S11.E11: The Wheels on the Dog go Round and Round

[The Crazed Spruce]

Quote

Corky guilts Murphy into adopting a dog; Avery's show is moved to a better time slot; Phyllis and Miguel get a surprise visit from an intimidating health inspector.

[CatsAndMoreCats]

Re: the last 45 seconds of this segment.  Somebody FINALLY said it.  Thank you, Diane English!!!!!

Edited December 7, 2018 by CatsAndMoreCats

[Spartan Girl]

"This is Avery Brown signing off, and I'm taking my soul with me." MIC DROP.

I love Benny the dog.

[AntiBeeSpray]

So proud of this show. Murphy, Avery and everyone killed it tonight. So, so good. 

[Annber03]

Just now, Spartan Girl said:

"This is Avery Brown signing off, and I'm taking my soul with me." MIC DROP.

That was great. LOL at that one teacher trying to stand up while stuck in the desk, too :p. 

Quote

I love Benny the dog.

I love him, too :D. And I loved Avery bonding with him. 

Also nice to get a bit of follow-up with Miguel talking to his parents. 

[madfortv]

The show was really good tonight. I don't know when I last laughed so much as I did during this episode. Hoping Benny will be a regular. 

[Snow Apple]

Cutest dog ever. Is there some real life story about him?

I never liked what we saw happening to Avery at Wolf so that was awesome.

[Bronzedog]

Loved that Avery was so happy to get a dog and really didn’t react to the dog’s condition.

[Kohola3]

3 minutes ago, Bronzedog said:

Loved that Avery was so happy to get a dog and really didn’t react to the dog’s condition.

He acted like an eight year old finally getting his wished fulfilled. Such a nice moment.  And, as a adopter, not a shopper (for many dogs), it was a nice story for this close to a holiday.

Shelter dogs make GREAT gifts!

[stonehaven]

Loved this episode..and I love that my mom calls me up not ten seconds after it's over to tell me how much she loves it too.Lots of goodness in this episode...Avery's speech makes me wonder if someday I'll see Shepard Smith do the same thing at FOX News.

[aemom]

40 minutes ago, Snow Apple said:

Cutest dog ever. Is there some real life story about him?

There is!

https://ew.com/tv/2018/11/19/murphy-brown-adds-dog-cast/

http://www.ohmidog.com/2018/11/21/disabled-dog-joins-cast-of-murphy-brown/

Edited December 7, 2018 by AEMom
Found more info

[GHScorpiosRule]

This was GREAT!!!! I love Ben-Hur Benny Brown!!! Avery was SO ADORABLE in his excitement at learning they got a dog! And I loved how Mama Bear Murphy became when she learned what the “E” was for on the cages.

And now I’m worried about next week as it

looks like Avery is leaving!😭😭😭😭😭

OH SNAP! at Avery’s closing and final remarks with the mic drop!

[UYI]

Welcome to the family, Benny Brown!

I'm so happy he's going to be in next week's episode. I remember when the Arnolds got Buster on The Wonder Years--he not only appeared in just a few more episodes, when he wasn't in one, it was like he didn't even EXIST. 

That editorial had to be a swipe at Sinclair Broadcast Group forcing their local affiliates to have their anchors read an particular editorial that is identical in each and every city (and unlike FOX News, you're dealing with local newscasts, not every affiliate is a FOX affiliate,  AND they don't have TV stations in every market*, so unless you look the list up, you won't know which ones they own--it's more dangerous that way, really). 

*My market does--WJLA-TV, the ABC affiliate in Washington, DC, is a Sinclair-owned affiliate. I think their biggest affiliates are that and WBFF-TV, the FOX affiliate in nearby Baltimore. 

And in the end, Avery proved, once and for all, that he is still Murphy Brown's son. 

Edited December 7, 2018 by UYI

[Annber03]

15 minutes ago, stonehaven said:

Avery's speech makes me wonder if someday I'll see Shepard Smith do the same thing at FOX News.

I was wondering that very thing, too! 

9 minutes ago, AEMom said:

There is!

https://ew.com/tv/2018/11/19/murphy-brown-adds-dog-cast/

http://www.ohmidog.com/2018/11/21/disabled-dog-joins-cast-of-murphy-brown/

Aw, that's so cool :). So sad to hear about what led to him being disabled-poor little guy-but I'm glad they were able to save him like this. 

