S03.E15: The Waiting Room

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Part of me thought that Zoe was going to quietly get up, dump out the vodka, refill the bottle with water, hand it back to Kevin, and then wait to see his reaction when he took a drink. 

1 hour ago, deirdra said:

Randall does not carry a purse, nor was he able to fly his car to California, so it is not all that strange that in the emergency kerfuffle he left his chargers on the east coast. 

True, but you can buy cheap phone chargers anywhere these days. I’ve seen them at gas stations, convenience stores like CVS, and grocery stores, usually near the cash register. Every airport I’ve been to in the last five years sells them too. If Kevin was able to find a store that sold water and vodka at 4am, Randall could have found a place to buy a charger if it was THAT important for him to charge his phone so he could call “work” aka the city council people at 7am EST. 

20 minutes ago, 3 is enough said:

Fathers are allowed in the operating room when there is a c-section.  They just have to stay "above the sheet". If there are complications or it turns scary I would imagine they get ushered out.  But having him there to hold Kate's hand and support her would be a good thing.  He was wearing scrubs, so I assume he was there for at least part of the delivery.

My friend had an emergency C section that went awry and her husband was allowed to stay in the delivery room the entire time (he did not heed the warning to stay above the sheet and he ended up seeing her innards which he kind of regretted), so I assumed that Toby was in there with Kate the whole time.

[gonzosgirrl]

3 hours ago, Zero260 said:

Oh my gosh, I was thinking the same exact thing about the resemblance. Their eyes. Wow. 

I didn't really see it before, but it was remarkable in this episode. All the teens' casting is, really.

[Violetgoblin6]

12 hours ago, DakotaLavender said:

The last 3 episodes were pretty bad. There is just not enough going on any more. It's stagnant. 

Completely agree. I've honestly struggled with the last 3 episodes. It's like TPTB are trying to stretch a small amount of narrative into the back end of the season. For me the last good episode was Nicky and I wasn't even a huge fan of the Vietnam storyline. 

I had a headache and was stressed out at the end of this episode. Definitely not enjoyable. 

[zillabreeze]

49 minutes ago, OrigamiNightmare said:

ETA Miguel is a treasure. He's such a good person. He's a good friend, a good spouse, a good father. He's just a good guy.

I've liked him from jump and think he's really cute!   I like the part even more now, since we've seen his remarkable self control in not going postal on this bunch.

And the writers want us to think Jack was the Saint!?!?!?

Edited March 13, 2019 by zillabreeze

[buckboard]

The treatment of Madison by the WHOLE FAMILY was disgusting.  They had numerous chances to say to her - please stay, you're Kate's closest friend.  Kate has planned to have you be here.  Kevin was wrong, but why didn't any of the others speak up and tell her to stay.   

I also didn't get Toby asking someone to contact his parents.  He couldn't take 5 minutes to call his family?  Was he sitting staring at Kate the entire time that he couldn't do it himself?

Also, why doesn't Rebecca speak up when her family constantly criticizes her husband.  At Thanksgiving with his children, he called them out for not accepting Rebecca.  It's about time she called them on not accepting him in the Pearson family.  He was Jack's best friend and has been part of their family most of their lives and married to their mother for almost as long as she was to Jack.  Of course, Jack is still a part of all their lives, but their behavior towards Miguel is way beyond wrong.  He shouldn't feel like an outsider.  He shouldn't feel he has to stand and listen and not take a seat.  He's been part of the family for decades.

Edited March 14, 2019 by buckboard

[Lisa418722]

Unlike some of you above, I actually missed the flashbacks.  I think because they usually help intertwine the stories.   
I hated how the Pearsons treated Miguel and Madison.  Miguel was trying to give them something to think about other than why they were sitting there. I've done the same thing in similar situations.  Of course, I have been Miguel fan since season one and have been asking for his stand-alone story.   Madison was trying to be helpful. Even after her mentioning toothpaste and gum as a food, I would take her background story as well.   
Kevin is spiraling out of control and it feels like no one cares. I wish Zoe had poured the vodka out and not say anything. Then maybe he would realize he wasn't really hiding it.  
Randall needs to grow up.  I think that is the best way to say what I'm feeling about him.  
I wish Rebecca had talked about Kyle.   Like some of the other posters above, I'm wondering if there is something going on with her health.  I cannot tell you what the waiting room looked like when we were waiting on news about my dad, but she remembered every detail.   
And finally the baby, I wish he had gotten his own name, but of course, not surprisingly he was going to be named after Jack.  Even if he had been a full term baby he would have been named after Jack. 

