Thanks for the Tess explanation, gals.
Just watched last night. I really liked this episode. Like some others said, I donāt like to over analyze/tear apart the details.
@abasket Whenever I am having trouble understanding something in the dialogue of a show, I rewind and turn on the closed captioning to read it. It works almost every time.
@alwaysamom I donāt think Miguel found Rebecca on FB the same day she got an account. The scene showed Rebecca on FB viewing a picture of her grand-daughter in a onesie she had bought for her. That could have been a month or a few months later. It was showing that even though Beth said she wasnāt going to be one of those moms who posts pics of her kids, it turned out she was.
I too disagree with @JHS. Bethās mom was sick with the flu, so if Rebecca hadnāt come, it would have been just Beth and Randall, and Beth is still pretty anxious about Randallās breakdown. Yep, if I had been in Bethās position, I think I would have been thrilled to see Rebecca. Asking anyone else would raise the issueāshould Beth tell that person about Randallās breakdown if (s)he didnāt already know about it? How would Randall feel about it if she did tell someone else?
Plus, racial relationships in the US are all over the map. Beth knows that Rebecca adopted an African-American child and loved/still loved that child very much. And we know zilch about Bethās family; itās possible sheās biracial herself.
Best episode of the season so far, I think.The actors who portray William at both ages are superb.
Loved the scene with William and the judgeā¦and how he kept seeing his face. TV at its best.
Agree best episode of the season. Really wonderful. Lots of little dribbles down my cheek.
I loved, loved, loved this weekās episode. Such good writingāand the acting!
Iām telling you, someone on the writing staff knows real foster parents because it was absolutely spot on. My H and I have been Randall and Beth having the āIām not going to let this child be hurt by her mother any more.ā and the āYouāll have to go through meā moments. I canāt wait to see where this story line goes.
I admit I teared up when they brought Williamās story full circle to the place where Randall first knocks on his door. Randall was Williamās saving grace. How beautiful.
And as an adoptive mom of a child of color (H and I are white), I was impressed by how the writers handled the adoption (and Iām very glad the writers took us through that process). Although itās much more commonplace now, interracial adoption would have been highly frowned upon by most social workers and judges in the mid-80s. The general guideline was to only place non-white children with white-parents as a last resort, so having a judge (of any gender or color) with concerns would have been expected. There are still many professionals who are against interracial adoption (one of our social workers was so bothered by it, she had to be replaced when it became clear we were planning to adopt), so having the judge recuse himself was, imho, a brilliant way to handle a complicated subject.
H and I got such a chuckle at the portrait session! I would never have thought to ācut and pasteā like Rebecca did. I may have to try that next time.
Great episode! I hate that Kevin is being such a jerk. Even though I donāt LOVE Toby, I liked that he had the talk with her Dadās urn.
I like how Randall saw himself and his dad in the situation with the birth mother. I think maybe he gets why Rebecca did what she did.
I particularly liked how the two judges were talking to each other at the end.
Oh yea, and is anyone watching Kevin (Probably) Saves the World with Jason Ritter? I have watched a couple episodes and think I like it.
I am fascinated by the writing and the storylines. I am always wondering how much they planned out ahead and then how much they just choose to make up. Like Randall ringing the doorbell when William was about to shoot up (or whatever it was).
Or the name of Randall and Bethās first child. I think they shoehorned in the whole ātessā thing, not that it felt like it, but they had to explain why she was not a āJā name. OR how Rebecca got together with Miguel - did they know it would not be right after Jackās death or what?
I tried Kevin (Probably) Saves the World and was not a fan, although I really liked Jason Ritter in Gilmore Girls.
@Belle315 While watching the episode, I was thinking about how opinions about interracial adoptions affected my own family. In the mid-'90s, I initially wanted to adopt a young child domestically, but was told by an agency that most who were available were black and that social workers would not feel a white family was best for them. Thatās when I switched to China. How different my life and that of the D I did adopt would be if that hadnāt been the prevailing attitude.
I am worried we will have to watch Kevin crash and burn - donāt look forward to thAt.
So poignant the way he told Sophie - that he wasnāt what everyone said/thought he was - he was just a shell that tried to put on the right face but that it really wasnāt who he was.
Rebecca really has a way with words and being simply honest when it came to her kids - so we are finding .
I watched it twice now. Great episode.
I hate self destructive behavior. It is very difficult to watch what is occurring with Kevin.
Iām getting tired of all these victim characters. Iām going to wait a few months and then binge watch to put the question of how Jack died out of its misery. Kate believes Jackās death is somehow her fault; that might be interesting. If they donāt finally get to that this season, Iām not going to watch anymore. Iāll just check this thread to get the answer eventually, but I probably wonāt care by then. Iād rather watch Call the Midwife and The Good Doctor.
I loved this show last year and enjoyed how they moved between the past and the present. This year I am finding that I donāt like the characters and I really donāt like the Kevin as an addict story. Randall and his family are the only ones that hold my interest. I hope they donāt string us along to the season finale to tell us what happened to the father. It may be that Iām also checking this thread for answers rather than spending an hour a week watching.
The show never promised they would reveal how Jack died. We all just assumed it was coming. Perhaps it wonāt be revealed for seasons - that may be the plot of the show. Itās part of the woven mystery.
If youāre not watching this season, I donāt think you can comment on this season! The episode detail and journey cannot be summarized in a 2-3 sentence CC post. Not to mention you canāt feel/see emotion without following the story line - every minute of it.
Yeah, I donāt mean to sound unkind or unsympathetic to all who deal with this in real life and all but I too do not care to see the whole addiction thing played out with Kevin. However, itās already such a major part of the show that I guess weāre not going to have a choice.
He was so freakinā mean to Sophie. Wow. That hurt.
@VaBluebird āHe was so freakinā mean to Sophie. Wow.ā
heās a jerk, plain and simple. From walking off a TV set, to abandoning an opening night live theater show. And now Sophie. Heās a jerk. I donāt think weāre supposed to feel sorry for him. At least I donāt.