S03.E13: Our Little Island Girl

[tvrox]

10 hours ago, mtlchick said:

For some reason, I felt Goran Visnjic was trying to suppress his accent a lot for this which was not only sad but distracting.  It also dawned on my that he the Croatian equivalent of Hugh Jackman (it only took 15 years) and I am so ok with that. 

I think the episode was one of the better ones because of 1) the casting team's knack of finding younger actors that physically match the older characters and 2) great use of guest stars.  Carl Lumbly is having a good year of playing dads who died (see Supergirl) and Phylicia Rashad gives a master class in everything she does. Beth needed some kind of redeeming arc because I wasn't liking her much this season.  I think this almost pulled it off.

He definitely was trying to change his accent. Still handsome though!

[luna1122]

Is 20+ year old weed still any good at getting you high? Asking for a friend.

Yeah, Beth had her own Jack Pearson, but she doesn't obsess, commemorate, monologue*, weep, and make everyone in the whole world know about the sad loss of her parent too young at every available opportunity. Ugh, she must resent them their obsessions sometimes. "I lost my dad when I was a kid too!!!"

While Beth and Zoe were getting high in the laundry room, I couldn't stop staring at both of them. They're so stunning.

Young Beth was a brilliant casting choice.

And what a waste to have pretty pretty Goran Visnjic and not have him be a former love interest or something!!

Have we seen that Beth still dances, ever, just in an exercise class or anything? Cuz I'm sure you still have sense memory and muscle memory, etc, but would the actual movements come so easily? I have no idea, maybe they do/would. And she's just gonna demi-plie right in and get a teaching job? Okay.

Phylicia Rashad is awesome.

*Tho she and her mom both also do have the monologue gene.

[Lady Calypso]

So, here's my take on Beth quitting dance. I don't think her mother was wrong in wanting Beth to look at other options. However, both were in a deep state of grief when this happened. It sounds like Abe had just died not even a few days earlier, or at least a couple of weeks earlier. Both were not in their right frame of mind in the slightest. Beth was also dealing with rejection from the solo and having to compete with the only other black dancer in the dance studio, which must have hurt her self esteem. I can relate to Beth quitting dance completely, in a sense. Her mother was right in that Beth would likely not make a career out of dance, at least professionally. Opening her options was a smart idea. How she went about it was where she went wrong. Without Abe as the voice of reason, Beth's mother didn't have that support system when talking to Beth about her future. We have now seen how Beth's mother can be, so I can see how her words came across. Like Beth told her in the present day, they were supposed to be strong, weren't supposed to cry, and were supposed to basically move on. They never took the time to grieve properly. That's where Beth's mother ultimately went wrong. Her intentions with telling Beth to look at another career path were with good intentions, but how she went about it wasn't the best. She made it seem like she wouldn't support Beth in her dance career ever; she may not have meant it that way, but for Beth, that might have been how it came across.

Also, looking at Beth's point of view, she was still in a deep period of mourning. Her quitting dance was tied to her father's death, for the most part. Her mother may have just said that she wasn't paying for dance school anymore and that she was encouraging her to look at a different career path, but I think Beth's passion for dance was a little lost after the loss of her father and the loss of that solo (and I'm sure she was also dealing with that identity crisis with the other black girl; don't forget her dance teacher told her family right off the bat that if she made it, she'd be the first African American to make it). I think she used her mother as an excuse to get out. If her father was alive at that point, she likely would have continued because her mother would have been convinced by her husband to keep supporting Beth. I don't think Beth's mother wished ill will on her or didn't want her to dance, but she wanted her to be pushed and be successful, basically what was said in the present day when they finally did hash things out.

But yeah, I think Beth wanted to quit, deep down, and used her grief as an excuse to lose herself and her dreams. So it wasn't just on Beth's mother with her quitting dance; I think Beth was being drowned by her grief and she used her failure, and the loss of her father, as an excuse to be safe. She always had the support of her father while her mother was more practical. We know her mother was at least accepting of Beth trying dance out, which still makes her a damn good mother. But unfortunate circumstances happened and Beth just happened to go down a different path. 

I think both Beth and her mother were right and wrong in what happened during that period, but they were grieving, so their choices are understandable.

I think Beth becoming a ballet teacher is a good path for her. At least it's more practical than Randall's bazillion passion projects, in that she's going to be sticking with it for a long period of time. And they explored Beth's backstory enough where it makes more sense for her to be a teacher than Kate being a teacher.

[ShadowFacts]

2 minutes ago, icemiser69 said:

Having it all resolved in one episode made the whole "Beth isn't good enough to dance" thing seem rushed.  If this had played out over multiple episodes with multiple auditions and failures, I would probably feel differently, but given how quickly Beth was told to "choose another path", makes me think she got screwed.

I don't normally like things all tied up with a bow in one episode, but this wasn't bad.  We did see her mom and dad discuss both having to work extra, and agreeing to do it, and we saw mom sewing her costumes and being involved, over a period of years.  They way it played to me was that mom's tough love was very effective in her job, and a little harder on her own children at home, but in the end, as Beth said, her path got her a job she loved for 12 years, Randall and her girls. 

