S04.E13: Lovebirds

[EarlGreyTea]

Quote

Things are thrown off track on Jonah and Amy's first Valentine's Day.

Pretty romantic episode all around. I still ship Dina and Garrett. Glenn stepping down as manager sets up the rest of the season's conflicts nicely. I'm not sure I want to see him as regular floor staff.

I love that Sandra buying gifts for herself a few seasons back has come full circle. Jerry showing up in disguise at the end was hilarious.

[Empress1]

I'm relatively new to this show so I don't know all their names yet, but when the birds were flying around and Sandra (is that right?) just stood there with her arms out, I howled.

[rhys]

Awww, poor Dina. I'm not a fan of birds but still. And Garrett giving her $17? Hilarious!

[Snapdragon]

Does anyone know why they aired the Valentine's Day episode now instead of, you know a month and a half ago?  I'd understand if they were just a week off but that's a pretty big delay, especially for a show that's in its fourth season.

[AnimeMania]

That was a lot of missing posters, at least one of them was a (not very good) drawing of a bird.

[possibilities]

I wonder if they'll bring in a new manager, or if they're planning to promote Dina, or what?

Edited March 29, 2019 by possibilities

[calguy]

21 minutes ago, possibilities said:

I wonder if they'll bring in a new manager, or if they're planning to promote Dina, or what?

Spoiler

There are some spoilers floating around that Amy gets the job.

[Aulty]

That was actually a pretty neat episode, best of the spring set so far, I'd say 🙂

I can't help liking everthing Amy/Jonah, they are cute and its nice to see Sandra happy for a change. Unfortunately the story put a damper on a happy-crazy Dinah/Garret relationship for the time being.

The funniest thing about Cheyenne's story was, that after 4.5 seasons of this show, seeing someone getting a tattoo in a store seemed absolutely normal 😉

[Melina22]

I laughed out loud every time they showed the tattoo. That was hysterical. 

I really, really hate Jerry's girlfriend. The one who isn't Sandra. The actress playing her does an amazing job of making her totally loathsome. 

I really like Amy and Jonah separately, and as friends but I find it hard to see them as a couple. I feel like something is missing. Perhaps it's because Amy seems permanently irritable. 

[rhys]

Does anyone have a screenshot of the completed back tat? TIA.

[SnarkEnthusiast]

Although it was hilarious, I don't like the bird twist because it's a ticking time bomb of dysfunction and conflict in the (inevitably short-lived) Dina/Garrett reunion, and they're supposed to be the wacky beta couple that makes you feel good without drama! it was a bit of a wet blanket on their surprise sexual reunion. I get why it was played for comedy, but I was hoping it would involve some feelings this time around and be a little…sexier. I did laugh at "not taking my clothes off makes me hornier." "That's new. Hot." 

Welp, Amy/Jonah said I love you and it had about as much emotional resonance as a soggy bowl of oatmeal. Amy's anal joylessness just seems to make Jonah perpetually sullen and it really hurts big milestones like this because they're never given the breathing room to have fun together without Amy shitting on it. I'm less and less convinced and entertained by them as a couple every week, which is unfortunate because they're obviously endgame.

Sandra is the MVP of every plot she gets. And for once, Cheyenne and Mateo were actually funny together.

[iMonrey]

As an animal lover I actually felt for Dina. I mean, imagine if she were a cat person and had a dozen cats and suddenly they were all gone. I can't help but feel the loss is palpable. Shows what a sucker I am for pets.

That said, some of the birds would have been mighty expensive. One was a macaw and they cost upwards of $1000. Maybe more. I wouldn't think someone living on a "Cloud 9" salary could afford one. 

Also? I don't think you can get Takis in St. Louis. I have never seen them in my life, and the only reason I know they exist is because I've seen them on TV shows, so I suspect they are a coastal thing. Maybe they are available in the midwest, but I have never seen them in any grocery store I have ever been to nor in any vending machine I have ever used.

[Kroliosis]

1 hour ago, rhys said:

Does anyone have a screenshot of the completed back tat? TIA.

That was amazing - it reminded me of the Babadook picture.😂😂

[chaifan]

15 hours ago, Empress1 said:

I'm relatively new to this show so I don't know all their names yet, but when the birds were flying around and Sandra (is that right?) just stood there with her arms out, I howled.