Edited March 13, 2019 by Lisa418722

[OrigamiNightmare]

4 hours ago, PRgal said:

I'm on Team Beth regarding ranch.  Ugh!  Someone upthread said chicken noodle soup won't go well with ranch (or chocolate).  I don't think soup count - any kind of soup - counts!  Jell-o doesn't go well with chocolate, does it?  

Maybe tofu won't work well with ranch?  Or does it?  

I don't know if I'm allowed to contribute to the "I had a preemie/I was a preemie" discussion.  My guy was a 35 weeker - technically "premature," but much bigger than little Jack!!  He still had to be in the hospital for 11 days, just to "learn" how to eat.  He was huge at birth (6 lb), but he's kind of skinny for his height now (5 months on Friday). 

Of course, you are : ) you're experiences are just as valid and interesting as everyone else's and all of our experiences are unique.

[MamaBird]

Kevin was consistently dickish in this episode.  However, I laughed out loud at his line when he pulled the plug on the bird documentary: "I don't CARE how it stores its food!"

[Ohmo]

16 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

That premature baby was so tiny it hurt to look at.

Well, for me, this gave me a chance to see what I looked like when I was born.  I was a preemie born at 7 months (so about 28 weeks) back in what my mother refers to as the "Dark Ages" (decades ago).  So, that's what I was thinking.  I also won't share what *could* be in store for baby Jack (because that's real life and this is a TV baby, so they likely won't do any of it to Kate or Toby.

I agree with everyone who found the Pearsons insufferable (all of them) for one reason or another.  I've spent a decent amount of time in hospital waiting rooms.  You don't act like that.  All of them carrying on about one thing or another just drove me nuts.  Having that ENTIRE episode take place in the waiting room was not a good choice.

[3 is enough]

I am not sure how I feel about this episode.  On the one hand , I think they captured the anxiety of waiting for news very well, but I could have done without all of the extra drama and sniping between characters.  And of course the entitled Pearson attitude was turned up to the maximum volume.  

I felt for Miguel and Madison.  Rebecca really needs to stand up for her husband.  The guy is a saint.  And Madison just wanted to be there for her friend.  Do Kevin or Randall have friends?  Because we sure haven't seen any.

I give Toby a pass for the joke because he was tired and stressed and he apologized immediately.  It was a poor choice but I think Miguel understood.  I could almost imagine him setting it up with Miguel beforehand just so they could see the looks on the faces of the "real Pearsons" if it had been a regular birth.

Just not enjoying this season as much as the other two, but there are only 3 episodes to go, so I will keep watching.

[meep.meep]

3 hours ago, kilda said:

Not this family!  This family stays!  And woe to any fool who thinks she has a right to come eat pretzels near them in a public waiting room!

My mother went in for an operation.  After they finally took her away to surgery, my sister and I discovered that the only waiting room near the recovery area was filled with an enormous family group - think Pearsons * 3 in a waiting room the same size as on the episode.  We hated those guys!

I've been Team Miguel since the beginning - he was the MVP of the episode.

So, why weren't Toby's family members there?

[ShadowFacts]

12 minutes ago, meep.meep said:

My mother went in for an operation.  After they finally took her away to surgery, my sister and I discovered that the only waiting room near the recovery area was filled with an enormous family group - think Pearsons * 3 in a waiting room the same size as on the episode.  We hated those guys!

I don't know why the Pearsons thought they could engage in loud verbal fights in a hospital in the middle of the night.  That, and messing with the hospital's flatscreen TV, should have earned them a little conference with someone from Security who would drop some science on them about proper behavior in that setting.  No excuses about being under stress.  Rules don't just apply to people when they're at their best. 

[Ohmo]

15 hours ago, ShortyMac said:

I was born at 24.5 weeks, weighed 1lb, 7.5oz. I spent four months in the NICU. It's so weird to look at pictures of myself as this tiny thing and I can't imagine how scared my parents were; so many unknowns. I try to stay grateful to be here and for the quality of life I have, just mild cerebral palsy, no other major issues. So many other families aren't as fortunate.