[mtlchick]

1 hour ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

AND getting to see Phylicia Ayers-Allen/Rashad.

I had to chuckle at this because young Beth said Ms Allen said she was great and I immediately thought of Debbie Allen (who is Rashad's sister.)  

[llewis823]

Would someone who has just danced in dance classes 20 years or so ago and maybe did it around the house or at exercise classes since then be qualified to be a ballet teacher? Not that I have any idea on earth what would qualify as qualified to teach ballet. I just know I have been drawing my entire life, took art in school and one art class in college and I get compliments on my drawing and lettering and always have. But am I qualified to teach it? Not in a million years.

Edited February 20, 2019 by llewis823

[sigmaforce86]

Have to admit I didn't do much more than tear up slightly but I didn't watch it until a few minutes ago and had already read it was a multi tissue episode so I think that prepared me a little and stopped me from bawling.  That doesn't take away from the fact that Phylicia just, I don't know, "brought it?" I don't think that's the adjective I"m looking for, I'm not sure there is an adjective to describe how good she was.  Somehow I was hating her and loving her at the same time, thinking she was a cold fish (Dad has cancer let's go clear the table) and thinking she was strong and smart all at once and she was so convincing all the way around.

The actress who played teen Beth nailed this thing that Susan does with her eyes which made them seem so similar from teen to adult.  It's this slight widening she does when she's feeling something but not saying it out loud and I saw that same expression on teen Beth.

I don't know if many would consider this a down side but to me the writers messed up a bit showing us that flash forward when everyone was going to see "Her" and Beth was clearly running a dance show when Randall picked her up.  I think that took away from watching Beth at the end say she wanted to teach because there's no is this a good idea, will she be able to do it, by seeing her years down the road we already know she's going to do it and succeed.  Maybe she falls a few times between now and then but I feel like it took some of her story away to let us know the end before we saw the beginning.

Despite Beth's warning to Kevin I really like Zoe and I think she's changed and softened a bit since she opened up about her past.  I have no spoilers to know one way or the other but I'd definitely like to see more of her both with Beth and with Kevin assuming that his booze slip up in Uncle Nicky's trailer doesn't send him so far into relapse that it breaks them up.

[Good Queen Jane]

1 hour ago, readheaded said:

I though the young actress who played dancer Beth really captured adult Beth's mannerisms and spirit.

There was a close-up of Teen Beth's face where they showed a mole on her right side. Later there was a close-up of Adult Beth and there was a mole in the same place! Kudos to both make-up and the Continuity Fairy. Now if they could only be so precise in showing Pittsburgh winter weather.

[HelenCrump]

9 hours ago, funnygirl said:

I really loved this episode. Beth had her own "Jack Pearson". Carl Lumbly is a gem. Phylicia Rashad is wonderful. Excellent casting all around, especially spot-on with young Beth. Of course Randall would be enamored by Beth at first sight. 

I agree completely!  Well said about Beth having her own "Jack Pearson."  And Phylicia Rashad was wonderful.  I loved the gravitas of her character as she went through the school at the beginning of the episode.  She was clearly a force to be reckoned with.

Beth has been one of my favorites on the show since early on, and I have really been curious about her back story.   Her family, her dance background and change of career goals ... it all makes sense with the character we have come to know.

I loved the two versions of "I Say a Little Prayer."  I assume there are awards for TV scores and casting?  This show should win both, hand's down.

This is a rare episode for me -- I'm still thinking about it the next day.  My favorite episode this season by far.

[bichonblitz]

Jeesh, what next? Will we have to travel back in time to live through Toby's childhood? Or have they already done that? I can't remember. 

[greekmom]

Loved the episode as it was Pearson (especially Kate) free.

I agree that Beth shouldn't have given up on dance right away.  There is nothing wrong with her cutting back on the classes (the instructor said she was to have 3 classes every evening) to one a night and keep it up as a hobby.

I loved how Carol said, "let's get the nice paper from staples and mail out your resumes".  

At this point I really don't get how either Beth or Randall cannot get some decent job.  They have some major skills and tons of experience.  They could have opened up their own business instead of Randall running for office which in my opinion was a waste of a storyline. 

I would like Zoe's backstory on how she came to be with Beth's parents.  

I also agree that while Beth has had the same issue as the Pearson's (death of a parent), she has not made it to woo is me like Kate has.  I understand that Jack's death was a terrible accident but a loss is a loss. And Beth handled it alot better (along with the disappointment of losing dance) than Kate did. 

[JudyObscure]

This may be the most unpopular opinion ever on the internet, but I don't like Phylicia Rashad and never have. Admittedly I haven't seen her in many things and I'm basing my opinion solely on last night plus her Mrs. Huxtable character.  She and Julia Sugarbaker are forever linked in my mind as characters who portray strong women who make long perfectly spoken speeches that move us to stand up and cheer, but never let us see the real, imperfect human underneath.  When they're telling off grown men it's kind of wonderful, but  the rest of the time, I see a cold, critical person I don't much like.

I actually quit watching "The Cosby Show," because I was so tired of Phylicia Rashad's one-note performance, particularly when she would talk to her little five year-old girl in the same hard tone  she talked to her  male-chauvinist son-in-law.