[GHScorpiosRule]

8 minutes ago, UYI said:

*My market does--WJLA-TV, the ABC affiliate in Washington, DC, is a Sinclair-owned affiliate. I think their biggest affiliates are that and WBFF-TV, the FOX affiliate in nearby Baltimore. 

SHUT UP! That’s my local affiliate! How did I NOT know they were Sinclair owned?🤯😳😳 I didn’t recognize anyone when John Oliver aired all the affiliates spouting that bullshit like that old shampoo commercial “x told some friends and so on and so on...” I’m blanking on the shampoo-Silkence??

Edited December 7, 2018 by GHScorpiosRule

[UYI]

8 minutes ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

SHUT UP! That’s my local affiliate! How did I NOT know they were Sinclair owned?🤯😳😳 I didn’t recognize anyone when John Oliver aired all the affiliates spouting that bullshit like that old shampoo commercial “x told some friends and so on and so on...” I’m blanking on the shampoo-Silkence??

 

They bought it in 2014, and there was, understandably, a LOT of blowback from the news staff. Being in DC, though,  I wonder if it's harder for them to pull their bullshit in a way that Sinclair might get away with it in a much smaller market. 

Edited December 7, 2018 by UYI

[AntiBeeSpray]

22 minutes ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

This was GREAT!!!! I love Ben-Hur Benny Brown!!! Avery was SO ADORABLE in his excitement at learning they got a dog! And I loved how Mama Bear Murphy became when she learned what the “E” was for on the cages.

And now I’m worried about next week as it

  Hide contents

looks like Avery is leaving!😭😭😭😭😭

 

OH SNAP! at Avery’s closing and final remarks with the mic drop!

Definitely. :)

 

Spoiler

Word. But we never know with this show if that's going to be the case. It could be how they're framing things.

 

Really liked his closing and the mic drop there.

[GHScorpiosRule]

31 minutes ago, UYI said:

They bought it in 2014, and there was, understandably, a LOT of blowback from the news staff. Being in DC, though,  I wonder if it's harder for them to pull their bullshit. 

I can’t imagine Maureen Bunyan putting up with/tolerating or spouting their bullshit. Or Gordon Peterson-But he retired.

Edited December 7, 2018 by GHScorpiosRule

[UYI]

1 minute ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

I can’t imagine Maureen Bunyan spouting their bullshit. Or Gordon Peterson-But he retired.

Here's an article from the Washington Post about their ownership:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/heres-what-happened-the-last-time-sinclair-bought-a-big-city-station/2017/05/08/92433126-33f7-11e7-b4ee-434b6d506b37_story.html?utm_term=.7f5253dca7ef

If this show weren't on a rival network, I could see them poking this bear even more, if Diane English or anyone on the crew even knows there's a Sinclair-owned station in the very city where the show takes place. 

[aemom]

The name of this episode is The Wheels on the Dog Go Round and Round.

I still remember when Avery was a baby that Murphy attended some kind of Mommy and Me class and they sang Wheels on the Bus. She hated going there. I remember learning that this was a famous children's song, and I had never heard it in my life. I did eventually learn it, and then sang it with my kids when I had them. I was so surprised that there was a children's song out there so famous that I didn't know, that the episode stuck with me.

Now this episode where Avery finally gets a dog is The Wheels on the Dog Go Round and Round. I'm sure that's not a coincidence with the naming. That's some good continuity. 

[Gemma Violet]

I loved this episode.  Benny is cute as a button, and I'm so proud of Avery for leaving the Wolf network.

[Bastet]

ZOMG, the combination of Avery’s mic drop and Murphy telling their adorable new disabled dog Avery is going to need support when he gets back, so don’t crap in his room, is adorable.  A total dolt when it comes to having pets deciding to get one anyway does not generally go well for me on TV, but this one works – if nothing else, the dog will have Avery.  But it's not even only reliance on the back-up, go figure; Murphy seems to be a good doggy mom (which may be necessary come next week).  “Two American heroes under one roof, and their mascot, 256.”  I love the Browns, mom, kid, and pet!

[Tanichka]

The dog is adorable.  He could give the humans acting lessons.  🐶. The Wolf(🦊) scenario - didn’t get it, way too much subtlety 🙄🙄🙄🙄

[CatsAndMoreCats]

7 hours ago, Bastet said:

ZOMG, the combination of Avery’s mic drop and Murphy telling their adorable new disabled dog Avery is going to need support when he gets back, so don’t crap in his room, is adorable.  A total dolt when it comes to having pets deciding to get one anyway does not generally go well for me on TV, but this one works – if nothing else, the dog will have Avery.  But it's not even only reliance on the back-up, go figure; Murphy seems to be a good doggy mom (which may be necessary come next week).  “Two American heroes under one roof, and their mascot, 256.”  I love the Browns, mom, kid, and pet!