Same club, with probably a variation here or there, but like you, being here is much preferable to NOT being here.

I'm going to say something that will likely make the moms here upset, but I'm talking about a TV baby, not a real person.

I wish the writers would give baby Jack some degree of CP, but I know they won't.  The reality is is that CP is something that often comes along with premature birth.  It just happens.  Not all the time, but it does.  I promise you, somewhere out in California, I'm sure I could find a 3-4 year-old little boy with CP who could play young Jack and have a very full and productive life with his mom Kate and dad Toby.

Edited March 13, 2019 by Ohmo

[mansfolly]

15 hours ago, KrissyBean said:

The answer to the "Ranch and Chocolate" question is chicken noodle soup! Or any non-cream based soups for that matter. Ranch would separate in the broth and be gross, right?

I thought Grapes was the answer.

14 hours ago, ProudMary said:

Right at the opening, the first words out of my mouth were, "Now Beth is there in CA too?  Who the hell is with the kids?"  I did like that Beth was looking out for Rebecca though.

That's exactly what I thought....Whoever is watching the kids can watch them when both Randall and Beth are working. Problem solved. Ha.

[mansfolly]

My favorite part, and I laughed out loud, was the look on SKB's and Beth's faces when that woman opened the pretzels and started chomping on them. Their reaction was so me.

Kevin, when he passed Madison as he came out the elevator, should have at least apologized, hung over/buzzed or not.

And, yes Rebecca, I have always noticed the funny face of electrical wall outlets.

I liked the episode. And although I knew it was coming, I shed a tear at Kate naming the baby (was it a doll? who allowed filming near a preemie?) and speaking to Grandpa Jack.

ps/ Of course the liquid in Kevin's bottle was vodka...as a lot of others have noted.

[Katy M]

54 minutes ago, MamaBird said:

Kevin was consistently dickish in this episode.  However, I laughed out loud at his line when he pulled the plug on the bird documentary: "I don't CARE how it stores its food!"

Yeah, Randall annoyed me there.  Nobody was watching that.  Not even pretzel lady.  But, Randall had to feel morally superior by plugging it back in. If Kevin had pulled the TV from the wall and flung it to the ground, well, that would obviously be a problem.  Unplugging it when they could plug it back in when they left, not a big deal at all.  Except, you know, Randall.

30 minutes ago, 3 is enough said:

I give Toby a pass for the joke because he was tired and stressed and he apologized immediately.  It was a poor choice but I think Miguel understood.  I could almost imagine him setting it up with Miguel beforehand just so they could see the looks on the faces of the "real Pearsons" if it had been a regular birth.

Actually, I was just thinking what would have been cool is when Toby realized that he took him seriously  and he said "really,"  He should have said, "yeah, really," and then set it up with Kate, not letting anyone see her until the next day so that hopefully she'd be up to it by then.  If not, then just say she changed her mind.

9 minutes ago, mansfolly said:

That's exactly what I thought....Whoever is watching the kids can watch them when both Randall and Beth are working. Problem solved. Ha.

LOL.  Treating your friends like that is about as great as giving your parents the gift of babysitting.

[mansfolly]

4 hours ago, Snarklover said:

Regarding Rebecca’s behavior: I wonder if she isn’t getting early onset dementia. Didn’t they insinuate this in an earlier program?

Agreed...something is going on with her health at least and I do believe there was some sort of foreshadowing in an earlier episode.

[whiporee]

2 hours ago, 3 is enough said:

Fathers are allowed in the operating room when there is a c-section.  They just have to stay "above the sheet". If there are complications or it turns scary I would imagine they get ushered out.  But having him there to hold Kate's hand and support her would be a good thing.  He was wearing scrubs, so I assume he was there for at least part of the delivery.

For me, it was going all right (albeit early) when suddenly the doctor yelled "Get dad out of here NOW!" A nurse rushed me out, and I had no idea what was going on until i saw them bring out the paddles.  It took three days until she was recovered well enough to see the babies. Damn, they were small. 

Yeah, I'm okay being done. 

