GRChereck January 14, 2019 Share January 14, 2019 Quote Maya is less than thrilled when Kenneth interferes with her business plans with Melanie. Ray begs JJ to cast him opposite his new crush, Izzy, in his next movie, which has unexpected consequences. Meanwhile, Dylan is impressed with Jimmy's band. Link to comment
kathyk24 January 19, 2019 Share January 19, 2019 I loved this episode. I hope JJ and Izzy continue to be a couple. I thought the Dylan and Jimmy plotline was really sweet. I don't understand how Kenneth can claim to be broke yet he has all the free time to spend at the DiMeo's. 3 Link to comment
GRChereck January 19, 2019 Author Share January 19, 2019 (edited) I'm assuming this isn't it for Maya and Melanie's business -- according to the latest ABC/Disney press release (3x13 "F-A-- Fashion 4 A-- All," Feb. 1), they're supposed to take it to an Abilities Expo... Also, I thought Mel and Kenneth made a cute pair, and I hope we see more of them together. :) The growing attraction between JJ and Izzy was sweet to see. I loved her suggestion that he make the leading man less heroic, more "real" -- a guy who's scared to put himself out there but does so anyway. It was kinda neat how those two plots briefly tied together, too, with Ray and JJ advising their mom how to win back Melanie to her side (Ray, of course, suggesting the typical rom-com "don't take no for an answer" approach, while JJ points out the "toxic message" of that trope -- as he says Izzy had pointed out to him). Once again, Jimmy gets saddled with the silliest plot, though it was good to see his band again (including Kyle Gass of Tenacious D) after their little cameo at the end of "L-O-N-- London (Part 2);" I hope this wasn't it for them, either*... And yeah, I kinda cringed when they first took credit for writing the Rolling Stones' "Satisfaction" because Dylan liked their performance so much; but I agree, it was sweet, and actually pretty typical of her relationship with her dad that she didn't really get upset over finding out his band had been playing covers, or that he didn't really learn anything from this experience as long as the stakes were so low (nobody got hurt, no major humiliation or losses). * I was especially excited for this plot because I've been hoping the show would use one of JRB's own songs from his days with the '90s NY pop-punk band Egghead (such as "Jane Airhead" or "Books"). :D Edited January 19, 2019 by GRChereck typo 2 Link to comment
readster January 19, 2019 Share January 19, 2019 12 hours ago, kathyk24 said: I loved this episode. I hope JJ and Izzy continue to be a couple. I thought the Dylan and Jimmy plotline was really sweet. I don't understand how Kenneth can claim to be broke yet he has all the free time to spend at the DiMeo's. They really are trying to paint Kenneth as that guy who: "Ran fast young, but made too many bad decisions and is now poor." They have gone to that well since season 1 and yet, never explained where all his money is going or that he is just bad at budgeting. He isn't making chump change at the grocery story as general manager, he took on as JJ aid to start getting himself together then took the store manager job to as he put it: "Pay the rent and still have a life." Yet, he constantly goes on how he has no money and yet uses all his free time with the family. I don't want the writers to then magically show that Ken is paying off bookies from bad gambling deals from a decade ago. However, they need to give a better explanation instead of: "I'm broke again for some reason." 2 Link to comment
nora1992 January 19, 2019 Share January 19, 2019 I enjoyed the band plot. It might have been a total suspension-of-disbelief moment when Jimmy's band knew Music Exec Dad's song, Smells Like Teen Spirit, despite the fact that everyone was a stranger 30 seconds ago, but perhaps the cover band covered this by playing very awkwardly at first? Still, I wish that scene had aired! 1 Link to comment
tennisgurl January 19, 2019 Share January 19, 2019 That was a fun episode, I liked all the plots, and how Mayas plot and the JJ and Ray plot came together. I hope that we see Izzy again, she and JJ were cute together. Kenneth and Melanie arent the couple that I would pick out immediately, but I hope they keep it up, I liked their stuff together, and the big rom com speech that Maya gave on behalf of Kenneth. The Jimmy plot was silly, but enjoyable, and its pretty consistent with his relationship with Dylan. It kind of pushes suspension of disbelief that none of those kids have ever heard those famous classic rock song before, but I liked the way it went. My favorite bits were the music exec dad not only covering for them, but joining their band, and the drummer who had a groupie appear out of nowhere! I need to know about the apparent romantic history between Jimmy and the pizza delivery guy! 3 Link to comment