I disliked her even more as Bethany's mother, not giving the kids a few weeks to grieve, not giving Beth time to bounce back from her let down about not getting the part. Beth lost her father and her dream at  same time. Of course, a widow has to be practical but you can steer a child in the right direction without crushing them. 

Her school principal tactics were just the same, don't praise the boy for bringing his grades up but demand that he get an "A."  For some kids that may prompt him to work harder, but he may well feel like he already worked his hardest and it wasn't good enough, so why keep trying at all?  There's room in colleges for "B" students and room in ballet companies for corps dancers.

Why do her other kids not come around and why does Beth clam up?  Because their mother has made her children afraid to come to her with anything but their successes.  They can't come to her for comfort when they fail, because they think that her love is conditional.

[Lady Calypso]

1 minute ago, greekmom said:

At this point I really don't get how either Beth or Randall cannot get some decent job.  They have some major skills and tons of experience.  They could have opened up their own business instead of Randall running for office which in my opinion was a waste of a storyline. 

Well, Randall chose to run around on his different passion projects. He made it clear early on last season that he had no plans to return to the job that he had, or the area in which he studied. Randall wants to help other people for himself. Randall doesn't seem to want to run his own business. As for Beth, who knows. She had interviews but it seems like they went different routes, which does suck. Honestly, I think they wanted to get Beth to this dance teacher route, which is why they had her not get any job offers. 

[bichonblitz]

Beth hasn't danced in almost 20 years so who is going to hire her to teach? Is she going to open her own school? I can't imagine many parents wanting to enroll their child in any school like that.  

[Lady Calypso]

8 minutes ago, bichonblitz said:

Beth hasn't danced in almost 20 years so who is going to hire her to teach? Is she going to open her own school? I can't imagine many parents wanting to enroll their child in any school like that.  

It depends on how the show handles Beth's new career path. I'm holding out some hope that she isn't just teaching in the next episode. I'm holding out some hope that they have her talking about working toward getting a certification to teach dance, at least. I don't think she'll have to go back to school to get a degree in dance, since she'll just be teaching in a studio and not in a school, where I assume she'd also need to have an education degree. However, I don't know exactly how that works. I think her years of experience of dance in a professional dance school should help a bit, but she'll still need to be certified before she goes outright into teaching. So I assume she'll still need to enroll in some sort of class. 

As long as they handle it better than Randall "I just need to knock on doors for two months and that makes me win the election!" Pearson, then I'll be fairly content.

[Ohiopirate02]

6 minutes ago, bichonblitz said:

Beth hasn't danced in almost 20 years so who is going to hire her to teach? Is she going to open her own school? I can't imagine many parents wanting to enroll their child in any school like that.  

As another poster has already mentioned, many trained dancers become teachers as adults.  Beth trained very rigorously for years at what appears to be a serious ballet school.  She was not learning at the local dance studio who takes any student that can pay.  The moves have not changed and she can still probably do them in her sleep.   

[Lady Calypso]

Also, now that I mention Randall winning the election, Beth went to see a dance studio, I assume, near their home. If Randall moves the family to Philly, then that last scene doesn't make a whole lot of sense, unless Beth was just asking about how to become a dance teacher in general. Unless we're going to get a Beth/Randall fight about them moving because of Beth finally finding her career path and perhaps she WILL be teaching by the next couple of episodes, which...meh. Sometimes, this show gets things right and it feels realistic. Other times, I fear they're too enamoured with their favourite characters and them getting their own wins that they force things to happen. 

[Eureka]

2 hours ago, PepSinger said:

As EB2 explained in the post above yours, there is a galaxy of difference from Kate wanting to teach versus Beth. At bare minimum, Beth has a degree and isn’t even asking to teach at a school. Honestly, I think comparing them is kind of insulting to Beth. Beth is for more qualified than Kate to teach.

I was thinking more about the long gap since she's danced. We've never seen her dance at all, so there's no inkling that it's something that she's continued.  Most people, no matter what the field, need a little refresher after 20 years. And maybe that last scene is what we're seeing, but I am betting it will be more like next week she's suddenly gotten a job.

[SuzieQ]

I liked this episode but am surprised I did..  Adore Phylicia Rashad as Beth's mother!  She burns up the screen any time she is on.  Fabulous actress who looks amazing for 70 years old.!  The 2 younger versions of Beth were also fantastic.  Gives a lot of insight on who Beth is.  Loved the part that shows how Beth met Randall.  Also explains some of the time jump scenes.  Wonderfully woven together!

[Ohiopirate02]

3 minutes ago, Eureka said:

I was thinking more about the long gap since she's danced. We've never seen her dance at all, so there's no inkling that it's something that she's continued.  Most people, no matter what the field, need a little refresher after 20 years. And maybe that last scene is what we're seeing, but I am betting it will be more like next week she's suddenly gotten a job.

I used to take ballet around 25 years ago for fun.  I had class like once a week for a couple of years, and I still know the 5 positions, plies, releves, pirouettes, etc.  The thing about ballet is that while the individual moves are simple to learn, technique is more difficult, and the magic comes from the choreography.  Dancers of Beth's caliber have spent countless hours repeating the same moves over and over again.  As long as Beth is physically fit, I can see her teaching a basic ballet class.