[Cementhead]

I missed the promos you guys are referring to that said we would be left speechless.  Did they really say that?  Too funny and also ridiculous.  I was left sleepy.  And very bored.  And also left with the feeling that I am not so sure I need to spend anymore time with these people.  Especially now that we have Kate + Baby Jack.  I'm not the least bit interested in that story line at all.  Kate + Baby Jack now trumps Politician Randall as the story line I least care about. 

I can't think of another show has taken such a major nose dive from season one to now.  To think of what it was compared to now?  The quality has sadly plummeted greatly.

[Ohmo]

5 hours ago, Suzy Rhapsody said:

I must admit, I have not liked Miguel for pretty much the duration of the series so far.  I was never quite sure why, exactly.

I agree with you.  Miguel has never been a favorite of mine.  That said, I don't think it's right how the family excludes him.  Last night was mean, and it was mean coming from Toby.  Miguel is good to Rebecca, and they are married.  The kids (and their spouses) don't respect him or Rebecca's choice of him.  I could understand their reaction if he treated Rebecca poorly, but that isn't the case.

[woodstock]

4 hours ago, sigmaforce86 said:

Have to admit though, the whole pretzel lady thing was hysterical especially Beth and Randall's little talk about it and whoever thought to amp up the sound on her as she opened the bag and crunched the first few was brilliant.

HA! I laughed out loud when pretzel lady got up and left when the Pearsons started yelling because I had completely forgotten she was there.

Throughout the episode I wanted to smack, yell at and hug people simultaneously.

OMG the Pearsons are a lot like the Bravermans!

[saber5055]

Man, I hated everyone in this episode except Miguel and Zoey and the nurses who didn't tell the Pearson clan to STFU. God bless them. I hated Toby's burn on Miguel, not even funny.

I guess when they got married, Toby became Toby Pearson since Kate is still Kate Pearson and I'm guessing baby Jack will be Jack Pearson II. Lightning might strike me, but I was wishing for Kate to just freaking die.

Good on Miguel and Rebecca for moving to California. Yeah, gram and gramps are always there to babysit, right Randall? NOT!

At least Rebecca redeemed herself slightly at the end by HER telling everyone to STFU. And LOL that the bird movie was back on the tv at the end, this after Kevin pulled the plug on it earlier.

[Aileen]

1 hour ago, mansfolly said:

Agreed...something is going on with her health at least and I do believe there was some sort of foreshadowing in an earlier episode.

Bingo. And I think that’s why Miguel answered for her...he was compensating.

[Crs97]

For an emergency c-section, they might not have had time to get Toby in the or.  My husband got stuck in the hallway when they raced me back.  He paced until a nurse saw him and took pity.  I didn’t get to see my son until the next day when I was allowed to get up.

[KrissyBean]

3 hours ago, mansfolly said:

I thought Grapes was the answer.

I don't know. Chocolate dipped grapes sound pretty good to me...

[Sharyn]

9 hours ago, Maximona said:

Why would she want to talk?  I mean, what exactly is there to say?

She must know something about Kevin's history with substances at this point.

Who would want to subject themselves to being another chapter in that?

What a ridiculous, pointless episode. I don't buy that Randall and Beth would put a stop-freeze on their own lives to fly 3,200 miles and sit in a waiting room.  Not when they knew other family members were there.  Earth to increasingly bad This Is Us writing team:  In real life, families delegate!

Exactly!  I can see Beth staying home with the girls, awaiting updates and Randall being with the family at the hospital, free to be his annoying self!

18 hours ago, ShortyMac said:

I was born at 24.5 weeks, weighed 1lb, 7.5oz. I spent four months in the NICU. It's so weird to look at pictures of myself as this tiny thing and I can't imagine how scared my parents were; so many unknowns. I try to stay grateful to be here and for the quality of life I have, just mild cerebral palsy, no other major issues. So many other families aren't as fortunate.

Blessing to you!  You have an excellent attitude and loving spirit!

[Katy M]

1 hour ago, Cementhead said:

I missed the promos you guys are referring to that said we would be left speechless.  Did they really say that?  Too funny and also ridiculous.  I was left sleepy. 

WEll, duh, it's hard to talk when you're sleepy.

1 hour ago, Cementhead said:

I can't think of another show has taken such a major nose dive from season one to now.  To think of what it was compared to now?  The quality has sadly plummeted greatly.