Mystery January 20, 2019 Share January 20, 2019 (edited) Thank goodness for JJ and Izzy, because I kind of hated everything else. This show is too good to do the "mature woman turns into a useless giggler when a man pays attention to her" storyline. Melanie is a business person who knows how much work is required to set up a business. She knows that hard work at the beginning will pay off in the end. I also didn't like Kenneth's "I can't have a relationship because of your family" line; he had plenty of time for random hookups. I understand that a relationship takes more time than that, but people in a real relationship also respect time commitments that have already been made. I'm also not fond of "hey you" or other greetings that can be used so you don't have to remember people's names. I also don't believe that Jimmy would have just lied like that. I think it would have been better if Dylan was enthusiastic and set up a show at the school and it was only later, when things were well underway, that Jimmy realized that she thought he wrote those songs. Still: JJ and Izzy were awesome. His growth as a writer (from horror to romance) was really the only growth that anyone in this episode showed. Edited January 20, 2019 by Mystery Link to comment
bros402 January 20, 2019 Share January 20, 2019 I like Izzy and JJ. The Jimmy plot was fun and silly. The Kenneth plot was a bit annoying - why wasn't he with JJ in school? That is what the DiMeo's/the school are paying him for, not to be at Maya's house during the school day. 5 Link to comment
topanga January 21, 2019 Share January 21, 2019 On 1/18/2019 at 9:20 PM, kathyk24 said: I loved this episode. I hope JJ and Izzy continue to be a couple. I thought the Dylan and Jimmy plotline was really sweet. I don't understand how Kenneth can claim to be broke yet he has all the free time to spend at the DiMeo's. Same here. This has been my favorite episode of the season so far. I loved the JJ/Izzy plot. I hope their friendship and potential relationship continue to be a story arc. It's nice for someone to see JJ as the cool kid he really is, not just the boy in the wheelchair. Ray remains completely delusional. He seriously believes that he and Izzy 'shared a moment' in the planetarium after she accidentally sat on his lap. I guess they kinda did, but then he shrieked out of fear? Shock? It was hilarious either way. On 1/19/2019 at 2:13 PM, tennisgurl said: The Jimmy plot was silly, but enjoyable, and its pretty consistent with his relationship with Dylan. It kind of pushes suspension of disbelief that none of those kids have ever heard those famous classic rock song before, but I liked the way it went. My favorite bits were the music exec dad not only covering for them, but joining their band, and the drummer who had a groupie appear out of nowhere! I thought the Jimmy/Dylan plot would turn out to be cringe-worthy once the band was outed, but I liked the resolution. Jimmy and Dylan reacted in the typical DiMeo Way--they accept each other's shortcomings but didn't push each other to do better. This might bother me if they were never self-reflective and showed no capacity for growth, but both Jimmy and Dylan have shown that they do examine their behavior when confronted, and they can change when they realize they're hurting someone else. But in this band scenario--no harm, no foul. 2 Link to comment
GRChereck January 21, 2019 Author Share January 21, 2019 (edited) On 1/20/2019 at 1:56 AM, bros402 said: The Kenneth plot was a bit annoying - why wasn't he with JJ in school? That is what the DiMeo's/the school are paying him for, not to be at Maya's house during the school day. I found it a little odd at first that he wasn't sitting in Film class with JJ (thank goodness for Aaron); but as the episode went on, while it wasn't stated explicitly, I got the feeling that could've been part of why Kenneth unloads on Maya later for making everything about herself ("Maya-land"): He probably didn't mind his world having to revolve around hers as long as it primarily revolved around JJ, since he cares about the kid too; but now that she has this whole other thing going on yet still wants to seek his input / use him for her purposes (not to mention how he gets a bit snippy when she just automatically ropes him into picking up Melanie's son from school), with no apparent regard for anything else he could or should be doing at the moment, I suspect he would've reached a breaking point sooner or later anyway. :\ Edited January 21, 2019 by GRChereck 1 Link to comment
kathyk24 January 21, 2019 Share January 21, 2019 12 minutes ago, GRChereck said: I found it a little odd at first that he wasn't sitting in Film class with JJ (thank goodness for Aaron); but as the episode went on, while it wasn't stated explicitly, I got the feeling that could've been part of why Kenneth unloads on Maya later for making everything about herself ("Maya-land"): He probably didn't mind his world having to revolve around hers as long as it primarily revolved around JJ, since he cares about the kid too; but now that she has this whole other thing going on yet still wants to seek his input / use him for her purposes (not to mention how he gets a bit snippy when she just automatically ropes him into picking up Melanie's son from school), with no apparent regard for anything else he could or should be doing at the moment, I suspect he would've reached a breaking point sooner or later anyway. :\ Why was Kenneth at the DiMeo's house when JJ wasn't home.? Maya has boundary issues but so does Kenneth? He flirts with Joyce and Melanie while he is supposed to be working. 2 Link to comment
