S01.E13: Miracle on 123rd Street

[Trini]

Next episode description (1.13):

Quote

"Miracle on 123rd Street" - Miles is shocked when the God Account sends him 76 simultaneous friend suggestions. Also, Ali moves in with Miles while her apartment is being fumigated, and Rakesh receives surprising news at work, on GOD FRIENDED ME, Sunday, Jan. 13 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

[stonehaven]

I liked this episode..and loved Miles' dad's reason for being hesitant on going forward in a relationship.  I am really getting to like that part of the show the most....and I thought it was weird that the God Account would be okay with blackmail....yeah..huh..still, no episode for next week? Shucks...

[shapeshifter]

My daughter and her neighbors have been going through something similar with their building, but even if it did have historic landmark status, the new owners aren't tearing it down. Instead, they're subdividing apartments and tripling the rents. For those with protected, rent-control leases, they're just making it miserable by doing construction in the middle of the night and giving short term leases to loud party goers. 

I dozed off during a commercial. What's this about blackmail?

[KaveDweller]

23 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

My daughter and her neighbors have been going through something similar with their building, but even if it did have historic landmark status, the new owners aren't tearing it down. Instead, they're subdividing apartments and tripling the rents. For those with protected, rent-control leases, they're just making it miserable by doing construction in the middle of the night and giving short term leases to loud party goers. 

I dozed off during a commercial. What's this about blackmail?

The guy who owned the building had committed fraud to cover up the historical status and was going to throw his daughter under the bus if it came out. So that gave her the guts to stand up to him, and she blackmailed him to buy the building and let the tenants stay.

[Yeah No]

Once again, another episode that touched me personally in several different ways that defy logic.  It almost makes me think the God account is working on ME.

There was a meaning to this episode that it didn't even utilize that would have made the plot amazing, and that's that the book about the Little Red Lighthouse not only saved this apartment building, but it saved the lighthouse itself.  Back in 1951 the lighthouse was slated for demolition, but thanks to the popularity of Hildegarde Swift's book there was a public outcry, and because of the letters thousands of children wrote in protest, the Lighthouse was saved.  So it appears that a book about how this little lighthouse regains its pride when it finds out it still has an important job to do actually does yet another important job by saving its author's building in this episode.  

I've known about the lighthouse all my life and I owned that book as a child.  My husband grew up only a few blocks from it and it was a part of his life too.

You can't just visit it any time you want, like Miles and Cara did.  It only opens to visitors a few times a year for prearranged group tours.

My best friend was renting in Brooklyn a few years ago when she and everyone in her building had to leave because the owners were selling it.  I remember they gave her 2 months to move, which I thought was too short notice, but the law in NY allows only 30 days for people renting month to month, so they were actually being generous.  In the case of leases, I've read that the owner has to allow the renters to stay to the end of their lease, but I'm not sure about that.  Given that this was a pre-war building where people lived for many decades, I'm sure at least some of them would be protected by rent control and other laws that would make it very difficult for anyone to force them to move.  So I don't even think they needed to bring up its potential landmark qualification.  Still, another great episode!

[andromeda331]

I like that Miles's dad's reason for not wanting to the farm wasn't what you'd think. That it was too soon for him. I love that they were able to save the tenants and help the brother and sister. 

[Trini]

Seriously, the clothes on this show, y'all:

-----

Well, I'll start out with the one thing I didn't like: Why all the breakups?? We hardly saw or knew anything about Dee, and now she's gone. Was the actress not available anymore?

I loved everything else, though. Had a big smile on my face at the end!

Thought the solution the friend suggestion problem was interesting and unexpected.

So now we can check off the 'posing as a couple' romance trope; I see you show!

I knew about the Little Red Lighthouse, but apparently I didn't know that you could actually walk up to it. I thought it was in a slightly different location. Pretty sure they don't let the public go in it, though. Nice use of a NYC landmark.

Interesting twist with Rakesh. But now he and Miles won't have desks next to each other any more! And I assume that his new position will take up more of his time? (Realistically it should, but I know this is TV.) I'm also guessing that this leads to meeting Simon Hayes at some point later.

Nice to see an update on Arthur and Trish. Although I side-eyeing 'owning a farm upstate' bit. I'm just not sure it fits everything else we know about her? But that's a minor nitpick.