[meatball77]

She doesn't have the qualifications to be a ballet teacher.  She hasn't danced since she was a teenager, has no post HS training or experience.

Could she work at a studio or run one, yes, but "was a good dancer when she was 16" is not a resume that would get anyone hired even to do pre-school classes given how long it has been since she was involved in the dance world.  Now if she goes back and takes classes, becomes involved in the world then perhaps.  Even then dance isn't something you can drop back into.  It's not like she's been taking weekly classes.

[AnnieHeights]

Oh how I wanted to love this episode given the fact Beth is my favorite but I was kind of bored.  I totally agreed with her mother in the practicality aspect of going to college and seeking a career path, not everyone can be a ballerina, actress, model, superstar singer etc.. and there are thousands and thousands of above average to extremely talented people who never make it to the top or even come close.  Beth's mother just chose (I am sure out of sheer necessity given she was newly widowed) not to fund a dream as opposed to give her daughter an opportunity to support herself one day.  Assuming she paid for Beth's education I have a hard time feeling too sorry for her in this scenario because it (to me anyway) was clear, she had not grown into a top ballerina and it was also clear the teacher had high hopes for her and she was given the opportunity that a lot of girls would have loved to have had.  Her mother was practical and loving and caring and a bit stern but was obviously a very good mother and Beth is very fortunate to have had her and her darling, equally caring and loving but more demonstrative father.  Not one thing to feel bad for Beth in this episode IMO (other than the passing of her dear father). 

The casting folks for this show should win awards......amazing how they find these mini me's to the grown actors.  The child actors in their own rights get all the kudos for being so believable not only in their physical resemblances but their flat out acting skills.  The two young Beth's were so spot on.  

[Empress1]

12 hours ago, PepSinger said:

I have never felt more for Beth than when she saw Goran Visnjic bring in the black dancer to demonstrate to the class. I knew *exactly* how she felt in that moment. It is something that goes back to this poisonous, but often true, belief that "there can only be one," that there's not enough room for more than one black person in a certain feel. It's hard to explain, and perhaps I'm not doing it justice, but my heart sank when I saw how Beth looked at that girl.

Also, the way Susan Kelechi Watson said "thank you" after her mom apologized for taking dance away brought tears to my eyes. All she wanted was her mom to acknowledge her hurt feelings, and she finally got it 20 years later. SKW was outstanding this entire episode.

YES. She was thinking "I've been replaced." And also, the notion that we as Black people (especially Black women) have to be twice as good to get half as much. (One of my favorite TV moments was when Joe Morton as Eli Pope asked Kerry Washington as his daughter, "What have I always told you? You have to be what?" and she replies "Twice as good.") That is 100% a thing we are taught, and it's been borne out in my life. (I have known a lot of white men who have been placed in positions - in many cases, in senior positions - with zero experience. Black people don't tend to get chances like that.)

(I thought it was interesting that much was made about Beth not having a ballet dancer's body but the other Black dancer didn't either - she was kind of thick, and I mean that as a compliment.)

2 hours ago, ShadowFacts said:

I could be wrong but I think it's been established their kids are in a really good local public school.

It has. Though if they're moving to Randall's district in North Philly, they'll almost certainly put the kids in private school as the neighborhood schools there are bad.

I was in from Beth and Zoe (who I think are both so beautiful) singing "What About Your Friends?" in the car. I've said it before but whoever casts this show is fantastic at their job. They always nail the young versions of the older actors.

I have an acquaintance who was a pretty serious ballerina for ten years as a kid and teenager. She's taking lessons again now as a 34-year-old with two kids. I don't think she has any aspirations, I just think it's a thing she loved that she's returning to. I thought of her this episode.

[Blakeston]

1 hour ago, JudyObscure said:

This may be the most unpopular opinion ever on the internet, but I don't like Phylicia Rashad and never have. Admittedly I haven't seen her in many things and I'm basing my opinion solely on last night plus her Mrs. Huxtable character.  She and Julia Sugarbaker are forever linked in my mind as characters who portray strong women who make long perfectly spoken speeches that move us to stand up and cheer, but never let us see the real, imperfect human underneath.  When they're telling off grown men it's kind of wonderful, but  the rest of the time, I see a cold, critical person I don't much like.

I actually quit watching "The Cosby Show," because I was so tired of Phylicia Rashad's one-note performance, particularly when she would talk to her little five year-old girl in the same hard tone  she talked to her  male-chauvinist son-in-law.

Personally, I think Phylicia Rashad is a marvelous actress. But I can't look at her without being reminded that she defended Bill Cosby long after anyone should have defended Bill Cosby - and went so far as to suggest that his accusers were part of an evil conspiracy to keep him down.

I'd love to be able to completely separate the actress from her roles, but for most people that's not realistic.

[ShadowFacts]

1 hour ago, JudyObscure said:

This may be the most unpopular opinion ever on the internet, but I don't like Phylicia Rashad and never have. Admittedly I haven't seen her in many things and I'm basing my opinion solely on last night plus her Mrs. Huxtable character.  She and Julia Sugarbaker are forever linked in my mind as characters who portray strong women who make long perfectly spoken speeches that move us to stand up and cheer, but never let us see the real, imperfect human underneath.  When they're telling off grown men it's kind of wonderful, but  the rest of the time, I see a cold, critical person I don't much like.

