S01.E17 Low Expectations

[AnnaRose]

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Low Expectations (Season 1 | Episode 17)

8:30PM Tuesday EST | ABC

To fulfill his showbiz dreams, Timmy enters a contest to appear on "The Partridge Family" and takes matters into his own hands when he doesn't hear back. Elsewhere, Peggy takes a driving test in order to get her license, but anxiety sets in and things don't go according to plan. In secret, Peggy tries a few questionable shortcuts to becoming a legally licensed driver, and in the process, drags the Cleary kids into her web of deceit.

Airdate: Tuesday, March 26, 2019

[chitowngirl]

You just knew Danny Bonaduce would be in the episode somewhere!

[Snow Apple]

Selling the hair and stuff must have been a nod to the real Partridge Family episode where Danny sold Keith's things including, yes, his hair.

[Bteam]

Maybe it was just me, but I was really expecting a “mom ran over Lawrence” joke when Mike and the boys were making fun of Peggy. 

[sugarbaker design]

What a good episode!  Clackers (we called them click-clacks), X-ray specs and The Partridge Family gave me some serious nostalgia.  Funniest line was Danny B's 'Get Lassie, stage 5' after hearing the equally hilarious 'Timmy fell in a hole!'

[biakbiak]

I hate to break it to Lawrence or maybe the writers but what ever Peggy scrapped off the Santa Monica Pier wasn’t clams. Hopefully it was at least mussels.

[Suzysite]

Pat saying in his sweet little voice that the "clams" made him feel hot and he could hear colors had me rolling.   That kid.

[libgirl2]

Very funny episode! So Joey is a doctor now?? Loved how the police officer didn't bat an eye when he showed him is ID and then let him drive. 

[sigmaforce86]

Just realized Helen is played by Markie Post - never, ever recognized her!

Mad because the news story about a month ago about this episode made it sound like they were going to use Partridge Family scenes to make it look like Timmy was there with them at the time and I had been looking forward to that.  Not that Danny wasn't funny, the little "in" lines and the Timmy in the well comment were great.  Just missing what I'd been looking forward to because that article turned out to be a little off.

Pat is fast becoming one of the funniest kids on the show and he does it with just one or two sentences.  Also liked the continuity every time Eddie turned around right to the end of the episode he still had that bald spot in the back.  But yes Lawrence you can get your own place - he's an adult and he's not going to college is he?       Even if he is how come Eddie had to get a garbage man job but Lawrence doesn't seem to be doing anything at all?  

Hit in the head with clackers!  Yes!  That was really the only thing they could do consistently unless you were really, really (really) coordinated.  And I hate to say it but I sympathize with Peggy, I plan my routes to make the least left turns possible especially if I know it's at a corner with no traffic lights (I call those unassisted lefts).  I can manage them fine I just hate it and prefer to avoid it if possible.

[Yeah No]

Wouldn't there be more serious repercussions for having someone else take a driving test for you and then driving with a false license?  They didn't show Peggy suffering any consequences at all for that.  And her husband should have been more mad at her.  But why should I expect any show to be that realistic?  I guess I'm just a Debbie downer.

For months now I've been thinking that Pat resembles the young Jeremy Gelbwaks, who played the first Chris on the Partridge Family. 

[libgirl2]

8 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

Wouldn't there be more serious repercussions for having someone else take a driving test for you and then driving with a false license?  They didn't show Peggy suffering any consequences at all for that.  And her husband should have been more mad at her.  But why should I expect any show to be that realistic?  I guess I'm just a Debbie downer.

For months now I've been thinking that Pat resembles the young Jeremy Gelbwaks, who played the first Chris on the Partridge Family. 

He does! 

[AnnaRose]

On 3/27/2019 at 7:51 AM, Suzysite said:

Pat saying in his sweet little voice that the "clams" made him feel hot and he could hear colors had me rolling.   That kid.

He liked it!!

Also, when Joey was pulling out weeds but Pat kept putting them back in because he was learning to farm!  Haha!  And his mom was the first female in the world to get a drivers license!    He lives in his own little world, doesn't he? 😆

I loved that the cop just bought that Joey was a doctor and let him drive.  And that he just confiscated Peggy's license.  It was a simpler time. 😉

I laughed out loud at Peggy's warning that if Mike woke up the baby she would beat him to death with the baby.  So wrong but so funny!