I think this was a show that should have had a limited run.  Just because of the flashback/present format.  And a lot of what was fun in the first season were the twists.  It turning out that 3 people all having their birthday were the kids Jack and Rebecca were having.  Then Rebecca showing up with Miguel, and you're like what?  

21 minutes ago, saber5055 said:

At least Rebecca redeemed herself slightly at the end by HER telling everyone to STFU. And LOL that the bird movie was back on the tv at the end, this after Kevin pulled the plug on it earlier.

Randall plugged it back in.  Kevin gave him an irritated look over that. TBH, I found that irritating, too.  It's like Randall always has to be right.  OK, I guess that wasn't brand new information.

[Crs97]

Local candy company has limited run of chocolate covered grapes for Valentine’s Day and Father’s Day.  People stand in line to get them.

[ams1001]

I loved the first line of the Vulture recap of this episode:

Just when you think hospital waiting rooms can’t get any worse, you get trapped in one with the entire Pearson clan while they are spiraling.

10 hours ago, WhosThatGirl said:

I didn’t get the whole point of having the happy grandmother in the waiting room with the Pearson’s. I feel like we were not supposed to like her because she was having a good day of news and the Pearson’s weren’t? And then we were supposed to roll our eyes when the family started yelling because she walked out? Huh? I don’t.. really understand. Anyone would have walked out. 

I get that it's hard when you're stressed and scared, waiting for news of your loved one and her baby, to have someone chirping happy news about their family's new baby on the phone, but yeah. Actually, I was thinking "read the room, lady…YOU DON'T WANT TO BE HERE WITH THESE PEOPLE! RUN AWAY!" (And sorry, Pearsons, just because you're all martyrs who don't need to eat for the duration doesn't mean other people don't get to have snacks.)

[MrsWitter]

5 hours ago, MsChicklet said:

Her play The Cake just opened and now she's leaving TIU to help develop a Broadway musical version of The Notebook.

Of course she is. 

[shoovenbooty]

I felt like everyone in this episode had the attitude of, "Don't you know who we are?! We're the freaking PEARSONS!" From Rebecca's "This family stays!" to Randall and Beth's annoyance at the woman who had the audacity to open and eat pretzels in THEIR waiting room, to Kevin's demanding information from the nurses about Kate.

When Rebecca told everyone to shut up, and Randall sat next to her and apologized, I was SO hoping she would interrupt and say, "Give it a rest, Randall!" I'm so over him.

Speaking of Randall, I do not even consider the younger flashback versions of him to be the same person as adult Randall. For that sweet, intelligent little boy to grow into a sweet, intelligent teen, to grow into such a self-centered, entitled adult...I just can't even like adult Randall.

When did Zoe drink from Kevin's water/vodka bottle? I must have missed that scene from rolling my eyes so many times during this episode.

[Katy M]

6 hours ago, BusyOctober said:

The staff cannot hand out info willy nilly, no matter how  fucking awesome you think you and your family are.

I didn't really mind Kevin going up the first time and politely asking for an update.  But, when he came back and said they couldn't tell him anything that should have been that.  Randall demanding information after they had already been told they didn't have any was stupid.   But, it does seem odd that they didn't get an update that she was taken in to surgery.  If they're not going to tell you stuff like that unless you ask, I think they'll have to accept getting asked.

[Lady Calypso]

1 hour ago, ams1001 said:

I get that it's hard when you're stressed and scared, waiting for news of your loved one and her baby, to have someone chirping happy news about their family's new baby on the phone, but yeah. Actually, I was thinking "read the room, lady…YOU DON'T WANT TO BE HERE WITH THESE PEOPLE! RUN AWAY!" (And sorry, Pearsons, just because you're all martyrs who don't need to eat for the duration doesn't mean other people don't get to have snacks.)

Which is why I laughed when she ended up taking off during Randall/Kevin's big argument. That being said, the grandmother was definitely there to "lighten the mood" but I ended up more annoyed. I totally relate to loud noises getting on my nerves during stressful situations, but it's also not the lady's fault at all. 

1 hour ago, Katy M said:

Randall plugged it back in.  Kevin gave him an irritated look over that. TBH, I found that irritating, too.  It's like Randall always has to be right.  OK, I guess that wasn't brand new information.