[Empress1]

9 hours ago, Yeah No said:

In the case of leases, I've read that the owner has to allow the renters to stay to the end of their lease, but I'm not sure about that.

My friend and her husband had to move out of their Brooklyn apartment after the owner sold the building and they could stay until the end of their lease, which if I recall correctly (this was maybe a year and a half ago) was three months. I think the new owner was planning to do the luxury condo thing, which was out of reach for them. I've also known people who had to move when their buildings went co-op and they couldn't afford to buy.

I'd bet that some of the older tenants who had lived in the building their whole lives and thus have rent-controlled apartments would be able to stay. My grandmother lived in her apartment for 30-some years and the landlord never messed with her but when she died, the rent on her place quadrupled (small 2 bed, 2 bath in Flatbush). NYC renting is such a minefield. That apartment Miles and Cara looked at was gorgeous. (Miles's place is nice too.)

[MissLucas]

11 hours ago, stonehaven said:

I liked this episode..and loved Miles' dad's reason for being hesitant on going forward in a relationship.  I am really getting to like that part of the show the most....and I thought it was weird that the God Account would be okay with blackmail....yeah..huh..still, no episode for next week? Shucks...

Well, dude was about to throw his daughter under the bus for making some money so I suspect God won't mind a whiff of Old Testament. 

9 hours ago, Yeah No said:

I've known about the lighthouse all my life and I owned that book as a child.  My husband grew up only a few blocks from it and it was a part of his life too.

You can't just visit it any time you want, like Miles and Cara did.  It only opens to visitors a few times a year for prearranged group tours.

I wondered about that - though I thought that it was a tourist attraction and Miles and Cara would never be able to just walk up there on their own without meeting a gaggle of teenagers or travel instagrammers hell-bent on getting a lighthouse-selfie.

Cute episode although you could hear Chekhov's gun going off the moment the nice old lady mentioned the famous author.

For a moment I thought the Reverend and Saxophon lady would run into a major stumbling block since she was not joining him in prayer (depending on your POV maybe she just left the Amen to him). But I like this less dramatic presentation of their situation - reluctance on both sides but willingness to go ahead after talking things through.  I always wanted a bit more brother-sister bonding but not at the expense of yet another broken relationship - yeah, what's up with that?

[totallyrosalie]

Miles and Cara have NO chemistry. I’m not sure why they’re pushing them so hard. Actually, they should recast Cara. She’s horrible.

[Yeah No]

I actually think Violet Beane is one of the best actors on this show.  Her facial expressions are amazingly believable.  When she was handed the gift in this episode I thought she looked genuinely touched.  I even commented on it to my husband.

And I think Cara and Miles have chemistry galore.

[Empress1]

7 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

And I think Cara and Miles have chemistry galore.

I agree but I think a big part of it is that Brandon Michael Hall is so charismatic, he has chemistry with everyone. I thought he had it with Nia too (although moreso with Cara).

[Trini]

BTW, I did a little investigating into CBS' scheduling, and it looks like the show will be off for the next four(4!) weeks. (It's being replaced by reality shows, football, and the Grammys)

[12catcrazy]

3 hours ago, Trini said:

BTW, I did a little investigating into CBS' scheduling, and it looks like the show will be off for the next four(4!) weeks. (It's being replaced by reality shows, football, and the Grammys)

NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!  This and Dateline are about the only shows I look forward to watching.  

[Lisa418722]

No!!  I don't want it to be off for the next four weeks.  Somewhere along the way this became one of the few TV shows I watch live instead of DVR. 

[tennisgurl]

Four weeks?! Nooooo! This is my TV comfort food! 

Another cute episode, with lots of sweet and touching moments. Fun character interactions, likable guest characters, and many, many Feels. The most surprising thing to me was that this episode did kind of have a "villain" to an extent, more so than most episodes do. But even then, the dad was hardly around, and it was mostly about the siblings coming back together, and this nice community of tenets coming together to keep their home. That apartment was lovely, I am in love with those curving staircases and black and white floors! No wonder everyone wanted to live there! Glad that things worked out, and how it was all tied in with the lighthouse. This show is so predictable in some ways (as soon as the older lady mentioned the author, I knew that would come into play) but I didnt see it connecting with the lighthouse until they saw the historical landmark sign there. I also like that they built a plot point around a more little known but really cool bit of New York, something that you dont see much on TV. New York is one of the most common places to set stories in the US, so I am always impressed when shows find something new to focus on. 