And Frankie practically blacking out in the car when his choices were to rat out his mom or lie. 😆

I was surprised when Joey recited his mother's list of lies, but I liked his reason.  And Peggy scrambling to regain control of that situation was hilarious.  "That was a tricky one... but we managed to make it to the other side."   (Or something like that.)

And the alcohol jokes.  "Drinking after the test isn't going to help me!" 😆

Okay... that's all that's coming to mind right now, but as usual it was packed with tons of funny lines.  I need to watch it again.

Edited to Add:  OMG, I totally forgot to mention all the Partridge Family stuff.  I loved that!  It took me a few moments to even realize that was the actor who played Danny.   My favorite bits were when he told Timmy to shake the pen and he had to jump and grimace in pain, jump and grimace in pain because his arm was broken.  And of course the Lassie thing mentioned above.  I also really enjoyed Timmy and William performing the Partridge Family song, as the backdrop for shenanigans.

Oh, and Joey's money-making scheme and Peggy getting the underwear back in a plastic bag.  "We spent the day paying little girls for hair and underwear."  Yikes! 😆

The jokes with the x-ray glasses were funny too!   I love the nostalgia.

Edited March 28, 2019 by AnnaRose
Corrections. I suck at remembering dialogue.

[OnceAgain]

Click-clacks HURT!  I saw finger versions of those at a mom and pop shop awhile ago.   

The boys singing!  (Williams VOICE! ❤️❤️)

The montage with the music playing over William distracting Danny and where Timmy falls was so 70’s retro and I loved it. 

Cutting off a cast?!? 

I always like the kids story  better then the grown-ups. I always want it flipped and to get more of the younger ones. I always want more Pat and William.  (But if there was too much of the high pitched out in left field lines of Pat’s maybe it would stop being so cute)

Good episode 

[Snow Apple]

I like how Frankie is still a brown noser but is not as mean and obnoxious as in the beginning of the series. Finding that balance makes his scenes very humorous.

[Rockstar99435]

2 hours ago, AnnaRose said:

I laughed out loud at Peggy's warning that if Mike woke up the baby she would beat him to death with the baby.  So wrong but so funny!

I loved that part.

This episode made me sad. Peggy's life makes me sad. Everything she does, all her hard work, is ignored or dismissed by her family. They actively make more work for her and mock her to her face. And even people outside her family dismiss and disrespect her. I know her license was fake, but the cop asking if he needed to call her husband and then letting Joey drive (because a 14 year old with a penis outranks an adult woman) was just rage-inducing. While I'm glad that the Dad agreed to be more supportive, he shouldn't have to be told to not encourage his children to mock and disrespect their mother. 

[sugarbaker design]

1 hour ago, Rockstar99435 said:

This episode made me sad. Peggy's life makes me sad. Everything she does, all her hard work, is ignored or dismissed by her family. They actively make more work for her and mock her to her face. And even people outside her family dismiss and disrespect her. I know her license was fake, but the cop asking if he needed to call her husband and then letting Joey drive (because a 14 year old with a penis outranks an adult woman) was just rage-inducing. While I'm glad that the Dad agreed to be more supportive, he shouldn't have to be told to not encourage his children to mock and disrespect their mother. 

Welcome to the world of a 70s housewife!  It's no wonder Valium was a best seller!

[Cowgirl]

We got another fun new pairing this episode -- Frank and Joey, albeit with Peg there too. And Joey and Pat.  I laughed at Pat's joy in teaching himself farming.  Joey was so patient and didn't yell at  him (that we saw, anyway).  

Peg and her dog sedative!  Yikes, but LOL! Poor Bosco finally got a heartfelt "Good dog!" from her. 

I forgot to look for Eddie's bald spot throughout the episode after the first look.  I'll have to re-watch. 

Joey had a can of Hi-C at the table when he ratted out his mom, but no glass.  I thought she was going to yell at him for that. If I recall correctly, it seems like William had some sort of nostalgic 70's snack at the top of the episode, but I can't remember what.  

[2727]

I liked the rare callback that there is a baby in the house, and that Peggy told William to watch him when she went out this time. She doesn't automatically make Lawrence do everything.

Laughed at Peggy and Mike acknowledging to each other that mocking their kids is a game between them.

I'm not sure I'm supposed to be identifying with any of the kids, but I do with William and his bookish, limelight shunning ways.

It's a good thing I'm not acquainted with the creator because I'd constantly be asking him which plot points really happened and wanting to meet each of the brothers to size up how well their personalities compare to the show.

