Is it hot in here? Or is it just KATOBY Ka-POW-ing all over my TV screen? Whew! Well, that was quite a zesty little show, honing in on nearly all the characters and their sexy times.
First, we watched a montage of Kate and Toby, beginning with the first time they engaged in connubial goings-on in some kind of cleaning closet right after they met. And on and on until this present moment, which finds Baby Jack’s parents not knowing how to reconnect romantically after his birth. It happens! (Actually, I wrote a whole book about it in 2005–We Should Do This More Often, which was fun at the time but is now only available used, I believe…)
It certainly doesn’t help that Kate makes that rude comment about Toby not throwing away his fat pants, in case he needs them again. You have to wonder–is SHE more comfortable with him being chubby?
In any event, a change of scenery is needed–BAD. Toby suggests they leave the baby with Grandma Rebecca and “Miggy Stardust” (Tee hee! Love all his names for Miguel) and burst forth from the house in search of a hotel.
1978? Jack and Rebecca are also on the verge of schtupping (oh how I adore the Yiddish dialect!), however, they must stop because Rebecca must meet her mom for brunch. This somehow leads to Jack agreeing to go golfing with Rebecca’s awful dad and his snooty friends.
Meanwhile, in 2019, there is more presumed carnality over on Zoe’s social media feed as Kevin “creeps on” his ex. (Uncle Nicky: “What does that even mean?” Haha!)
Kevin is bummed that Zoe is moving on, and quickly. Perhaps he should put his phone down and join Uncle Nicky in reading a classic of science fiction, Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury. Later at the gym, a very, very fit Cassidy joins him and basically owns the place. Though at this moment they were still just pals, you knew that sweaty gym scene was leading somewhere. Even though the red-haired gym worker was practically catapulting herself at Kevin. Somebody get a hose…
Over with Kate and Toby, things ain’t going so hot in the romance revival department. Despite all the hype and rose petals, the situation is somewhat, er, unexpansive. Kate takes this personally. “Are you still attracted to me?” (And the TUNNEL! Dying….)
Back in the early nineties, there is one subplot that has nothing to do with the topic of the day. Randall is basking in the glow of his black teacher’s attention and praise. Jack, perhaps feeling a bit left out, takes him golfing. Things go sideways, though, when Jack compares his own snubbing by Rebecca’s dad (based on his past socioeconomic disadvantages) to the continual racial injustice faced by Randall. Of course, it’s not the same thing at all, no matter how much Jack wants it to be. “You don’t get it,” young Randall says. “You felt uncomfortable at a golf course and I wouldn’t have been allowed on it.” Later, Jack apologizes to Randall. “I’ll try to listen better and lecture less.” Isn’t that what we all need to hear?
In other news…
- Uncle Nicky is becoming my favorite (did you know his aunt is the famed writer Joan Didion?) I love his curt one-liners.
- In the late seventies, tension is amping up between Jack and Rebecca’s dad, setting the stage for some serious drama further on. Just wait until Rebecca finds out how her daddy has been treating her beloved!
- In 2019, Randall and Wilkins bond at the golf course, and Randall tenderly remembers his “Pops.”
- Kate apologizes for the comment about keeping the pants and proves it by cutting them up. Except they were the wrong pair, which was too funny and led to the ice between them being broken, Toby making a speech involving fire and loins, and the two of them hurtling towards their bedroom at top speed.
As they do, the writers saved the BIG DEAL for last. I’m talking about Kevin and Cassidy moving way past friends to something infinitely more complicated. Honestly, Kev, you were on the right track when you stopped Cassidy’s kiss. THEN what happened??? Well, besides lust.
I like her a bit more every week–I do–but not sure she is exactly a perfect fit for Kevin. Both of them are battling addictions. And she’s still legally MARRIED. A recipe for disaster? Or can these writers work their magic and make us root for these two troubled souls?
Thoughts? Favorite lines? Scenes? Performance? I always love Lonnie Chavez as young Randall and this week was no different.
Tell me what you are thinking! Do you think Kevin and Cassidy are moving too fast?
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