I actually quit watching "The Cosby Show," because I was so tired of Phylicia Rashad's one-note performance, particularly when she would talk to her little five year-old girl in the same hard tone  she talked to her  male-chauvinist son-in-law.

I disliked her even more as Bethany's mother, not giving the kids a few weeks to grieve, not giving Beth time to bounce back from her let down about not getting the part. Beth lost her father and her dream at  same time. Of course, a widow has to be practical but you can steer a child in the right direction without crushing them. 

Her school principal tactics were just the same, don't praise the boy for bringing his grades up but demand that he get an "A."  For some kids that may prompt him to work harder, but he may well feel like he already worked his hardest and it wasn't good enough, so why keep trying at all?  There's room in colleges for "B" students and room in ballet companies for corps dancers.

Why do her other kids not come around and why does Beth clam up?  Because their mother has made her children afraid to come to her with anything but their successes.  They can't come to her for comfort when they fail, because they think that her love is conditional.

Totally agree about Julia Sugarbaker, what a pill, but never really watched the Cosby show so I never formed a strong opinion about Phylicia Rashad.  In this character I think she and the show were successful in showing me what made her tick, and it felt real.  She had high expectations for her students and her own kids because she wanted to do her best to ensure their maximum chances at success, like her own mother.  She also apparently had a happy and successful partnership with a more laid-back, sweet person, and when she lost him, well I cut tons of slack for the grief process which is so different for everybody. 

[ChicksDigScars]

2 hours ago, bichonblitz said:

Jeesh, what next? Will we have to travel back in time to live through Toby's childhood? Or have they already done that? I can't remember. 

Please, God....NO. I have no desire for this backstory. I can barely tolerate his front story half the time. 

Goran Visnjic. How YOU doin'?!

[txhorns79]

Quote

Could she work at a studio or run one, yes, but "was a good dancer when she was 16" is not a resume that would get anyone hired even to do pre-school classes given how long it has been since she was involved in the dance world.  Now if she goes back and takes classes, becomes involved in the world then perhaps.  Even then dance isn't something you can drop back into.  It's not like she's been taking weekly classes.

In fairness, this is a show where Randall won election to the city council of a city where he does not even reside.  Heck, it's not even in the same state where he lives.  So while I completely agree that someone whose last experience with dance was as a teenager cannot just jump back in as a teacher 20 years later, this is not the show where they care about that. 

[Ohiopirate02]

7 minutes ago, ShadowFacts said:

Totally agree about Julia Sugarbaker, what a pill, but never really watched the Cosby show so I never formed a strong opinion about Phylicia Rashad.  In this character I think she and the show were successful in showing me what made her tick, and it felt real.  She had high expectations for her students and her own kids because she wanted to do her best to ensure their maximum chances at success, like her own mother.  She also apparently had a happy and successful partnership with a more laid-back, sweet person, and when she lost him, well I cut tons of slack for the grief process which is so different for everybody. 

I really appreciate Phylicia's performance in this episode.  I didn't think the script was all that great, but she added nuance and depth to what was on the page.  On the page she could have just been another hardass mother who pushed her children away with wanting them to succeed, but on screen I saw the humanity of the character.  I liked how she reacted to her husband's passing in a completely different way than Rebecca.  Of course, Rebecca being white and a higher social class would have a much harder time figuring out how to take care of her family.  Carol did not have the luxury to wallow in her grief for weeks on end.  

[MsChicklet]

13 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

I can kind of understand her moms perspective, as being a professional dancer is certainly tough, but her sitting down and telling little Beth that she would never be good enough to be a dancer and spending another second on it was a waste of time, right after not getting a solo, was just so devastating. 

That, to me, was at the core of Beth's pain. Her mother considered any show of grief for her father as "wallowing." Beth basically went straight from the funeral home back to school and ballet. Her mother could have waited at least a few days to give her the college book and "new direction." talk.

I can see why Beth didn't go back to dance in college. Dance was still entangled in grief and pain for her. Also, her mother already said she wasn't going to pay for any more dancing. She would have disapproved of Beth taking time away from her studies to dance. Beth chose to clam up, as Zoe would say, rather than re-open those wounds dealing with her mother's dictates and disapproval.

Her mom's call-to-action about going to Staples and getting the nice paper for Beth to print her resumes for mailing out reminded me of the Old Economy Steve meme:

[3 is enough]

I wonder if Goran Visnjic was trying to sound more like a Russian for his character? He talked about seeing Mischa- Russian ballet and all that...

I enjoyed this episode.  Nice to see someone else's backstory for a change.  Interesting that she too lost a beloved father at a young age, but doesn't bring it up at every chance she gets...

I can see her mother's influence in Beth's parenting.  It isn't exactly the same, but not a 180 either.

As others have stated, if Randall can win an election, Beth can become a ballet teacher.  Certainly she is more qualified than Randall.

Why no new episode next week?  We just had a 2 week break.  Looks like we will be getting new episodes into April this year.