[Chaos Theory]

This may be in the running for least favorite episode of the season.   I think I have a theory.  Mom can be mean but when everyone is mean to mom it makes me feel weird.

Although I did like Lawrence's joke about why Peggy likes the peacock,  "They're beautiful but they're mean.  Yeah that tracks."

The x-ray glasses were hillarous.  

Edited March 27, 2019 by Chaos Theory

[ItCouldBeWorse]

9 hours ago, Yeah No said:

Wouldn't there be more serious repercussions for having someone else take a driving test for you and then driving with a false license? 

One would think.  Plus, could you just show up any time at the DMV and take a driving test?

8 hours ago, OnceAgain said:

Cutting off a cast?!? 

Replacing it is going to cost extra.  At least he got the shirt off so Peggy can return it.

1 hour ago, Cowgirl said:

Joey had a can of Hi-C at the table when he ratted out his mom, but no glass. 

Then Eddie took the same can out and poured some into a glass.

1 hour ago, 2727 said:

I liked the rare callback that there is a baby in the house, and that Peggy told William to watch him when she went out this time. She doesn't automatically make Lawrence do everything.

It's often Eddie who's holding the baby, but last episode it was William who was expected to change him before the parents returned.

[Snow Apple]

13 minutes ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

One would think.  Plus, could you just show up any time at the DMV and take a driving test?

I'm not sure about nowadays but yes you can decades ago. At least in my Midwestern state. In fact, the second I got my permit, they asked if I wanted to try taking the drivers test 😲. I was over 18 so I don't know if that made a difference. It was also a rare slow day so maybe they were bored.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

6 hours ago, Snow Apple said:

I'm not sure about nowadays but yes you can decades ago. At least in my Midwestern state. In fact, the second I got my permit, they asked if I wanted to try taking the drivers test 😲. I was over 18 so I don't know if that made a difference. It was also a rare slow day so maybe they were bored.

Nowadays, on the East Coast, you need to make an appointment well in advance for the driving test (as well as for the learner's permit exam.)

Edited March 28, 2019 by ItCouldBeWorse

[biakbiak]

2 hours ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

Nowadays, on the East Coast, you need to make an appointment well in advance for the exam (as well as for the learner's permit exam.)

You have to in California as well but it’s mostly due to restricted hours and fewer DMVs so it’s possible it was different In the 70s. You didn’t used to have to make an appointment for every single thing which you now have to if you don’t want to wait for hours.

Edited March 28, 2019 by biakbiak

[Yeah No]

5 hours ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

Nowadays, on the East Coast, you need to make an appointment well in advance for the driving test (as well as for the learner's permit exam.)

It was like that back in the '70s in NYC when I took my driving test too.  Also, NY didn't get photo licenses until 1984 - In California it was 1958!

[CountryGirl]

LOL at "Dr" Joey handing over his license to the cop. And the cop buying it.

Of course they got "The Duce" to guest-star on the show and I loved it.

Pat continues to be absolutely adorable.

Timmy and Will's duet was pretty good.

I enjoyed the scene with Joey and Peg at the end where he let her know he was proud of her for getting her license. It was a rare moment where Joey and Peg both dropped their normal go-to attitudes (too cool for school and pure snark, respectively). 

[Angeltoes]

Danny Bonaduce is a few months older than I am.  I cheerfully go through life convincing myself that I am still 16.  Then I see a peer like Danny, who is obviously middle-aged, and the teenager in me screams,"Nooooooo!"

Peggy:  Let's go, Frank, your brother's going to teach you how to apologize to girls.  It's a skill you're going to need.

Edited March 28, 2019 by Angeltoes

[libgirl2]

18 hours ago, Cowgirl said:

We got another fun new pairing this episode -- Frank and Joey, albeit with Peg there too. And Joey and Pat.  I laughed at Pat's joy in teaching himself farming.  Joey was so patient and didn't yell at  him (that we saw, anyway).  

I don't think Joey is as cold hearted as he portrays himself. 

[Ilovepie]

On 3/27/2019 at 8:17 AM, OnceAgain said:

Cutting off a cast?!? 

I seriously averted my eyes - that could have gone so wrong!

What on earth was Peg's problem with turning left?!? I would have thought it would have been being asked to parallel park. I'm 46 and I still can't do it.......

[geauxaway]

Not gonna lie, I will drive a mile past a gas station on the left to go to one on the right.  

