S01.E10: New Jersey

[formerlyfreedom]

Quote

A year after Maya and Ainsley's blowup, the fractured friend group hopes that a wedding may be the perfect occasion for a reunion.

Season finale dropping on Hulu on Wednesday, September 11, 2019

[twoods]

I really liked the time jump and Kash walking through all the seasons like Hugh’s walk in Notting Hill. So happy he became a successful actor.

Ainsley was super annoying at first. I don’t know how Bryce could deal with her petty shit and he finally said something. Everyone seemed to have grown up in the past year while she regressed. At least she finally came to her senses and figured out it’s better to be happy than petty, and her making up with Maya was sweet. Loved the way she got Kash to crash the wedding.

Gemma and Duffy were so cute! I wasn’t expecting them to get married. Also loved Tony and Andrew (what little we saw of them). I’m glad that Craig gets to be a part of Molly’s life.

I am really going to miss this show and all the wonderful, yet flawed, characters. There needs to be more happy shows like this! I hope there’s a second season.

[Kiddvideo]

This felt like a book I didn’t like, but I flipped through the last 100 pages just to finish it. I liked most of the couples except Duffy/Gemma and Kash/Maya though I liked Kash as an individual. My favorite characters however were Basheer and Kash’s father and brother. Maybe we didn’t get to see their foilables which is why I found them appealing. I’d give another season with or without the same characters another try.

[Enero]

Finally caught up on all the episodes. This final episode was good, but IMO not as great at the previous.

I agree about Ainsley. I could understand her anger and hurt in the beginning. However her obsession which Kash and continuously freezing Maya out got old fast. I was also not feeling all of their other friends dissing Maya too and for over a year! I thought that was pretty extreme. I mean they weren’t even really talking to her on the downlow. They straight up ghosted her. 😕

Anyway, I’m glad it worked out in the end. Maya asking Ainsley to forgive her with the poster cards and them finally making up at the wedding made me teary-eyed and I NEVER get teary-eyed over TV shows. Lol.  NE and RR have such wonderful chemistry which makes for a very believable friendship between the characters. 

I was not expecting Gemma and Duffy to get married. Glad the latter finally grew up and the former significantly toned down the snobbery.

Love Tony/Andrew. It was a nice surprise seeing “Curtis” (NSJ), from Misfits again.

So happy Maya/Kash were finally able to get back together without the secrets and angst of before. I thought it was hilarious how Ainsley got him to the wedding.

They seemed to tie up all the relationships. No outstanding drama or angst. Everyone was happy and paired with the one they love. So I don’t know where they can take this in a 2nd season, unless they explore this with a new cast, which I would not want to see. 

I hope there is a 2nd season though. I’d love to see if the writers can keep this interesting. This show truly was a breath of fresh air. It’ll be a shame if it’s not renewed.  

Edited September 12, 2019 by Enero

[ichbin]

A fond homage is one thing, but the direct ripoffs from Notting Hill and Love, Actually were too much.  Lazy writing.

4 hours ago, Kiddvideo said:

This felt like a book I didn’t like, but I flipped through the last 100 pages just to finish it

OMG, yes!  Great description!  I love so many Richard Curtis movies.  This series missed on so many counts though.  

[jmonique]

I really enjoyed this show; it was perfect summer fodder. I didn't realize how much I enjoyed the show until I was waiting anxiously for it to load up on Hulu at midnight Eastern last night.

I found Ainsley's focus on Kash annoying, but understandable to an extent after she explored her feelings; he had humiliated her very, very publicly, and the wedding planning ripped those wounds back open. I did think everyone shunning Maya was straight-up high school, but unsurprising in a Mindy Kaling-led romcom. Another romcom aspect that made me happily roll my eyes: Andrew and Tony had no business flying to Jersey for that wedding, but I was glad to see more of them.

I thought the show did a fairly enjoyable job of flipping us through three years of these characters lives, even if Molly and Giles never really aged! Also, I found Ainsley's scheming and plotting to get Kash to the wedding hilarious ("That's why I'm calling, dipshit!"). Early stories about this show called it an anthology, but I do hope that they bring Rebecca Rittenhouse back.

Edited September 12, 2019 by jmonique

[tennisgurl]

I know this show has flaws and is frequently drenched in romantic comedy cliches...but I loved it so much. I love the flawed but likable characters, the unabashed romance of everything, and the obvious love that the people making this show have for rom coms. Its just such a fun show, and even with the more dramatic bits, its still got such a big gooey heart that it wears right on its sleeve. I started out rather meh on this show after watching the pilot, but I really came around on it, and I will miss it a lot now that its over, as happy as I am with the ending.