I thought for a second that they were all going to land on Sandra.  I actually wish that's what happened - I felt bad that they all got out of the store. 

[Melina22]

10 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

Also? I don't think you can get Takis in St. Louis

What are they? Some kind of chips? 

[proserpina65]

2 minutes ago, Melina22 said:

What are they? Some kind of chips? 

They're rolled corn tortilla chips dusted with different flavors.  I've seen them in stores here in NE MD, but not in vending machines.

I hope Dina finds her birds.  I can imagine how devastated she must be.

[AnnieHeights]

11 minutes ago, Kroliosis said:

That was amazing - it reminded me of the Babadook picture.😂😂

This!  The Babadook back tattoo made the whole episode for me!  Cheyenne cracked me up!!    

[scarynikki12]

Target sells Takis, but I don’t know if they have them in all the stores. 

[vibeology]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

That said, some of the birds would have been mighty expensive. One was a macaw and they cost upwards of $1000. Maybe more. I wouldn't think someone living on a "Cloud 9" salary could afford one. 

I've always assumed Dina rescues some of these birds because otherwise the cost is unbelievable. Macaws live so long that she could easily be owner number two.

I felt horrible for her and am shocked the show didn't reverse this. I know Dina is a crazy bird lady but she still loves them and they were cared for with her. Some of those birds are doomed in February in St. Louis. For me, that really dragged down the episode, though the tattoo was hilarious and Glenn stepping away from management is an interesting turn.

[VartanFan]

It was cold killing off the birds.  

[tennisgurl]

I hope Dina can find her birds. As a pet lover, I felt for her and her horror about losing her pets. 

Everything about the tattoo plot was hilarious, and I love how no one even seems to notice or care anymore that someone is doing a home tattoo right in the middle of the store. I guess you get used to it after awhile. 

Sandra just putting her arms up to try and stop the birds! Sandra is the best, and I love that she and Jerry are a thing again! I hope that the birds come back and attack his other awful girlfriend. 

When Jonah and Amy are on the same page they really are quite cute, but they fight so often, it can be hard to be into them sometimes. Amy always seems annoyed with him (and everyone, but he is the only one she is also dating) even when they are trying to do couple stuff. 

[calguy]

3 hours ago, iMonrey said:

Also? I don't think you can get Takis in St. Louis. I have never seen them in my life, and the only reason I know they exist is because I've seen them on TV shows, so I suspect they are a coastal thing

They have them in stores here in Calgary so I fairly confident you'll be able them in-store. 

[iMonrey]

Quote

I felt horrible for her and am shocked the show didn't reverse this. I know Dina is a crazy bird lady but she still loves them and they were cared for with her. Some of those birds are doomed in February in St. Louis. 

Yeah, most of the birds we could see are tropical and will not survive in "the wild." Not only is the climate too cold for them in St. Louis but they are domesticated birds and don't know how to forage for food. Hopefully people will find them in their yards and such and turn them in.

Of course, it was ridiculous for Dina to bring them to work in the first place. She said they were suffering from separation anxiety but given how they were all clustered together they had tons of company in one another. I think that was likely Dina's imagination.

They should also have had their wings clipped. Any bird owner, especially one with as many as Dina, would know you trim their flight feathers. It prevents this very problem (they can still flow down, or fly low, but they can't fly away like that). It doesn't hurt them and they grow back.

[theatremouse]

5 hours ago, VartanFan said:

It was cold killing off the birds.  

I immediately wondered if they'd all definitely die given they're tropical and this happened in February in St. Louis, or if they might be capable of flying somewhere like Dallas (and from there perhaps somewhere in South America) without freezing to death first. There are flocks of parrots all over California so if they lived somewhere warmer...or could get somewhere warmer fast enough, I think they're not necessarily doomed? But I have no idea the types of distances those birds might travel.

[ae2]

People know this show isn't real, right? 😁

[Skyfall]

23 hours ago, Snapdragon said:

Does anyone know why they aired the Valentine's Day episode now instead of, you know a month and a half ago?  I'd understand if they were just a week off but that's a pretty big delay, especially for a show that's in its fourth season.