Oh yeah, I forgot about that moment. Though Randall doing this didn't bug me nearly as much as Randall going over to apologize to Rebecca after her outburst. Not that she didn't deserve an apology of sorts, but because Randall often has a smug tone when he does something like this. For me, his "You're right; I'm sorry, Mom" was condescending. It shouldn't be a thing that bugs me, but it does when it comes to Randall because I hardly find it to be truly sincere. 

[kili]

Quote

I thought Grapes was the answer

I've eaten grapes as one of the fruits in a chocolate fondue - I can testify that chocolate does make grapes taste even better.

I've actually been toying with Miguel's game all day. Thanks Miguel.

I've decided that chocolate improves sweet things (and some other things - those pretzels would have been improved by either chocolate or ranch) especially since there are so many forms of chocolate. Ranch dressing goes well with a lot of savory things, but I think to win the game, you pick something savory with light-layered flavors. Ranch would drown out the layers and make it worse.

So, I pick a wild-mushroom risotto.

I loved pretzel lady. When you are already on edge, anything can set you off (like the crinkling and crunching). There she was, wallowing in her good news and it is suffocating to people who are anxiously dreading bad news.

Also, loved the nurse. "I don't know if you realize this, but you keep saying the same thing." "You keep asking the same question."

I fear for Toby. He was completely overwhelmed. He was not coping all that well.

[alexvillage]

I really like Madison 

I couldn’t stand the Pearson man in this episode. 

[Trillian]

For all its faults - and they are legion - this episode captured what a real family goes through in a crisis. The impulse to recreate the original family unit is strong.  The “boys” regressing into squabbling. The exclusion of “strangers” - yes, it was cruel to blow off Meredith, but realistic.  She is not one of “them” and they are circling the wagons in this crisis. Same with Pretzel Grandma:  spend enough time in a waiting room and you start to think of it as yours. How dare she intrude on our agony with her happy news?  Not nice, but real. 

Kevin’s helpless desperation to help his sister in the only way he could - offering to pay for the best obstetrician his money could buy - that was sweet and heart-breaking. 

I think we all want to think we’d all act perfectly in a similar situion, but the show was right that many, if not most, families wouldn’t. 

[ams1001]

9 hours ago, Snarklover said:

It just dawned on me...Toby looks like that Wooly Willy guy. You know, The board with metal shavings in plastic case and a magnet to design different hair and mustache styles.

Thank you for the hearty laugh. I truly needed that.

[MsJamieDornan]

7 hours ago, Trillian said:

Did anyone ever say that Kate was at imminent risk of death?  It seems to me that they were told she had gone into premature labour and was being treated to try to delay the birth.  If the treatment had been more successful, what were they all going to do? 

Thank you !!! I was going to watch it again because, I was a bit annoyed with the whole storyline. As posted above, when did anyone say that Kate was in any danger of death? The last they heard they had delayed  her labor for 10 hours. They never mentioned any problems with the baby or any urgent situations at the time. Why in the hell did they all think they had to stay right there in the waiting room or fly across the country? Kevin was acting like an ass to the doctor for absolutely no reason. When they kept asking for an update, what did they want to hear? Just that labor was still delayed? We were never told that Kate or the baby was in danger.

Yes, Toby should have texted them that she was having an emergency C section but that doesnt have to mean they all had to lose their minds. Geez , this show is getting a little difficult to swallow.

And Toby, fu off for making a joke about Miguel and Kevin same to you about all the people you pissed off. Rebecca please come out of the coma you seem to be in and stop talking about Jack.

Sorry, rambling...

[SunnyBeBe]

I've spent my fair share of time in waiting rooms, along with other families, awaiting loved ones who are in surgery and it was NOTHING like that. People are considerate, nervous, but, kind. I'm talking serious cardiac waiting rooms where people are having heart transplants and quadruple bypasses, code blues, being called.....and yet no one felt compelled to VERBALLY abuse anyone.  That's how I see it.  The way they treat Miguel is abusive, imo.  And, so is Rebecca for condoning it. Shame on them. 

Kevin acts abusive and totally unacceptable and then tells Zoey that he has to have her in his life! WHAT?  Like she might like that crazy asp behavior.....please.  Run girl. You don't hug someone who just spend 20 some hours acting like an asp.  