[MsChicklet]

1 minute ago, 3 is enough said:

Why no new episode next week?

TIU and New Amsterdam get shelved for the week for the season premiere of JLo's dance competition show.

[Blakeston]

4 hours ago, ShadowFacts said:

I thought of that right away, too, but I think they sort of covered that base with showing that Zoe's hidden weed was still primo years later.  It doesn't totally jibe, the way Beth in William's time talked about it being left over from her father's illness made it seem like that happened while they lived in their New Jersey house. 

For me, the issue is that it's hard for me to picture Beth's father even letting his underage daughter know that he was using pot. (And didn't they imply that she used it with him, and/or made brownies for him?)

I can't even imagine her mother's reaction if she found out her husband was involving Beth in his marijuana intake. Maybe that's how he died!

17 minutes ago, icemiser69 said:

I thought we did get part of Toby's past in one episode.  Perhaps it was the episode where he had gone off his medication.

Yes, we saw that Toby tried to cheer up his mother when she was depressed, and then he started getting bouts of depression himself, and his father told him to snap out of it.

As far as Beth's career goes, I really hope the next step is her teaching dance at Randall's rec center, as someone suggested. They've already done so many ridiculous plots about people landing highly competitive jobs at a moment's notice that I don't need another one.

Edited February 20, 2019 by Blakeston

[3 is enough]

1 minute ago, MsChicklet said:

TIU and New Amsterdam get shelved for the week for the season premiere of JLo's dance competition show.

I really don't care about JLO's dance show...

[DFWGina]

14 hours ago, PepSinger said:

But she didn't have to make Beth stop dancing. She could've danced non-competitively. That didn't even seem like an option with Beth's mom.

I think it was all about the money and practicality.   Non competitive dancing would be wasting Beth's time (in her mom's eyes) when she could be doing something more productive - like figuring out college.

5 hours ago, readheaded said:

  Not to mention, I though the young actress who played dancer Beth really captured adult Beth's mannerisms and spirit.

She really had older Beth down pat.  Kudos to that young  lady!

3 hours ago, mtlchick said:

I had to chuckle at this because young Beth said Ms Allen said she was great and I immediately thought of Debbie Allen (who is Rashad's sister.)  

Same! :-)

1 hour ago, Empress1 said:

(I thought it was interesting that much was made about Beth not having a ballet dancer's body but the other Black dancer didn't either - she was kind of thick, and I mean that as a compliment.)

Yes - the new ballet dancer was definitely not a ballet dancer body but both were exquisite!  

I enjoyed the episode overall and had many misty eyed moments.  Loved Beth's dad.  Loved her mom even when it was hard to - she just wanted the best for her kids.  And while that is hard to deal with in the moment, I feel certain Beth is glad that her mom pushed her toward realist goals that did end well for her....

Unless you own the studio, you are not making more than fast food money teaching dance classes.  As fit as she is, it would make more sense for her to own a Barre (of any flavor) workout studio where she could make a good living while incorporating her ballet background...

[AriAu]

That was a great, Great, GREAT cover of I Say a Little Prayer at the end. I love the song (prefer Dionne's version, but YMMV) and hunted around and found that it looks like it was a version by Lianne La Havas and shockingly, iTunes only has it in a live version...and I prefer to be the only one applauding!

https://www.monstersandcritics.com/smallscreen/i-say-a-little-prayer-what-is-the-famous-song-played-on-this-is-us/

Not much more to add-was a nice episode and explains so much about Beth and how she treats her girls (direct with a much softer edge). Do want to echo the compliments to the casting folks since the young Beths (I guess Bethanys) were not only dead on from an appearance standpoint, but also acting and mannerisms etc,,

I listened to the version a few times and I was wrong...this is my favorite version of this song!

Edited February 21, 2019 by AriAu
Listened again

[tennisgurl]

1 hour ago, MsChicklet said:

TIU and New Amsterdam get shelved for the week for the season premiere of JLo's dance competition show.

Uggg is it me, or have the seasons of almost every network show been super freaking sporadic lately? We go off every other week for a couple of weeks all of the time now, in the name of whatever new thing is being pushed. I mean, how can networks expect to build up a loyal audience if they have no consistency in viewing schedule? 

I am more behind Beth going to ballet again than I am to Randall's constant changes in career, as she actually has a history with ballet and a known passion for it, while Randall just seems to pick some new project every time five seconds because of his massive savior complex. However, I am concerned about the families fiances, with Beth taking what I assume is a lower paying job, and Randall and all of his stuff changing all of the time. And they have three young daughters who are in private school, and need all of the stuff that kids will need. I think they can make it work, especially as Beth will certainly have at least a solid income at a nice ballet school, even if its less than they had before, but I do hope that they have considered everything. 

Its sad that Beth's mom so quickly made Beth totally give up on dancing, and so quickly after her father died. She clearly thought that any kind of grief or doing something just because it made her happy was a waste of time, and not a healthy way to deal with grief or a loss of dreams, and I think thats what really messed Beth up, not just giving up her dream. Maybe if she can given her some more time, or let her keep dancing for fun, and not just for her career, it would have been an easier transition. 