[geauxaway]

I totally teared up at the end.  I loved it from start to finish and hope it comes back!   

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Awwww, Maya's Love Actually signs made me cry.

I love that Maya hired Marcus and that he is so involved n her life and campaign that he was asking about Kash and telling the publicity people that her feet looked weird in certain photos.

Not everyone wants a big fancy wedding and that's okay, but I don't see why Ainsley not wanting a wedding had to equal not getting married at all. For the record, I have no issue with people being together without a piece of paper to make it legal. I just found it a little weird that Ainsley equated "don't need a perfect wedding to prove to everyone that I'm okay" with "let's never get married at all." You can still get married without a big fancy wedding. You just need an officiant and a witness to make it legal.

Fun fact: Dermot Mulroney really does play the cello (he played in the National Symphony Orchestra when he was in high school and with the symphony at Northwestern when he was in college). Various proof over the years:

Dermot Mulroney played cello on the score of two Mission: Impossible movies

Dermot Mulroney played on the Rogue One score

At an art class:

With the Boston Pops:

On the Rosie Show:

La Brea Tar Pits:

[jmonique]

I almost forgot the other part that made me actually laugh out loud: Duffy's exasperated, "Please sit down, dude. How many weddings do you have to ruin?"

[shipmate]

Ainsley and Bryce could have gotten married right there, just the 2 of them, since the minister showed up in the church. There's a huge difference between having a wedding and getting married.

I loved this show and hope it comes back!

[funnygirl]

Dermot Mulroney playing the cello was sexy. 

[DearEvette]

I think outside of the Love Chalet episode, this was probably the most genuinely amusing episode.  i laughed quite a bit at this one.  I loved the awkward exchange between Craig and Andrew who never spoke to each other before.  Also Basheer telling Kash he's exhausted because the baby only sleeps "12 hours a night."  Actually, every thing Bash does is comedy gold.  I liked Maya's bad-date date telling her he had nighttime meetings because they now have vampire clients.  Also cracked up at seeing Marcus working for Maya and their usual snarkiness is still in effect.  And of course snooty Gemma getting married in a VFW in New Jersey.  LOL.

This one also felt the most rom-comy of all the episodes, especially with Kash's Walk of Seasons (nicely done, btw) as a way to let us know how much time has passed!   Also the bad-date juxtaposition and the near-misses, the mad dash to get to the love of your romantic interest, complete with the traffic jam and all the people who implausibly showed up for the wedding. 

And yeah, this episode killed any sympathy I had for Ainsley initially.  Bryce (hey I finally remembered Dylan McD's name) was right that she was fixated on Kash.  While I think Ainsley being mad at Maya for so long makes sense, Craig and Duffy freezing out Maya is just ridiculous and makes lie out of the fact that the people are supposed to be such great friends.  Even if they did think Maya did a fucked up thing, just ghosting her like that is bullshit.  They are not acting like grown ass people.  Glad to see that everyone got their heads out of their asses.  And Ainsley redeemed herself nicely.

Overall  in the end it, I really enjoyed the episode and the whole season.  I feel like I I enjoyed everyone even when the were getting on my nerves.  I didn't dislike anyone which is refreshing.  Like everyone else has said, it is just nice to watch a season of a show like this that isn't trying to be angsty or gritty and is just a fun romance.  Also a HUGE thumbs up on the diversity across class, age, sexual orientation, race and ethnicity.

[TOWTooMuchTV]

On 9/11/2019 at 8:34 PM, ichbin said:

A fond homage is one thing, but the direct ripoffs from Notting Hill and Love, Actually were too much.  Lazy writing.

Maya's posters didn't bother me or feel like a ripoff because it was established from the start with the birthday party that Ainsley loves (or ironically loves?) rom coms, and then she did the same thing for Maya at the airport. It felt like their inside joke or "thing," intentionally taken by the characters, not the writers, from Love Actually

On 9/11/2019 at 9:06 PM, jmonique said:

I thought the show did a fairly enjoyable job of flipping us through three years of these characters lives, even if Molly and Giles never really aged! 

Thank you!! I thought I was the only one thinking about that! Asif also.

