[7.3/10] This is a really tough episode to grade, because all three storyline start in a place of real stupidity, only to end up at places of real, often sweet, humanity. I don’t quite know what to do with it.
None fits that bill better than the David/Patrick/Alexis storyline. Holy hell is the David/Patrick relationship drama tiresome. I’ve definitely complained about the show making Patrick too perfect and there needing to be some more conflict there, but I want that conflict to emerge from genuine hurdles that real couples face, not weird, dumb, sitcom crap that no human being would actually do.
So some random customer in Rose Apothecary tries to flirt with Patrick and even gives Patrick his number. Why would Patrick not just say, “Oh thanks, but I have a boyfriend.” Why would David not only be a little prig over the whole thing, but then straight up encourage his boyfriend to go on a date with another man? The show does an admirable job of trying to chalk it up to David’s inexperience in committed relationships and a subsconscious act of self-sabotage. It’s just so far removed from real human behavior that the real answer feels like it’s “The writers needed some artificial drama and so forced this in.”
That said, it ends up in a really sweet place. For one thing, I love that Alexis not only calls David out for how terrible this idea is, but then cancels her plans with Ted because she realizes her brother needs her support through this. As I’ve said before, I like Alexis much better when they’re showing her growth and capacity for kindness and not miring her in her own tepid relationship drama. At the same time, I like the conclusion that Patrick couldn't go throguh with it, and instead just comes home to David saying he doesn’t want to date anybody else, even if he’s new at pursuing the gender he actually likes. THe combination of the two blends a nice moment of friendship with a nice romantic moment surprisingly well, even if it’s a baffling road to get to that point.
The same goes for the Johnny/Stevie storyline. One coworker walking in on another in some state of undress is such a tired sitcom cliché. There’s a few laughs to be had from Jhonny’s 1980s training video, but for the most part, the awkwardness from Johnny accidentally seeing Stevie is just a carousel of the weak, generic gags you’d expect.
But then again, the show ends up in a very real and very sweet place. To wit, one of my favorite parts of “The Plant” and Stevie’s original connection with Amir is that Johnny was so protective of her, making sure she knew that she absolutely didn’t have to do any of this if she didn’t want to. So it’s nice that this follows up on that, with Johnny saying that apart from all the Three’s Company-style nonsense, he’s happy for her and hopes that her sweetheart treats her well. It’s a warm ending to a dumb storyline.
The Moira/Jocelyn casiono night is the least-stupid setup of the episode, which isn’t saying much, but hey, we’ll take what we can get. There too, the absence of a Poison concert isn’t the world’s best story motivator, but the Jazzagals still eating “magic brownies” and going to the casino anyway has potential for comic adventures. My favorite part of it, though, is the heart-to-heart with Moira and Jocelyn at the roulette table.
I’ll admit, I feel like there’s a deceptively strong friendship, or at least the potential for one, between Moira and Jocelyn, and one of my biggest regrets over the show is that I feel like it didn’t tap into that as much as it could have so far. It particularly feels like something the show leaned into earlier in its run and hasn’t really followed up on. But when they’re paired up, we get great human moments like the one at the casino, where Jocelyn spills her guts about feeling old and unable to cut loose, Moira reassures her and even gives her some chips to encourage her to “be nineteen again,” and the pair bond over aging and not letting it limit them. The button with the 1985 haircut is pretty goofy, but it’s built on a really touching moment of honesty between two friends, which makes it work.
Overall, you’d be justified in shutting this one off at the halfway mark, but if you did, you’d miss some great, affecting interactions from a suite of the show’s major characters.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2020-07-04T23:45:24Z
[7.3/10] This is a really tough episode to grade, because all three storyline start in a place of real stupidity, only to end up at places of real, often sweet, humanity. I don’t quite know what to do with it.
None fits that bill better than the David/Patrick/Alexis storyline. Holy hell is the David/Patrick relationship drama tiresome. I’ve definitely complained about the show making Patrick too perfect and there needing to be some more conflict there, but I want that conflict to emerge from genuine hurdles that real couples face, not weird, dumb, sitcom crap that no human being would actually do.
So some random customer in Rose Apothecary tries to flirt with Patrick and even gives Patrick his number. Why would Patrick not just say, “Oh thanks, but I have a boyfriend.” Why would David not only be a little prig over the whole thing, but then straight up encourage his boyfriend to go on a date with another man? The show does an admirable job of trying to chalk it up to David’s inexperience in committed relationships and a subsconscious act of self-sabotage. It’s just so far removed from real human behavior that the real answer feels like it’s “The writers needed some artificial drama and so forced this in.”
That said, it ends up in a really sweet place. For one thing, I love that Alexis not only calls David out for how terrible this idea is, but then cancels her plans with Ted because she realizes her brother needs her support through this. As I’ve said before, I like Alexis much better when they’re showing her growth and capacity for kindness and not miring her in her own tepid relationship drama. At the same time, I like the conclusion that Patrick couldn't go throguh with it, and instead just comes home to David saying he doesn’t want to date anybody else, even if he’s new at pursuing the gender he actually likes. THe combination of the two blends a nice moment of friendship with a nice romantic moment surprisingly well, even if it’s a baffling road to get to that point.
The same goes for the Johnny/Stevie storyline. One coworker walking in on another in some state of undress is such a tired sitcom cliché. There’s a few laughs to be had from Jhonny’s 1980s training video, but for the most part, the awkwardness from Johnny accidentally seeing Stevie is just a carousel of the weak, generic gags you’d expect.
But then again, the show ends up in a very real and very sweet place. To wit, one of my favorite parts of “The Plant” and Stevie’s original connection with Amir is that Johnny was so protective of her, making sure she knew that she absolutely didn’t have to do any of this if she didn’t want to. So it’s nice that this follows up on that, with Johnny saying that apart from all the Three’s Company-style nonsense, he’s happy for her and hopes that her sweetheart treats her well. It’s a warm ending to a dumb storyline.
The Moira/Jocelyn casiono night is the least-stupid setup of the episode, which isn’t saying much, but hey, we’ll take what we can get. There too, the absence of a Poison concert isn’t the world’s best story motivator, but the Jazzagals still eating “magic brownies” and going to the casino anyway has potential for comic adventures. My favorite part of it, though, is the heart-to-heart with Moira and Jocelyn at the roulette table.
I’ll admit, I feel like there’s a deceptively strong friendship, or at least the potential for one, between Moira and Jocelyn, and one of my biggest regrets over the show is that I feel like it didn’t tap into that as much as it could have so far. It particularly feels like something the show leaned into earlier in its run and hasn’t really followed up on. But when they’re paired up, we get great human moments like the one at the casino, where Jocelyn spills her guts about feeling old and unable to cut loose, Moira reassures her and even gives her some chips to encourage her to “be nineteen again,” and the pair bond over aging and not letting it limit them. The button with the 1985 haircut is pretty goofy, but it’s built on a really touching moment of honesty between two friends, which makes it work.
Overall, you’d be justified in shutting this one off at the halfway mark, but if you did, you’d miss some great, affecting interactions from a suite of the show’s major characters.