Murphy was a reluctant mother, both with Avery and with Benny.  But look how magnificently Avery turned out!  And the way she was interacting with Benny in that very last scene?  Murphy is a natural mom.  Whether she wants to admit it or not. :o)

I think many of us ARE Avery and his mic drop this morning.

[Ria]

Avery and the dog are adorable. We need a service chair! We have to move! And Murphy cuddling on the sofa with him now has someone to talk instead of talking at the TV screen. The three of them make a cozy lovely family I hope we get to see more of. 

[rubaco]

12 hours ago, Bronzedog said:

Loved that Avery was so happy to get a dog and really didn’t react to the dog’s condition.

"We need a stair chair! And more yard! We have to move!" He was adorable.

But my favorite part of the episode was Murphy explaining the elevator to the dog ("It's called an elevator. You get on, you get off."). I totally explain things like that to my own dogs ("We're going to stop for gas because the car needs gas in order to go") and I've always figured it's weird. But hey, Murphy Brown does it, so that makes it cool.

[Nazboo]

26 minutes ago, rubaco said:

"We need a stair chair! And more yard! We have to move!" He was adorable.

But my favorite part of the episode was Murphy explaining the elevator to the dog ("It's called an elevator. You get on, you get off."). I totally explain things like that to my own dogs ("We're going to stop for gas because the car needs gas in order to go") and I've always figured it's weird. But hey, Murphy Brown does it, so that makes it cool.

Yep, I explain things to my dog and ask for his opinion on things all the time. I also loved how Avery immediately had his "dog voice," every dog owner I know has a different and sometimes weird variation of their voice that they exclusively use with their or other people's dogs. He was so excited and it was adorable.

I thought it was cute too how they had Avery and Frank's reactions be exactly the same when learning that Murphy was at an animals shelter.

[Good Queen Jane]

My attitude toward dogs is similar to Murphy's but Benny is such a cute animal. And I enjoyed the various names that Murphy and Avery came up with for him. My favorite was FDR.

[treeofdreams]

5 minutes ago, Good Queen Jane said:

My attitude toward dogs is similar to Murphy's but Benny is such a cute animal. And I enjoyed the various names that Murphy and Avery came up with for him. My favorite was FDR.

Nice call-back to when Murphy had Avery and took a while to name him, coming up with a series of different names until naming him Avery after her mother was the perfect one.

[gesundheit]

Holy crapola that's the cutest flippin' dog I have ever seen. You know what, I was about to give up on this show but saw the pup in the commercial and was like "okay one more episode" but now I'm seeing that Benny will be a regular cast member? My position has 100% reversed. RENEWAL! RENEWAL! RENEWAL! (But only if actor Ari sticks around.) Emmy for Ari!

[Empress1]

"It was real to me" was EXCELLENT line delivery. And Murphy springing into action when she learned that E was for euthanasia was gold. "What kind of death factory are you running here?"

24 minutes ago, treeofdreams said:

Nice call-back to when Murphy had Avery and took a while to name him, coming up with a series of different names until naming him Avery after her mother was the perfect one.

I remember that! "Desmond Tutu Brown" is the name that sticks out in my mind. 

2 hours ago, rubaco said:

"We need a stair chair! And more yard! We have to move!" He was adorable.

He was so cute. "I love him!" in a Cookie Monster voice. "Come on, I want to show you my room!" My best friend has a French bulldog (Benny is a French bulldog/terrier mix) and he is a total sweetheart!

4 hours ago, CatsAndMoreCats said:

Murphy was a reluctant mother, both with Avery and with Benny.  But look how magnificently Avery turned out!  And the way she was interacting with Benny in that very last scene?  Murphy is a natural mom.  Whether she wants to admit it or not. :o)

There are lots of different kinds of ways to interact with kids (and animals!). Murphy wasn't the crunchy, baby talking, make all the baby food from scratch mom (I cannot STAND baby talk so I'm with her there) but she very clearly built a very loving home for Avery. 