 

I felt about the finale the way I felt about the whole series. It was just the right degree of predictable and adorable without being stupid and annoying. I would love a second season but I don't think there's anything left to do with these characters. I don't want to see Zara and Craig "hilariously" facing toilet training or Maya and Kash struggling with a long distance relationship, etc. Sometimes, sadly, less is more. Though I'll totally be watching if they do attempt season 2!!

[meatball77]

I don't want a season two with the same characters.  They'd have to break some of them up to create tension in order to do that.
They could carry a couple along and create a new series.  Put Duffy's co-worker and her newfound group of friends or any of the other single side characters.

[Ms Blue Jay]

On 9/11/2019 at 3:48 PM, twoods said:

I am really going to miss this show and all the wonderful, yet flawed, characters. There needs to be more happy shows like this! I hope there’s a second season.

I agree

On 9/11/2019 at 11:03 PM, tennisgurl said:

I know this show has flaws and is frequently drenched in romantic comedy cliches...but I loved it so much.

Same!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

As much as I like Craig, he was a shitty friend to both Ainsley and Maya about the Kash situation. First he figured out that Maya was seeing Kash. Instead of talking to Maya about it or telling Ainsley, he just kept it to himself (despite the fact that he thought it was okay for him to stay friends with Kash, knowing that it would upset Ainsley). Then when Ainsley found out about Maya and Kash, he just left without saying a word to Maya. As if that wasn't bad enough, when Maya called him A YEAR LATER, it was apparent that he hadn't spoken to her at all since that night.

Look, if you're going to pick sides in a friendship battle, then fine, pick a side. But he was a crap friend to both of them. If he thought that what Maya did was SO WRONG then he should have told Ainsley. If he didn't think what Maya did was horrible (or on par with the way he stayed friends with Kash behind Ainsley's back), the least he could have done was call/text/email her ONCE at any point during the year that Ainsley was freezing her out to see if she was okay.

(I know Duffy was part of the college foursome but he's on a different level in this situation because he's a Nice Guy who was mad at Maya for not loving him back so I didn't expect him to be at all nice to Maya once the secret got out. The kindest thing I can say about him in this situation is that he kept his promise to Maya not to tell Ainsley.)

[Ms Blue Jay]

Yeah, it's been so long that I'm not sure if the ins and outs of the foursome:  Maya, Ainsley, Craig, and Duffy, were really established that well early on.

Besides Maya and Ainsley the four of them do NOT seem like the best of friends.  It would have been nice if that was better established at the beginning, or maybe it was and I just have a bad memory?

I think Craig's just a bit self-absorbed and doesn't get involved in other people's business.   It is very stupid of him not to keep in touch with Maya though, I agree.  It doesn't show any of them as being particularly good friends.

Edited September 14, 2019 by Ms Blue Jay

[DearEvette]

1 hour ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

Besides Maya and Ainsley the four of them do NOT seem like the best of friends.  It would have been nice if that was better established at the beginning, or maybe it was and I just have a bad memory?

No they didn't.  This is a flaw of the storytelling, imo.  They told us they were all BFFs, did not show it.  Also as, @ElectricBoogaloo pointed out, Craig stayed down low friends with Kash even hanging out with him in person, but couldn't even email  Maya from across 1,000s of miles?

They did sell the Ainsley/Maya friendship really  well, though.  And they had to in order for the ultimate betrayal to ring true.  Honestly, Ainsley's anger at Maya felt more real and authentic than her anger at Kash was for publicly humiliating her. If that was intentional then of course it proved Kash's point, that they should not have gotten married. Although he could have chosen a better way and time to do it.

I am gonna give it a few months, maybe when I have the whole week off for Thanksgiving break and maybe binge the whole thing, to see how it hangs together.  This is one show, imo, that would have benefited from all the eps being released at the same time.

It might also have garnered better critical response because they only got the first four episodes and I think the show really started to hit its groove at episode four.  I also read one early review that insisted on comparing it relentlessly to the movie where they were lamenting that the show didn't have any LGBTQ rep like the movie did (ironically dismissing the rest of the diversity).  But of course that review was done pre-Andrew and Tony2. And in addition to all the rest of the diversity where the show is better than the movie, the show doesn't fall into the 'Kill your gays' trope like the movie did.

[Ms Blue Jay]

On 9/14/2019 at 1:24 PM, DearEvette said:

It might also have garnered better critical response because they only got the first four episodes and I think the show really started to hit its groove at episode four.  I also read one early review that insisted on comparing it relentlessly to the movie where they were lamenting that the show didn't have any LGBTQ rep like the movie did (ironically dismissing the rest of the diversity).  But of course that review was done pre-Andrew and Tony2. And in addition to all the rest of the diversity where the show is better than the movie, the show doesn't fall into the 'Kill your gays' trope like the movie did.