Unexpected midseason break? This show wasn’t airing in February.

[juliet73]

That tattoo was everything! And Dina screaming in the parking lot at Amy and Jonah to "stop scissoring and help find my birds!" was hilarious! I love Dina! Also, I loved when she told the employee with the mop that he was going to have to clean the women's bathroom in 3 minutes because she was going to be sick from listening to Sandra talk about her and Jerry's love life. 😂

[possibilities]

I love how even though Dina said she found it sickening, she nevertheless was 100% going to keep Sandra's and Jerry's secret.

[parrotlover]

I’ve waited a few days to say anything about this episode because it upset me. Obviously, see my avatar, I love birds/parrots. Have had birds for over 40 years I started young :) Anyway, after the escape, I fully expected Dina to get her birds back somehow by the end of the episode.  But that didn’t happen. I feel like this was a cruel plot point because Dina obviously loved her birds, and in reality, escaped parrots stand very little chance of surviving in the wild between weather, predators, and finding food. Yes  I know it wasn’t real, and  doing this set up the plot with Garrett. Don’t care. 

I have watched this show from the first episode and love it. It doesn’t get much attention or press but it’s like the little show that just keeps going. But after the disgusting episode where Matteo beat the crow to death that was living in the store and that Dina was fond of, I can only believe  the writers of this show have a problem with animals, and especially birds. I really thought at that time, that episode would get complaints from animal rights groups but never heard anything.  Guess not many watch it.

I hope Dina will find some of the birds in a future episode but not expecting it. 

[Texasmom1970]

So happy for Sandra. Going to cheer when his awful girlfriend finds out!

[Giuseppe]

On 3/29/2019 at 12:31 AM, Snapdragon said:

Does anyone know why they aired the Valentine's Day episode now instead of, you know a month and a half ago?  I'd understand if they were just a week off but that's a pretty big delay, especially for a show that's in its fourth season.

Because the show didn't come back from it's pre-holidays winter break until March.

The back tattoo had me dying. As did Cheyenne's increasing panic over it.

[Irlandesa]

My favorite thing about the episode was when Carol reminded us of the series of episodes when Sandra pretended to be dating Jeff.  I want to rewatch season 2 because this show was on fire.

[Corgi-ears]

On 3/29/2019 at 11:26 PM, rhys said:

Does anyone have a screenshot of the completed back tat? TIA.

[Jaded]

Even though I'm not a bird person I thought having Dina loose all of her's like that was awful, sad and careless. There were a multitude of other ways they could have put a kink in Dina and Garrett's road to a potentially real relationship. They could of had one or two of the birds escape and get stuck in the store before Garrett and Jonah could get the giant cage shut again. Having that many birds escape and actually make it out of the store in wintertime weather was horrific. It made it kind of hard to get into the rest of the episode due to being kinda in shock that they actually did that especially by the end since it seems like those birds are gone for forever.

[BetyBee]

It is rather horrific that the birds all flew off, but I would venture to guess that we're not supposed to assume that they are dead, just written out of the story for some reason.  I don't know that their caged life in Dina's little apartment was a dream come true for them.  I can't imagine that being transported to work for no good reason was a picnic either.  It seemed to me that what she mistook for separation anxiety may have been meant to turn out to be a desire to be free.  I don't know how birds think, but neither do the writers.  When Dina invited herself along with Amy and Jonah, I think she was realizing that she too has more freedom now, without her ridiculous number of birds to care for.  There are real life parrots that have adapted to year round life in Chicago.  I prefer to think that this is comedy (and fiction) and that Dina's birds are off to a better life.  Maybe that's why she failed to clip their wings.  

[Kip Hackman]

On 3/29/2019 at 11:39 PM, Skyfall said:

Unexpected midseason break? This show wasn’t airing in February.

Basically, NBC wanted to prop up Brooklyn 99's ratings, so they gave it a "Titan Games"  lead-in (instead of Superstore/AP Bio) for a couple of months. It worked for a little while. 

Good episode. I lol'd at every version of that tattoo. 