[willowk]

Avery is by far my favorite character of the reboot. Loved Murphy's rant at the shelter, was reminiscent of her old charging style. If there is a season 2 wonder if Avery will work with Murphy and the gang. Or maybe they should have him start his own website with podcasts etc. Its very common way people try to work their way up (or back in).  2 more episodes to go. Somehow I am more connected to the show this time around. Maybe its just my age. But I'll be sad when the credits roll on episode 13.

[illdoc]

Anyone catch who played the health inspector? I kept thinking it was Peter Scolari, but then something would make me think not.

[iMonrey]

Quote

re: the last 45 seconds of this segment.  Somebody FINALLY said it.  Thank you, Diane English!!!!!

What did they say?

Quote

Anyone catch who played the health inspector? I kept thinking it was Peter Scolari, but then something would make me think not.

Yup, that was Peter Scolari. I haven't seen him in anything since the 90s, I think. I wondered whatever became of him. 

I found about half of this episode a warm throwback to the original show - the part with the animal shelter and Murphy adopting a disabled dog. That felt very much like the sort of material they used to write when they weren't doing something topical. With this reboot, it feels like every story is something topical and/or political. So Avery's story didn't sit well with me because it felt very contrived and derivative. They ought to do more episodes with stories that aren't about politics or current events.

Yes, I know the original show was very political but it feels much more incessant now. 

[gesundheit]

That was definitely Peter Scolari!

[stonehaven]

The title also reminded me of a scene from the original where Murphy tried singing to Avery "The Wheels on the bus go round and round"...and instead sang "The Watergate shredders go..."....

[GHScorpiosRule]

2 hours ago, Empress1 said:

And Murphy springing into action when she learned that E was for euthanasia was gold. "What kind of death factory are you running here?"

And SO Murphy!

[Sarah 103]

17 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

He acted like an eight year old finally getting his wished fulfilled. Such a nice moment.  And, as a adopter, not a shopper (for many dogs), it was a nice story for this close to a holiday.

Shelter dogs make GREAT gifts!

I'm all for adopt don't shop, but getting a dog is a major commitment. For someone who has fully thought through what getting a dog means in terms of money, time and other things I think adoption is fantastic. Murphy deciding to get a dog on the spur of the moment didn't sit well with me. I get that it's TV but I think it sends the wrong message. A dog isn't a present that you can get bored with and then ignore (that's how so many end up in shelters to begin with). That beind said, I will now change tone completely. 

6 hours ago, Ria said:

Avery and the dog are adorable. We need a service chair! We have to move! 

Avery turned into a little kid and I loved it. I was expecting him to try to build a ramp so the dog could go upstairs. 

2 hours ago, willowk said:

If there is a season 2 wonder if Avery will work with Murphy and the gang. Or maybe they should have him start his own website with podcasts etc. Its very common way people try to work their way up (or back in).  2 more episodes to go. Somehow I am more connected to the show this time around. Maybe its just my age. But I'll be sad when the credits roll on episode 13.

My guess is that if we get a season 2 (and I really, really, really want there to be a season 2) Avery will have a job. I don't see him on "Murphy in the Morning" but I could see him getting his own show on CNC, on whatever the version of MSNBC is, or something that's online only. If it is online only, he would be paid for it. Maybe it's a start-up that one of his friends from college is running, and Avery is one of the few people getting paid (almost everyone else is younger and "getting valuable experience"). 

Avery is his mother's son. I loved the mic drop. I guess this is end of the Avery at Wolf. I'm sorry we never got to see him actually fight with the executives at Wolf. We heard all about it, but it would have been nice to see at least once.    

[Anela]

Aw, they got a shelter dog!! I've just adopted another one, too - and he's so sweet, such a good dog. Our pound keeps filling up, and the people who run it try their hardest to not put any dog to sleep, but occasionally it's necessary. It's been so bad over the past month. I wish that I could have brought more home. 

Love 256/Benny, and Avery's excitement over getting him, as well as Murphy sitting there on the couch with him. Just... really nice, and good to see around the holidays, instead of someone buying a puppy. It seems like a  lot of people have been buying puppies lately - including two friends of mine - and although I love them, too, my heart hurts knowing of so many that are homeless. One of my rescue dogs, the one we lost in September, was malnourished when we got him, and shut down emotionally. The volunteers at our pound got through to him, brought him out of it, and he was the best dog. 

I thought I saw something about Murphy Brown being nominated for a Golden Globe. Would they cancel something that's nominated for an award?

[mammaM]

.

3 hours ago, Empress1 said:

 

I remember that! "Desmond Tutu Brown" is the name that sticks out in my mind. 