You are totally, 100% right on this and it REALLY frustrates me.

I saw the first four episodes and loved them - I didn't even realize the show would continue on after that.  One of the writers then tweeted "Yes, there are more episodes.  We know how to count funerals and weddings!"

One review mocked the show for having a bar called "G.A.Y." in the show for being too on the nose.  Well, the writers confirmed that IT'S A REAL BAR IN LONDON they were referencing.

The critics of this show just seem so smugly snobbish, and like they don't know what they're talking about.  If they hate romcoms on principle, or pop culture that makes women the main characters, well of course they're not going to like this.

Edited September 15, 2019 by Ms Blue Jay

[meatball77]

I get the idea that the critics think they're too smart for a show like this.  It's like literary critics who discount the entire genre of romantic or womens fiction as trash.

It was a lovely and heartwarming show that was simple and easy to enjoy.  We need that as much (or more) than the gritty "intelligent" show.

[Ms Blue Jay]

2 hours ago, meatball77 said:

 We need that as much (or more) than the gritty "intelligent" show.

Uh, YEAH.  You'll notice that those shows tend to have the same elements

- gratuitous violence
- gratuitous FEMALE ONLY nudity
- possibly even the killing or rape of a woman 

And not all of us enjoy that or necessarily qualify that as prestige television.

I like shows like THIS!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I agree. A show doesn’t have to be a dark drama in order for it to be good/enjoyable. 

[peggy06]

I thought this wrapped up really well. Even though it uses a lot of rom-com cliches, I give the show props for not rushing the reconciliation between Ainsley/Kash and Ainsley/Maya. Being left at the altar has to rank as one of the biggest humiliations ever. You don't get over it in a hurry. Having your best friend be the reason for that humiliation - ditto, if not more so. I don't know if I could ever be friends again with someone who jilted me like Kash jilted Ainsley, and this is only 3 years down the road. Sure, you can say he did her a favor, because they weren't suited to one another. But the fact remains. He should have voiced his doubts privately and much sooner. As for Maya, if I thought my best friend stole my fiance on the eve of my wedding, it'd take more than a year for me to be reconciled to that. So Ainsley was acting petty and hung up, but they gave a realistic explanation for that. Another wedding brought it all back. I'm glad they didn't smooth over all the rough edges from the whole mess. And when Ainsley finally did forgive Maya, it was sweet and credible.

My only quibble is that the show did make it seem like Kash fell for Maya and that caused the breakup. There wasn't much time to establish anything negative about his relationship with Ainsley. Just, maybe, the tiniest of hints. Most of his angst seemed to be directed at his job. So when he told Ainsley that Maya wasn't the cause, it seemed a little out of left field.  

One of my favorite scenes in this episode was when Giles tearfully asked if loving Duffy was disloyal to his father.  That's how a kid really might think. Like I said, it's a rom-com and it's kind of cliched, but they rise above the tropes with some genuine emotions.

Count me among those who enjoyed seeing Marcus as Maya's campaign manager. Maybe the next series can feature Marcus and his friends. I like the vibe of the show and would like another season, but the story of these couples has been told. I don't want it ruined by having them break up/make up. 

[ShellsandCheese]

Maya needed better friends. She didn’t cheat with Kash, and she waited damn near a year after Kash and Ainsley broke up to even go there. I thought Ainsley was a real bitch about everything Kash related. She blamed her so called best friend for something that wasn’t her fault. And Duffy and Craig were garbage for not talking to Maya for a year. 

[nicepebbles]

The show could've really benefited fun better writers or them putting it away and coming back to it. There's no reason why Craig and Zara are a couple. None. It's not clear why they are all BFFs. I'm not sure why Gemma and Ainsley were friends. The actors playing Gemma and Duffy did their best, I wasn't quite sold on their relationship. They thru every rom-com troupe in this thing and it felt like to much at times. Despite these complaints, I had some genuine LOL moments and the acting was good. It definitely didn't need a S2.

I read a review that, if I remember correctly, the movie benefited from only having to fill 2 hours. You would think having more time would be better. Not so much if the writers are more concerned with hitting all the rom-com troupes rather than telling a cohesive story. I mostly kept watching to see how Maya and Cash would end up together and when. 

I don't think it should be compared with the film. It only shares a title. As a standalone work, it's 3/5 (good). It could've be great.