling would have explained that this was always a show that wove it’s plots around topical issues. In its initial syndicated runs that was considered a real problem, that the jokes would keep this classic show from being timeless. Not commenting on any individual poster as I’ve seen it in multiple forums. Just curious as this show, and Will & Grace (for another example) are what they’ve always been. 

[CatsAndMoreCats]

10 minutes ago, Wanda said:

I’m always curious why people will watch shows they seem to hate so much. Just an observation. Not shows where there’s  there is an off episode you loathe (Roseambo being one of my can’t rewatch eps), but I read the forums for about 10 different shows and there are always people who couch their disappointment with a specific episode by critiquing the lack of quality within the entire production. Especially with a reboot like MURPHY BROWN. Anyone who didn’t understand what they were getting into, especially when the show creator and pretty much the entire original cast all back, should have figured it out before the first episode ended. And simple googling would have explained that this was always a show that wove it’s plots around topical issues. In its initial syndicated runs that was considered a real problem, that the jokes would keep this classic show from being timeless. Not commenting on any individual poster as I’ve seen it in multiple forums. Just curious as this show, and Will & Grace (for another example) are what they’ve always been. 

Amen.

[Callaphera]

54 minutes ago, Wanda said:

I’m always curious why people will watch shows they seem to hate so much. Just an observation. Not shows where there’s  there is an off episode you loathe (Roseambo being one of my can’t rewatch eps), but I read the forums for about 10 different shows and there are always people who couch their disappointment with a specific episode by critiquing the lack of quality within the entire production. Especially with a reboot like MURPHY BROWN. Anyone who didn’t understand what they were getting into, especially when the show creator and pretty much the entire original cast all back, should have figured it out before the first episode ended. And simple googling would have explained that this was always a show that wove it’s plots around topical issues. In its initial syndicated runs that was considered a real problem, that the jokes would keep this classic show from being timeless. Not commenting on any individual poster as I’ve seen it in multiple forums. Just curious as this show, and Will & Grace (for another example) are what they’ve always been. 

Hate watching is a thing. I don't hate watch this show, however. People have their own reasons for hate watching. Personally, I do it to exercise my snark muscles and because there are still things I can enjoy about shows while still destroying their writing or acting. (The Handmaid's Tale, I'm looking at you.) 

Edited November 24, 2018 by Callaphera

[AdeleDazeem]

2 hours ago, Wanda said:

I’m always curious why people will watch shows they seem to hate so much. Just an observation. Not shows where there’s  there is an off episode you loathe (Roseambo being one of my can’t rewatch eps), but I read the forums for about 10 different shows and there are always people who couch their disappointment with a specific episode by critiquing the lack of quality within the entire production. Especially with a reboot like MURPHY BROWN. Anyone who didn’t understand what they were getting into, especially when the show creator and pretty much the entire original cast all back, should have figured it out before the first episode ended. And simple googling would have explained that this was always a show that wove it’s plots around topical issues. In its initial syndicated runs that was considered a real problem, that the jokes would keep this classic show from being timeless. Not commenting on any individual poster as I’ve seen it in multiple forums. Just curious as this show, and Will & Grace (for another example) are what they’ve always been. 

Sometimes, you hope a show will turn a corner and become what you'd hoped it would/could be. You keep watching, waiting, hoping.

Edited to clarify-- I'm talking about the dated and stilted writing and acting, not the plotlines. I know what MB is about. I know what the original was about. I've mentioned before that the current writing, acting and laugh track are cheesy and dated. I was hoping that they'd find their groove and fix these weaknesses. So far, I've been disappointed. 

7 hours ago, dargosmydaddy said:

Was it just me, or did it sound like the actor from the original run who would show up periodically as various unhelpful people? He was the deli guy who Jim had to teach how to make a sandwich, he was tending bar at one of the award ceremonies and would claim people hadn't ordered...

At first, I thought he sounded like Brian Posehn.

Edited November 24, 2018 by AdeleDazeem
Clarification

[AntiBeeSpray]

14 minutes ago, AdeleDazeem said:

Sometimes, you hope a show will turn a corner and become what you'd hoped it would/could be. You keep watching, waiting, hoping.

At first, I thought he sounded like Brian Posehn.

 

 I can relate on the turn a corner thing. It was that with s10 and 11 of the X Files. I kept on hoping and waiting for things to improve and they didn't. In fact, in some ways it got worse. But at least Murphy Brown (in my opinion), is nowhere near that point. There's still some hope there and still a reason for me to care about it.

Edited November 24, 2018 by AntiBeeSpray

[CatsAndMoreCats]

Murphy Brown has always been about sniping at the political regime.  It never pretended to be anything else.  Complaining about Murphy being too political suggests that the viewer doesn't understand the premise of the show.

[Rowsdower]

6 hours ago, buckboard said:

I kept wondering, why --as they sat around starving while waiting for the meal - they didn't have snacks from the food truck as appetizers. 

For the same reason why most of them were present in the first place — Murphy's characteristically indomitable insistence:

"There's a lovely bowl of nuts on the table. They'll tide you over. I don't want anybody ruining their appetite before the three-hundred-and-fifty-dollar turkey comes out."

[Wanda]

1 hour ago, Callaphera said:

Hate watching is a thing. I don't hate watch this show, however. People have their own reasons for hate watching. Personally, I do it to exercise my snark muscles and because there are still things I can enjoy about shows while still destroying their writing or acting. (The Handmaid's Tale, I'm looking at you.) 

Hate watching should give enjoyment lol. There’s not a sense of enjoyment in posts complaining about the quality of Murphy Brown, or how politically whiny it is. My idea of hate watching is season 9 of HIMYM, or ANTM on VH1. Things you watch just for the ability to come here and join in with the forum discussions. Shows that I enjoy having on in the background, not anything that would make me question why a particular show exists.

[ebk57]

6 minutes ago, Wanda said:

Hate watching should give enjoyment lol. There’s not a sense of enjoyment in posts complaining about the quality of Murphy Brown, or how politically whiny it is. My idea of hate watching is season 9 of HIMYM, or ANTM on VH1. Things you watch just for the ability to come here and join in with the forum discussions. Shows that I enjoy having on in the background, not anything that would make me question why a particular show exists.

This!  I've been trying to figure out how to word my response to the "hate watching" post (I hate-watched Smash because it so deserved it!), so thanks for doing it so nicely!!  And thanks for your original post about this, too.