Cara and Miles got the "posing as a couple for a mission" plot out of the way fast, huh? Even got the nice older lady saying what a cute couple they are. And they really do look great together, and they have really nice chemistry. 

Word on loving the clothes on this show! They look great, but also like clothes that normal people might wear, and are seasonally appropriate. 

Liked the twist as to why Arthur wasn't moving as fast with saxophone lady. I like the way all that played out, with both of them talking honestly, and moving forward. I also dont blame the God Account for being cool with the daughter kind of black mailing her dad. Not only was he throwing his tenets out on short notice, he was committing fraud, AND he was going to let his own daughter possibly take the fall! 

Next time I get to New York, I totally want to stop by the lighthouse! I can take a group tour, I love a good group tour :) 

Edited January 15, 2019 by tennisgurl

[shapeshifter]

3 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

Next time I get to New York, I totally want to stop by the lighthouse! I can take a group tour, I love a good group tour :) 

I have a daughter in New York, but I fly her to my apartment in a quiet place on Lake Michigan. I don't like New York. 
But you have just given me a vision of how I might like it. 

 

ETA: https://historichousetrust.org/house/little-red-lighthouse/

Edited January 15, 2019 by shapeshifter

[jhlipton]

On 1/13/2019 at 7:14 PM, shapeshifter said:

My daughter and her neighbors have been going through something similar with their building, but even if it did have historic landmark status, the new owners aren't tearing it down. Instead, they're subdividing apartments and tripling the rents.

Getting historical landmark status isn't quick and isn't guaranteed, even if "a famous author lived here".  What's more, the owner can make changes as long as they don't disrupt the historic part.

On 1/13/2019 at 8:10 PM, Yeah No said:

You can't just visit it any time you want, like Miles and Cara did.  It only opens to visitors a few times a year for prearranged group tours.

TV show landmarks -- rarely have anyone other than the main characters!

[Brian Cronin]

On 1/14/2019 at 4:03 AM, Trini said:

Well, I'll start out with the one thing I didn't like: Why all the breakups?? We hardly saw or knew anything about Dee, and now she's gone. Was the actress not available anymore?

Nice to see an update on Arthur and Trish. Although I side-eyeing 'owning a farm upstate' bit. I'm just not sure it fits everything else we know about her? But that's a minor nitpick.

I think the elimination of Dee was for one of three reasons:

1. The actress was no longer available

2. They felt that they had enough actors already that are stretching to get plots (like the dad's plots often get short shrift), so they would have no room for giving Dee anything to do, as well

3. They want the sister single for dating plots (lots of shows hate having characters in committed relationships for that reason) 

Luckily, we barely saw Dee, so it wasn't a huge loss to lose her.

And yes, the "I own a farm upstate that I rarely go to" - what the what? 

And also yes, the episode was still adorable. :)

[Trini]

1 hour ago, Brian Cronin said:

3. They want the sister single for dating plots (lots of shows hate having characters in committed relationships for that reason) 

Disagree about this one; I think they needed Dee so at least one character could have 'committed relationship' plots, since literally everyone else is single and has dating plots already.

[mythoughtis]

Dee is probably gone because she’s not an integral part of the show and TPTB wanted to increase the Miles’ sister’s role in the show.  Being single gives her more time to be involved in the activities.  

I don’t see what the father did as fraud. Ruthless and uncaring, yes.  If the building wasn’t an already declared landmark, then making changes to it wouldn’t be illegal.   Now once you get it declared, then yes you have to meet historical landmark conditions to renovate, etc.  Unless New York laws say you have to apply for historical landmark status every single time you find out an old building has some historical  connection?  

Edited January 20, 2019 by mythoughtis

[Yeah No]

So I happened to look at this article about how the Little Red Lighthouse was saved by the children's book of the same name, and saw in the lower left hand corner about 3/4 of the way down the page a photo and link to an article on the same site about how a poem by Marianne Moore, the 20th century poet, saved a rare tree in Brooklyn.  This would not be that significant if not for the fact that one of my best friends is a close relative of Marianne Moore, plus I had already introduced him to this show because I knew he would LOVE it (and he does).  And the article about Moore mentions the lighthouse too.  So the spooky interrelatedness involving this show in my life continues.  You can't make this stuff up.