Does Rebecca think that Kate will not be able to really manage with the babies care, due to her size? Is that the real reason for their move?  I do suspect something is wrong with Rebecca.  And, Beth.......one of my pet peeves is someone who INSISTS that I need to eat, AFTER I say no, thank you.  OMG. That annoys me. I hope she doesn't have diabetes.  In that case eating a donut was not a good idea. 

[debraran]

I understand every hospital and area of the country might differ, but although people wait for operations, etc. I've never seen anyone not update the family in 2019 or even decades ago. I thought it was the 50's. At Yale where I worked for 15 years we had nurses and volunteers updating family all the time, priests or religious if they wanted, stopping by to talk and we always told them we'd get back to them as soon as we knew anything. Toby could have texted or come out for a minute or asked a nurse/tech to talk to them. I can suspend reality for a while, but again, this didn't seem like a tiny, rural hospital with limited staff.

Years ago, another hospital near me had beepers that they'd give family to tell them when they could come in, so they'd go get dinner downstairs, etc. Now with cellphones, it's not as needed.

I saw on FB a lot of hate toward anyone that criticized the script which is funny, you can like a show and not like every episode. I guess the "cult" following is still alive but less. I only know anecdotally that although I still watch, every person I work with who did, about 7, don't now or watch every few shows if someone says it was good. My sister stopped, my SIL watches a week or so later, not glued to her seat anymore. Is it just growing familiar or more lackluster scripts? I know Nicky's show with Kevin was wonderful for me, but others before not as much. I feel Rebecca is a prop, the older version is just there looking in angst and being a milk toast to everyone and not standing up for her husband. I hope that changes, it always irritated me she had a small voice and I thought after Miguel, she'd find it.

Edited March 14, 2019 by debraran

[cameron]

Seriously Rebeccas's remark about not naming your child until you met them.  Had both boy and girl names picked out as soon as I knew I was pregnant.  Didn't hurt my double degree college son one bit.

[buckboard]

53 minutes ago, Trillian said:

For all its faults - and they are legion - this episode captured what a real family goes through in a crisis. The impulse to recreate the original family unit is strong.  The “boys” regressing into squabbling. The exclusion of “strangers” - yes, it was cruel to blow off Meredith, but realistic.  She is not one of “them” and they are circling the wagons in this crisis. Same with Pretzel Grandma:  spend enough time in a waiting room and you start to think of it as yours. How dare she intrude on our agony with her happy news?  Not nice, but real. 

Kevin’s helpless desperation to help his sister in the only way he could - offering to pay for the best obstetrician his money could buy - that was sweet and heart-breaking. 

I think we all want to think we’d all act perfectly in a similar situion, but the show was right that many, if not most, families wouldn’t. 

There is a difference between acting perfectly and acting mean and boorishly.  I've spent time in hospital waiting rooms with large numbers of family members -- although we didn't ALL sit there for 48 hours straight.  Some left to eat and sleep and were only a phone call away.  We, like the Pearsons, had no idea how long this would go on or how serious it might be.  Originally, they were just planning on medicating Kate to delay her giving birth. 

 It is NOT true that many, if not most families behave like the Pearsons.  Most families recognize that they are sharing the waiting room with other stressed out families.   Most families don't yell and scream at each other in public.  They might even talk to each other, like Rebecca did when she congratulated the new grandmother.  

Even if the family was in fact "circling the wagons" against strangers during this crisis, Madison was no stranger.  In the past year she spent more time with Kate than any Pearson and in fact had been asked by the mother-to-be to be with her when the baby was born.  
 

[Katy M]

43 minutes ago, cameron said:

Seriously Rebeccas's remark about not naming your child until you met them.  Had both boy and girl names picked out as soon as I knew I was pregnant.  Didn't hurt my double degree college son one bit.

She didn't say that was a hard and fast rule or the right thing to do, she said that was what Kate and Toby had decided.  My parents had a boy and girl name picked out when I was born, but then my mom decided the girl name she picked didn't fit me and they changed it.

[chitowngirl]

That was a lot to put on Zoe, that he can’t do it (go through recovery) without her. His sobriety is on HIM, not HER. 

[deirdra]

Naming a baby or pet after a person who died before his time is often thought to bring bad luck.