I’m going to be sad when little Pat hits his growth spurt in real life.  He’s just so preciously cute!  Same thing happened with Dewey on Malcom in the Middle.  I know it’s how life works, but still 😔

[Carmel Cub]

On 3/27/2019 at 9:19 AM, libgirl2 said:

Very funny episode! So Joey is a doctor now?? Loved how the police officer didn't bat an eye when he showed him is ID and then let him drive. 

I was hoping that Joey's fake ID would show that he was a priest to track with last week's episode.  

Edited March 28, 2019 by Carmel Cub

[shura]

18 hours ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

Nowadays, on the East Coast, you need to make an appointment well in advance for the driving test (as well as for the learner's permit exam.)

Depends where on the East Coast, I guess. Here in New Hampshire you just show up for your written test with no appointment, and if you go early enough, chances are that they will have slots the same day for a driving test (that you do need an appointment for, technically).

1 hour ago, Carmel Cub said:

I was hoping that Joey's fake ID would show that he was a priest to track with last week's episode.  

Did his license show his occupation for some reason? Or did he just call himself a doctor and the cop bought it? Anyway, I'm sure Joey has IDs for all occasions. Maybe he felt this was more of a doctor situation rather than a Father one.

Mike: "Did Helen take the driving test for you?" - Peg, without missing a bit: "After all these years, are you really surprised by anything that woman does?" 

[biakbiak]

1 hour ago, Carmel Cub said:

was hoping that Joey's fake ID would show that he was a priest to track with last week's episode.  

But the point of dressing up like a priest was so that he wouldn’t need a fake ID.

[StatisticalOutlier]

20 hours ago, Snow Apple said:

21 hours ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

Plus, could you just show up any time at the DMV and take a driving test?

I'm not sure about nowadays but yes you can decades ago. At least in my Midwestern state.

Definitely decades ago.  I got my Texas driver's license in 1973, and added a motorcycle endorsement a year or so after that, and both times I just showed up.  (For the motorcycle test, I had to bring someone who would drive the examiner in the car behind me riding the motorcycle; fortunately, they didn't ask who drove the motorcycle there.)

Then about 10 years ago, I was upgrading my driver's license to cover vehicles over 26,000 pounds, and we just showed up there one day at 8:00 a.m. with a giant RV and they gave both Mr. Outlier and me the written test and driving test, and two hours later we drove off with our new credentials.  (Again, fortunately they didn't ask who drove the RV there.)

But it has changed since then, and now, all driving tests have to be scheduled in advance.  But it's been a fairly recent change (and it makes me miss the simpler times of yore).

.

5 hours ago, Angeltoes said:

Danny Bonaduce is a few months older than I am.  I cheerfully go through life convincing myself that I am still 16.  Then I see a peer like Danny, who is obviously middle-aged, and the teenager in me screams,"Nooooooo!"

I don't want to start an off-topic debate (especially because what constitutes middle-aged is a bit of a fluid concept) and I don't want to the be the bearer of bad news, but I'll gently suggest that you might reconsider the "obviously" in your statement.  I speak as a person a mere two years older than you and Danny.

[Cowgirl]

I kept thinking that Peg was going to ask the name of Joey's fake ID guy (he has a "guy" for everything!) so she could procure his services. 

[festivus]

On 3/28/2019 at 1:41 AM, Yeah No said:

It was like that back in the '70s in NYC when I took my driving test too.  Also, NY didn't get photo licenses until 1984 - In California it was 1958!

So they did have photo licenses. I was wondering about that. I live in Tennessee and we didn't have them till the mid 80s. My first license was paper.

I knew the line about Timmy in the well was coming. I laughed anyway. All the boys got some good stuff in this one. I continue to adore Pat.

[lb60]

On 3/27/2019 at 9:26 AM, sigmaforce86 said:

And I hate to say it but I sympathize with Peggy, I plan my routes to make the least left turns possible especially if I know it's at a corner with no traffic lights (I call those unassisted lefts). 

I grew up at the shore, and you never, EVER, made a left hand turn in the summer. That was for the shoobies who had no idea what they were doing. In the winter, I didn't matter, since the population went down by about 90% come Labor Day. Now I don't like to make lefts because my turn signal has a mind of its own and usually decides not to work. I can just hear the people behind me cursing me out. lol

Good episode.

I did enjoy Peggy saying she would beat Mike with the baby if he woke him up. Poor baby Andy.