Edited January 20, 2019 by Yeah No

[Aliconehead]

2 hours ago, mythoughtis said:

Dee is probably gone because she’s not an integral part of the show and TPTB wanted to increase the Miles’ sister’s role in the show.  Being single gives her more time to be involved in the activities.  

I don’t see what the father did as fraud. Ruthless and uncaring, yes.  If the building wasn’t an already declared landmark, then making changes to it wouldn’t be illegal.   Now once you get it declared, then yes you have to meet historical landmark conditions to renovate, etc.  Unless New York laws say you have to apply for historical landmark status every single time you find out an old building has some historical  connection?  

The fraud was that he used the daughters name instead of his own.  The changes were not done in good faith. He knew that the building had historical significant and if some one challenged him, he did not want his name on anything. That is fraud

[mythoughtis]

34 minutes ago, Aliconehead said:

The fraud was that he used the daughters name instead of his own.  The changes were not done in good faith. He knew that the building had historical significant and if some one challenged him, he did not want his name on anything. That is fraud

I don’t think he used his daughters name fraudulently. They were co-owners.  She didn’t know it had historical significance, and may be wouldn’t have signed off if she did.  But she did sign her name herself.  She was mad afterwards because of the historical significance.  But again- the building did not have historical landmark status. That is something you have to apply for, it’s not automatically given to buildings over a certain age. He was allowed to do whatever he wanted to remodel or even demolish it. Which is what the new owners planned on doing.   It wasn’t illegal.  He was under no obligation to tell his daughter either. Although bad publicity would have resulted from it had it become public about the writer and that would have been on his daughters head because of her signature.  He wasn’t a particularly nice man, but he didn’t commit a crime. 

Edited January 20, 2019 by mythoughtis

[Trini]

3 hours ago, mythoughtis said:

Dee is probably gone because she’s not an integral part of the show and TPTB wanted to increase the Miles’ sister’s role in the show.  Being single gives her more time to be involved in the activities.  

Yeah, Dee wasn't a big part of the show so I get why she's gone; but I don't think it had much to do with Ali's storylines, though. 

[Yeah No]

8 minutes ago, Trini said:

Yeah, Dee wasn't a big part of the show so I get why she's gone; but I don't think it had much to do with Ali's storylines, though. 

On this show things and people seem to be manipulated for plot related reasons that may not be apparent to the audience yet.  Dee may come up in a later episode, such as they reconcile, or Ali is going to meet someone new.  Of course whatever happens the God account will figure into it somehow.

[KaveDweller]

On 1/20/2019 at 3:53 PM, mythoughtis said:

I don’t think he used his daughters name fraudulently. They were co-owners.  She didn’t know it had historical significance, and may be wouldn’t have signed off if she did.  But she did sign her name herself.  She was mad afterwards because of the historical significance.  But again- the building did not have historical landmark status. That is something you have to apply for, it’s not automatically given to buildings over a certain age. He was allowed to do whatever he wanted to remodel or even demolish it. Which is what the new owners planned on doing.   It wasn’t illegal.  He was under no obligation to tell his daughter either. Although bad publicity would have resulted from it had it become public about the writer and that would have been on his daughters head because of her signature.  He wasn’t a particularly nice man, but he didn’t commit a crime. 

I was wondering about this too, but maybe it would be fraud if the new owners asked about whether there was any risk to the plans to demolish or any potential historical status?

He's allowed to do whatever he wants to his own building, but when you are selling someone a building you have to disclose certain things.

[SnarkySheep]

On a side note, the actress playing Cara's mom guest starred as Dylan's mom on Modern Family last week...so now I have no choice but to think of Cara and Dylan as long-lost siblings...

[Brian Cronin]

I love when shows raid Broadway for actors, since it gets you these fresh face older actors like Rachel Bay Jones. They "suddenly" start popping up everywhere in their late 40s! CBS does this a lot, naturally, since they mostly film in New York. 

[Yeah No]

6 hours ago, Brian Cronin said:

I love when shows raid Broadway for actors, since it gets you these fresh face older actors like Rachel Bay Jones. They "suddenly" start popping up everywhere in their late 40s! CBS does this a lot, naturally, since they mostly film in New York. 

Rachel Bay Jones' face is very familiar to me and I can't figure out why.  I even googled her and looked at her IMDB credits when I first saw her on this series to find out where I've seen her and I still can't place it.  I know I knew her from somewhere when she was young.