Edited March 14, 2019 by deirdra

[Crs97]

My answer to the game is lemons.

We did see Zoey drink from the water bottle, maybe while Kevin and Randall were badgering the nurse.

Poor Miguel.  I am one of the rare few who have liked him from the beginning.  Rebecca needs to stand up for him the way he did for her with his kids.

I am reminded that one of the NICU nurses told us their job is as much to manage the parents as to take care of the babies.  It is extremely stressful, and just watching this episode took me back 18 years.  I liked the nurse telling them they had a long road ahead of them.  I will be beyond pissed if the baby gets a miraculous recovery storyline.

[albaniantv]

Toby is a comedian so of course he has to try out a line when he has the attention of the whole room. I thought it was clever, actually, mocking both Miguel and himself for their shared outsider status. Miguel, I think, took it as intended and the others weren't going to get any humor that day anyway, so why worry about them. Good job, writers!

Hey, I loved the writers' sense of black humor --I mean, c'mon, a bottle in a bottle episode???!! I even ended up feeling sorry for Kevin who obviously did not intend to have his relapse in view of the entire Pearson clan. 

Also commend the writers for not giving us a dose of Kate until, all of a sudden, we really needed to see her as a mom. She was the only one who behaved for the episode, just rode out the waves until Jack arrived. She looked beatific in that last segment, i thought, so welcoming to that tiny little baby.

I didn't mind the battling Pearsons -- it seemed pretty real to me that this family, with its long established pattern of withholding and dumping, withholding and lying or evading. would spend the hour sniping, avoiding, retreating and escaping. 

Loved this episode, but not sure i want to go through the realism of up, down, down, downer, up, ???? of a preemie with this group. Although i don't think the writers would kill Jack twice.

[Jillybean]

3 hours ago, shoovenbooty said:

Speaking of Randall, I do not even consider the younger flashback versions of him to be the same person as adult Randall. For that sweet, intelligent little boy to grow into a sweet, intelligent teen, to grow into such a self-centered, entitled adult...I just can't even like adult Randall.

I've had this exact thought for a few weeks now. There's a total disconnect between teen Randall and adult Randall. I see nothing at all of teen Randall in adult Randall. Really makes me wonder WTF happened. 

Then again, I see very little of S1 Adult Randall in S2 Adult Randall and S3 Adult Randall. 

Edited March 14, 2019 by Jillybean

[Ohiopirate02]

1 hour ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I've spent my fair share of time in waiting rooms, along with other families, awaiting loved ones who are in surgery and it was NOTHING like that. People are considerate, nervous, but, kind. I'm talking serious cardiac waiting rooms where people are having heart transplants and quadruple bypasses, code blues, being called.....and yet no one felt compelled to VERBALLY abuse anyone.  That's how I see it.  The way they treat Miguel is abusive, imo.  And, so is Rebecca for condoning it. Shame on them. 

Kevin acts abusive and totally unacceptable and then tells Zoey that he has to have her in his life! WHAT?  Like she might like that crazy asp behavior.....please.  Run girl. You don't hug someone who just spend 20 some hours acting like an asp.  

Does Rebecca think that Kate will not be able to really manage with the babies care, due to her size? Is that the real reason for their move?  I do suspect something is wrong with Rebecca.  And, Beth.......one of my pet peeves is someone who INSISTS that I need to eat, AFTER I say no, thank you.  OMG. That annoys me. I hope she doesn't have diabetes.  In that case eating a donut was not a good idea. 

I think that Rebecca (and Miguel) want to be near their new grandbaby and have the financial means to do it.  I like that they were talking about this off the screen.   I bet Rebecca had planned on touring a few places while she was out in California for Kate's graduation.   They thought they had more time to discuss this with the family, but that did not happen. 

[SevenStars]

13 hours ago, Haleth said:

I'm sorry, but it was completely ridiculous for everyone to fly across the country to sit in the waiting room.  Looking at you, Randall and Beth.  They have obligations at home and money problems, so for them both to drop everything and fly to LA does not make sense. 

I would agree if this was a normal birth. But it wasn't because Kate was already  at risk and her baby now was at risk. So I think any siblings if they could, would  be sure to be there because of the risks that are involved. This wasn't normal giving birth situation.