 

I also remember that episode. The bit I remember is Jim telling Murphy she could name the baby after him, and Murphy replying along the lines of, "Jim I love you but I can't name my son James Brown it's too much to live up to" ;)

[iMonrey]

Quote

I thought I saw something about Murphy Brown being nominated for a Golden Globe. Would they cancel something that's nominated for an award?

Yup. And it was Candice Bergen who was nominated. The show itself was not.

[dargosmydaddy]

I would think that realistically Wolf would cut away to commercials very shortly after Avery started going off script, but I'm glad they didn't and that Murphy (and everyone else) got to actually see it.

Echoing everyone else's sentiments about the cute dog and Avery's cute reaction!

[Tanichka]

2 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I found about half of this episode a warm throwback to the original show - the part with the animal shelter and Murphy adopting a disabled dog. That felt very much like the sort of material they used to write when they weren't doing something topical. With this reboot, it feels like every story is something topical and/or political. So Avery's story didn't sit well with me because it felt very contrived and derivative. They ought to do more episodes with stories that aren't about politics or current events.

Yes, I know the original show was very political but it feels much more incessant now. 

I feel that this is the problem with this show.

[BW Manilowe]

From ET Online: (VIDEO) ‘Murphy Brown’ Bloopers! Candice Bergen and Jake McDorman’s Dog Co-Star Steals the Show

[friendperidot]

I think I have to go to CBS online and watch this episode again, shoot, I may just watch all the episodes again.

[mojito]

Quote

Yes, I know the original show was very political but it feels much more incessant now. 

I thought they sort of acknowledged that in the first segment when Murphy snuck  in that crack about Trump as the show was closing and the others just seemed to look at her tiredly.

Was FYI more of a news magazine show (with occasional fluff pieces) while this one is more of a news show?

Delayed, but hearty chuckle from me came with "FDR". Sometimes jokes are funnier when you don't get them for the first couple of seconds.

[eel2178]

6 hours ago, Empress1 said:

I remember that! "Desmond Tutu Brown" is the name that sticks out in my mind. 

The one I remember is, "Jacque Cousteau Brown...the night we ate fish."

[BW Manilowe]

28 minutes ago, mojito said:

I thought they sort of acknowledged that in the first segment when Murphy snuck  in that crack about Trump as the show was closing and the others just seemed to look at her tiredly.

Was FYI more of a news magazine show (with occasional fluff pieces) while this one is more of a news show?

Delayed, but hearty chuckle from me came with "FDR". Sometimes jokes are funnier when you don't get them for the first couple of seconds.

As I remember, FYI was more of a newsmagazine (20/20, Dateline, maybe 60 Minutes) type show than a straight news show. Murphy, Jim (if he did more than anchor), & Frank handled the “harder” news stories while Corky (who wasn’t thought to have had as much legitimate “news reporting cred” as the rest of the anchors given her status as a former Miss America—at least not in the original version of the show) handled the “fluff” type pieces.

I’d buy that Murphy in the Morning is probably supposed to be more along the lines of at least CNN’s early morning news show in the 7-9AM Eastern timeslot (I forget what it’s called), but I’m not sure how it compares to either Fox’s Fox & Friends (which I think Avery’s competing Wolf Network morning show is/was supposed to be like), or MSNBC’s Morning Joe.

[ombelico]

4 hours ago, stonehaven said:

The title also reminded me of a scene from the original where Murphy tried singing to Avery "The Wheels on the bus go round and round"...and instead sang "The Watergate shredders go..."....

Ah yes, that was part of the treasured children's nursery song, "The Watergate Burglars Came to Town."

"The security guard found an unlocked door, unlocked door, unlocked door, the security guard found an unlocked door and called in the police." (Why can I remember random stuff like this but not important stuff?)

3 hours ago, dargosmydaddy said:

I would think that realistically Wolf would cut away to commercials very shortly after Avery started going off script, but I'm glad they didn't and that Murphy (and everyone else) got to actually see it.

Echoing everyone else's sentiments about the cute dog and Avery's cute reaction!

I really thought they were going to show that Wolf had cut away as soon as Avery went off script, so I was glad that they showed Murphy watching to show that it actually aired.

Avery's reaction to the dog was just priceless. So adorable (both him and the dog).

[babyhouseman]

I'm not much of a dog person, but that dog was cute. 

Murphy: What if his tire blows out?

Miles: He can call roadside assistance.