Still not invested in Amy/Jonah, but I appreciate the fact that the show is taking the Office/Jim/Pam approach with them: We rarely see them as a couple outside Cloud 9, and their romantic relationship is mostly hinted at during workplace conversations. 

[fishcakes]

It was so great how every time Jerry did something for Sandra for Valentine's Day, we'd see Carol being smug about how sad it was that Sandra was faking all this. Imagine our collective schadenfreude when Carol finds out Jerry hates her and is leaving her for Sandra. On the other hand, Carol is probably psychotic so things might get kind of messy.

That tattoo! The top hat repeatedly getting longer killed me. The final version must have been Cheyenne's third try at the face.

This show and The Office have some of the same writers and it's usually not so obvious, but I thought Garrett releasing Dina's birds was essentially a rerun of Dwight kills Angela's cat story arc. I don't know if I mind yet; I guess it depends on what they do with the story and how closely it follows Dwight and Angela's.

Genuine LOL at giant box of heart-shaped chocolates picking up his prescription.

[Lovecat]

18 hours ago, fishcakes said:

Genuine LOL at giant box of heart-shaped chocolates picking up his prescription.

Which in my head, was something to treat an STD.  Because sometimes my head is a twisted place.

[AnimeMania]

2 hours ago, Lovecat said:

20 hours ago, fishcakes said:

Genuine LOL at giant box of heart-shaped chocolates picking up his prescription.

Which in my head, was something to treat an STD.  Because sometimes my head is a twisted place.

I keep imagining that when he showed his ID, it looked just like him.

[ally862]

I also felt horrible for Dina.  Lauren Ash completely sold the reaction when they flew out though.  I'm sure it was supposed to be played for laughs but put her doing the same exact thing in a drama and it would be gut wrenching.  Poor Dina.  Her babies.

[Aulty]

I get her devastation after loosing her birds, especially in the frame of the show. But on the other hand, I am really against keeping birds (and many other animals) in cages.

[msrachelj]

On 3/29/2019 at 12:34 PM, iMonrey said:

As an animal lover I actually felt for Dina. I mean, imagine if she were a cat person and had a dozen cats and suddenly they were all gone. I can't help but feel the loss is palpable. Shows what a sucker I am for pets.

That said, some of the birds would have been mighty expensive. One was a macaw and they cost upwards of $1000. Maybe more. I wouldn't think someone living on a "Cloud 9" salary could afford one. 

Also? I don't think you can get Takis in St. Louis. I have never seen them in my life, and the only reason I know they exist is because I've seen them on TV shows, so I suspect they are a coastal thing. Maybe they are available in the midwest, but I have never seen them in any grocery store I have ever been to nor in any vending machine I have ever used.

as another animal lover, i was sick for her also. she loved them like children and she never would have been doing any normal things (sex, eating, working etc) so the show has gotten that wrong. she should have been in a deep depression. sitcom or not. good teaching moment and we need more of them. this show already lost points for the crow murders.

and i have no idea what takis are and i'm not a big junk food eater, but i want to try one.

[msrachelj]

On 3/30/2019 at 7:01 PM, parrotlover said:

I’ve waited a few days to say anything about this episode because it upset me. Obviously, see my avatar, I love birds/parrots. Have had birds for over 40 years I started young 🙂 Anyway, after the escape, I fully expected Dina to get her birds back somehow by the end of the episode.  But that didn’t happen. I feel like this was a cruel plot point because Dina obviously loved her birds, and in reality, escaped parrots stand very little chance of surviving in the wild between weather, predators, and finding food. Yes  I know it wasn’t real, and  doing this set up the plot with Garrett. Don’t care. 

I have watched this show from the first episode and love it. It doesn’t get much attention or press but it’s like the little show that just keeps going. But after the disgusting episode where Matteo beat the crow to death that was living in the store and that Dina was fond of, I can only believe  the writers of this show have a problem with animals, and especially birds. I really thought at that time, that episode would get complaints from animal rights groups but never heard anything.  Guess not many watch it.

I hope Dina will find some of the birds in a future episode but not expecting it. 

i agree 100%. the crow show was disturbing and disgusting. not funny at all. what is wrong with some writers? sickening. this kind of "humor" needs to stop. there are horrible people out there who don't need to be able to feed their sick animal abusing minds.