So, have they talked about if they will need to move away for Randall to take this job yet? Where is the dance school? Will the girls have to move away and start a new school? Because thats going to be really tough, especially with all the other issues the girls have right now.

Finding out that Beth and Kate have slightly similar backstories makes me wonder if thats one of the reasons that she doesent seem to like Kate very much. Beth doesent seem all that close to Randall's side of the family in general, it would be interesting to get some follow up on that. I mean, she has her friendships with her in laws, her relationship with Kevin has been delved into and has improved lately, but I would like to see her interact with Kate more. 

[Sharyn]

15 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

Beth becoming a teacher really makes a million times more sense than Kate. Beth clearly has lots of ballet training, has already spent lots of time with kids, and has a very firm but nurturing personality. 

I missed seeing the rest of the family (how is Kevin doing?!?) but I loved getting Beth's backstory, and seeing her embracing her dreams again, after they were crushed when she was a teenager. I can kind of understand her moms perspective, as being a professional dancer is certainly tough, but her sitting down and telling little Beth that she would never be good enough to be a dancer and spending another second on it was a waste of time, right after not getting a solo, was just so devastating. 

The Say A Little Prayer to book end the episode, and the flashbacks of little Beth and adult Beth dancing happily might have gotten me in the feels. I get it, I love ballet!

Interesting that Beth kind of had a Jack as well. The nurturing kind parent that died tragically young, leaving his daughter feeling guilty about indirectly causing his death.

Very insightful about Beth having a Jack in her life as well.  Her Dad was her kind and gentle place.  You are spot on!

[PRgal]

It occurred to me when the dance school director said something about Beth possibly being the first black principal dancer at ABT...in other words, she could have been Misty Copeland in the This is Us universe...but what she did, no, what her mother did, probably resonates with MANY women - Kate included.  My parents wanted me to go into business, so I did - after my liberal arts degree and History of Education (a non-teaching) master's, I went back to school to study PR.  Business, right?  I landed a WONDERFUL internship, one which didn't pay amazingly, but was "perfect" in that it was at a bank (my parents were big on finance type jobs), but was STILL PR-related.  Guess what?  The parentals made me give it up for another job at a company I got an interview through connections.  I'll always be bitter about that.  

[Sharyn]

14 hours ago, funnygirl said:

I really loved this episode. Beth had her own "Jack Pearson". Carl Lumbly is a gem. Phylicia Rashad is wonderful. Excellent casting all around, especially spot-on with young Beth. Of course Randall would be enamored by Beth at first sight. 

I agree.  Young Beth has the same fleck in her left eye (or is it the right?) as Adult Beth.  Uncanny!  

[ClareWalks]

I was all in for this episode, the teen Beth was amazing and it was great to see that backstory. But then at the end...I thought Beth would go for a job in the business side of ballet. Maybe the endowment management, or PR/marketing, or directing. Teaching? After this long? It was an odd choice IMO.

Edited February 20, 2019 by ClareWalks

[cardigirl]

23 hours ago, bichonblitz said:

Beth hasn't danced in almost 20 years so who is going to hire her to teach? Is she going to open her own school? I can't imagine many parents wanting to enroll their child in any school like that.  

23 hours ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

As another poster has already mentioned, many trained dancers become teachers as adults.  Beth trained very rigorously for years at what appears to be a serious ballet school.  She was not learning at the local dance studio who takes any student that can pay.  The moves have not changed and she can still probably do them in her sleep.   

23 hours ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

I used to take ballet around 25 years ago for fun.  I had class like once a week for a couple of years, and I still know the 5 positions, plies, releves, pirouettes, etc.  The thing about ballet is that while the individual moves are simple to learn, technique is more difficult, and the magic comes from the choreography.  Dancers of Beth's caliber have spent countless hours repeating the same moves over and over again.  As long as Beth is physically fit, I can see her teaching a basic ballet class.

22 hours ago, meatball77 said:

She doesn't have the qualifications to be a ballet teacher.  She hasn't danced since she was a teenager, has no post HS training or experience.

Could she work at a studio or run one, yes, but "was a good dancer when she was 16" is not a resume that would get anyone hired even to do pre-school classes given how long it has been since she was involved in the dance world.  Now if she goes back and takes classes, becomes involved in the world then perhaps.  Even then dance isn't something you can drop back into.  It's not like she's been taking weekly classes.

I'll be really upset with the show if Beth is seriously teaching ballet the next time we see her. Figuring out that teaching ballet is what she wants to do is one thing, but there is no way in heck that she is going to be able to walk into any school and just start teaching. Except in tv-land.  She never performed professionally, she never danced past high school.  She'll need to have some qualifications before she could teach at any major studio. 

Other than that, I thought it was a well-done episode.  My daughter was a very serious ballet student, who finally had to give it up for college, so this tugged at my heartstrings a bit.  

And her name is also Beth.  

Edited February 21, 2019 by cardigirl

[izabella]

13 hours ago, deaja said:

I also feel Beth’s dad dying while she was a teenager doesn’t make sense with her still having some of the pot he smoked to share with William 20 years later?

Closer to 25 or 30 years later.  And I don't think using cannabis for cancer patients was a thing 30 years ago. 