kathyk24 January 21, 2019 Share January 21, 2019 4 hours ago, topanga said: Same here. This has been my favorite episode of the season so far. I loved the JJ/Izzy plot. I hope their friendship and potential relationship continue to be a story arc. It's nice for someone to see JJ as the cool kid he really is, not just the boy in the wheelchair. Ray remains completely delusional. He seriously believes that he and Izzy 'shared a moment' in the planetarium after she accidentally sat on his lap. I guess they kinda did, but then he shrieked out of fear? Shock? It was hilarious either way. I thought the Jimmy/Dylan plot would turn out to be cringe-worthy once the band was outed, but I liked the resolution. Jimmy and Dylan reacted in the typical DiMeo Way--they accept each other's shortcomings but didn't push each other to do better. This might bother me if they were never self-reflective and showed no capacity for growth, but both Jimmy and Dylan have shown that they do examine their behavior when confronted, and they can change when they realize they're hurting someone else. But in this band scenario--no harm, no foul. I think Jimmy is a great dad to all of his kids. That's why I get annoyed with the writers having so many plots with Kenneth and JJ. I feel that it takes away from the bond between JJ and Jimmy. 3 Link to comment
GRChereck January 22, 2019 Author Share January 22, 2019 6 hours ago, kathyk24 said: Why was Kenneth at the DiMeo's house when JJ wasn't home.? Maya has boundary issues but so does Kenneth? He flirts with Joyce and Melanie while he is supposed to be working. Well, in the one scene, M&M presumably wanted him there as a test audience for their investors-pitch practice; beyond that, I'm not quite sure... As for Kenneth, I guess his not having much of a life outside of Maya and her family means fewer opportunities to meet women, so he takes what he can get (though if his open flirtations make the family uncomfortable, he could stand to tone it down a bit and at least be more professional around the kids). :) 1 Link to comment
SnarkySheep January 23, 2019 Share January 23, 2019 At this point I'm finding it a little unbelievable that Ray is considered such a nerd by the girls at school...he did have Taylor, after all. I know she went to a different school, but she and Ray were together long enough for her to have gone to a few school events and had some of his classmates see she existed... 1 Link to comment
topanga January 24, 2019 Share January 24, 2019 3 hours ago, SnarkySheep said: At this point I'm finding it a little unbelievable that Ray is considered such a nerd by the girls at school...he did have Taylor, after all. I know she went to a different school, but she and Ray were together long enough for her to have gone to a few school events and had some of his classmates see she existed... Part of it is that Ray still acts like girls/ women are an alien species that he doesn’t quite understand. He definitely notices girls at his school and is sometimes attracted to them, but he’s not good at flirting or having casual conversations. He has no chill, as the kids would say. 2 Link to comment
sadiegirl January 25, 2019 Share January 25, 2019 On 1/19/2019 at 12:39 PM, nora1992 said: I enjoyed the band plot. It might have been a total suspension-of-disbelief moment when Jimmy's band knew Music Exec Dad's song, Smells Like Teen Spirit, despite the fact that everyone was a stranger 30 seconds ago, but perhaps the cover band covered this by playing very awkwardly at first? Still, I wish that scene had aired! Smells Like Teen Spirit is a pretty famous song so I don't see why Jimmy's band would be unfamiliar with it. Seemed like that's what the band does, play older classic songs. 1 Link to comment
nora1992 January 25, 2019 Share January 25, 2019 1 minute ago, sadiegirl said: Smells Like Teen Spirit is a pretty famous song so I don't see why Jimmy's band would be unfamiliar with it. Seemed like that's what the band does, play older classic songs. Yes, but if Record Co dad had recently written it, how could this band full of newcomers know what to play? Link to comment
sadiegirl January 25, 2019 Share January 25, 2019 Record Co dad did not write it recently. It's a song from the 90's. And he didn't write it, just like Jimmy didn't write Satisfaction... 3 Link to comment
bros402 January 25, 2019 Share January 25, 2019 6 hours ago, sadiegirl said: Record Co dad did not write it recently. It's a song from the 90's. And he didn't write it, just like Jimmy didn't write Satisfaction... Yes, but Record Co Dad was saying he wrote it recently. 4 Link to comment
topanga January 25, 2019 Share January 25, 2019 6 hours ago, bros402 said: Yes, but Record Co Dad was saying he wrote it recently. Ah, now I get your post. Sounds like the kids were as clueless as I was. 1 Link to comment
GRChereck January 25, 2019 Author Share January 25, 2019 (edited) 15 hours ago, sadiegirl said: Smells Like Teen Spirit is a pretty famous song so I don't see why Jimmy's band would be unfamiliar with it. Seemed like that's what the band does, play older classic songs. I thought it was cute how Jimmy's band (in addition to their own punk stuff -- what little of "Draft Dodger" we heard sounded to me like early-'80s hardcore) leans towards '60s-'80s classic rock, while Todd favors '90s alternative rock. :D I assumed they might have been betraying their ages that way, though it's possible Todd simply had hipper, more current taste than Jimmy and his friends would've had in the '90s -- as teenagers at that time, my older sister dug the grunge scene while I gravitated to classic-rock radio... Edited January 25, 2019 by GRChereck Link to comment
nora1992 January 26, 2019 Share January 26, 2019 On 1/25/2019 at 1:43 AM, bros402 said: Yes, but Record Co Dad was saying he wrote it recently. Thanks for the clarification! Amazing how one word can make so much difference. 2 Link to comment
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