Edited February 20, 2019 by izabella

[PRgal]

5 minutes ago, izabella said:

Closer to 25 or 30 years later.  And I don't think using cannabis for cancer patients was a thing 30 years ago. 

30?  I'm pretty sure Beth was a junior or senior when her dad died.  That would be more like 22 years.  Beth is the same age as Randall, so she would have graduated high school in '98.

[Cementhead]

Superficial comment alert!  Stop reading if you want depth! 

So many beautiful people to look at in this episode.  Susan Kelechi Watson and Melanie Liburd are just stunning.  As someone else mentioned earlier, I too, just sat here and admired their beauty while I watched their scene in the laundry room.  (Of course, they are also incredibly talented and aren't just here to bring the pretty, but it certainly makes their presence on screen all that more compelling.)

And the actress playing young Beth - also so very pretty!  And l will echo the rest of you who say that the casting department of this show is just incredible.  Their ability to find young actors who resemble the cast, as well as to be strong enough actors in their own right?  Bravo to them!  I feel so happy for each and every kid actor who gets cast on this show because I imagine it must be a great opportunity for them and I hope it brings them much good things!  

Also:  Goran Višnjić  and Phylicia Rashād?  Apparently they drank a magical potion about 20 years ago that stopped them from aging.   

[Mystery]

6 hours ago, icemiser69 said:

I did like that "Bethany" had crossed out her name on the name tag and wrote "Beth".  Was that a bit of defiance against her mother?  

Her mother called her "Beth" in the car right before the dance, which I thought was strange; I didn't remember it being anything but "Bethany" during the whole show. 

The thing that made me not sympathetic toward the mother is the way that the show showed us the trajectory of Beth's dancing at the school. Her father was diagnosed with cancer right after Beth had been told she was going to have to work "ten times as hard" (or maybe it was "ten times harder") when she was already working so hard. If she had quit then when she mentioned it, she would have been able to spend more time with her father instead of coming home so late every night. 

Instead, she was made to quit only after she didn't get a solo part. So in her head, being with her father and making her own decision weren't honored, but she was forced to quit when she wasn't good enough to get a starring role. 

I realize that the character of her mother didn't have that information; she just thought that Beth wanted to quit because of the cancer news. But we the audience had that information, and it influences how I viewed that situation. 

Edited February 20, 2019 by Mystery
verb

[Rebky]

I must be mistaken, because I was sure Beth's dad died last season.  It's driving me nuts but I remember her being upset and having to leave and then he died.  It could be another show entirely.

ETA - it wasn't this show at all LOL (Traci Ross's dad on her sitcom).

Edited February 20, 2019 by Rebky

[WhosThatGirl]

9 minutes ago, Rebky said:

I must be mistaken, because I was sure Beth's dad died last season.  It's driving me nuts but I remember her being upset and having to leave and then he died.  It could be another show entirely.

We’ve known her dad has been dead since season one, we’ve had moments, when she encouraged the girls to make a box for

Williams impending death  and Randall got mad and she explained that since both of them had lost their fathers previously in their lives she wanted to prepare the girls. And she and William smoked pot she had leftover from her dads chemo. Which like someone else’s pointed out doesn’t add up to the timeline...? How could she still have that pot to smoke if her dad died when she was like 17,18?  I mean maybe she did, who knows.

[PRgal]

18 minutes ago, Cementhead said:

Superficial comment alert!  Stop reading if you want depth! 

So many beautiful people to look at in this episode.  Susan Kelechi Watson and Melanie Liburd are just stunning.  As someone else mentioned earlier, I too, just sat here and admired their beauty while I watched their scene in the laundry room.  (Of course, they are also incredibly talented and aren't just here to bring the pretty, but it certainly makes their presence on screen all that more compelling.)

And the actress playing young Beth - also so very pretty!  And l will echo the rest of you who say that the casting department of this show is just incredible.  Their ability to find young actors who resemble the cast, as well as to be strong enough actors in their own right?  Bravo to them!  I feel so happy for each and every kid actor who gets cast on this show because I imagine it must be a great opportunity for them and I hope it brings them much good things!  

Also:  Goran Višnjić  and Phylicia Rashād?  Apparently they drank a magical potion about 20 years ago that stopped them from aging.   

LOL!

There was one scene which could be read as creepy - where Goran's character was talking to young Beth about her talent.  But I don't think it was meant to be seen that way.

[MsChicklet]

One thing I was wondering that I didn't see and may have missed in this episode: Beth has said she grew up with 14 other people in her home. Her parents, her, Zoe and her three siblings only make seven. Who and where were the rest?

[NUguy514]

6 hours ago, tvrox said:

He definitely was trying to change his accent. Still handsome though!

2 hours ago, 3 is enough said:

I wonder if Goran Visnjic was trying to sound more like a Russian for his character? He talked about seeing Mischa- Russian ballet and all that...

Yeah, Goran sounded to me like he was trying to make his Croatian accent a Russian accent.  I don't think it worked at all, but I'm sure all involved were like, "Those dumbass American viewers won't know the difference anyway," and let it go.  Well, I noticed!!🤪

I want the recipe for that curry that Mama Phylicia made and some idea of where I can find scotch bonnet peppers in Los Angeles...