Discussion for Episode 10: Other People's Mothers

[K-man]

Forgive me if this has been covered already,(been away from the forum for awhile) but did anyone find Amber's outburst a little out-of-character when she arrives home at the party? I mean, she is miss 40 year old teenager right? I know it's the parent thing to do when they arrive home and there is a keg-party in their living room but it just seemed like Amber may have been the exception.

[TomSpeed]

I'm not so sure Amber's outburst is out of character. I don't think she expected the party to be so huge. She probably thought there would be a few of Rayanne's friends at the party. There's a big difference between a party held in moderation (an Amber keyword) and Rayanne's party. There are a few dozen people at the party. It had clearly gotten out of control. However, I don't think Amber has set too many limits on Rayanne's behavior. It would be hard for Rayanne to know where the limits are located if everything is considered in bounds.

[Natasha (candygirl)]

Here's another transportation mystery. How does Angela get to Rayanne's when she storms out of the house? Does she take the bus? Or does she borrow Brian's bike? Rayanne lives "clear across town" according to Patty.

I asked the same question in math references and the possible answers are (1) Patty is given to exaggeration (2) Angela walks a lot of places (3) Angela (and Rickie) take the bus to get around.

If you recall, Angela goes to Vic's house in the Substitute, she walks home from Sharon's house in Strangers in the House, she gets to the party in the pilot, Rickie takes the bus home in Father Figures, etc. Rayanne, by virtue of her personality, is capable of finangling rides with Tino and probably other people as well. Rickie sometimes gets rides from his cousin. Angela, on the other hand, does not have these resources at her disposal (as we later learn when she has to ask Brian for a ride to the World Happiness Dance). Patty and Graham don't seem to spend a lot of time chauffeuring Angela around, so I think it's safe to assume that there are kernels of truth in all three of the above explanations.

[Nostradamus]

Did we ever figure out if Amber's place is an apartment or a house? Amber mentions the neighborhood watch, but I seem to recall a hallway outside of the front door.

[TomSpeed]

I've never been to Pittsburgh, so I don't know about the quality of its mass transit system. I used to take buses here and there when I was in high school when I lived in Jacksonville, FL. I think it's probable that Angela takes city buses around town. Of course, it would be nice to actually see some practical aspects of her life. Unfortunately, these things probably would not make for riveting TV viewing.

[Cut to Angela waiting at the bus stop.]

[TomSpeed]

Did we ever figure out if Amber's place is an apartment or a house? Amber mentions the neighborhood watch, but I seem to recall a hallway outside of the front door.

I get the impression that Amber and Rayanne live in an apartment. The apartment building is probably a large house converted to apartments. There are probably apartments and houses mixed together in their neighborhood. So, it's possible that there is a neighborhood watch composed of apartment renters and home owners. The neighborhood watch probably includes some nosy/busybody people, who can be counted on to complain if people get too loud, etc.

[nkatsa]

wow, amber was only in three episodes, huh? that's amazing. when i think back on the entire show she seemed like such a big presence. i guess that's just a testament to how big her character's presence was projected, she really was supposed to be pretty out of this world.

I always envisaged him remembering her birthday at the very last minute, and then running around like a headless chicken searching for bits of cash under his matress or for whatever he had scattered around his house, then just cramming it into a card and scrwaling some message on it after he'd just smoked a spliff!

that's hilarious, and that's definitely what i imagine happening.

I love Graham's reaction to the turkey Vivian brings for the party. How long does he stand in front of the open door of the fridge?

LOVE that. it is too funny the way he looks absolutely stunned and horrified by its very existence. And the way Patty comes up to him, pleading, and asks him to close the refridgerator door.

It's interesting that Angela asks to speak to Patty and not Graham. Does Angela think that Patty is better prepared to help in this situation?

What a great question. I think Candygirl and Kristin already answered it best, and i totally agree, but it's just interesting that you'd bring up that question because that's just something i had never even considered. The possibility of calling Graham had never even occurred to me. I think, like Angela, my very first immediate instinctive thought was that she needs her mother for this, she has to call Patty. Was it like this for anyone else? I love Graham to death, but I hadn't even thought of him as a possibility. Did this happen to anyone else, where you just immediately knew that she had to call Patty? Hmm... it just really does seem like a fascinating phenomenon.

But Vivian gets her so riled up, she is incapable of compromising with Angela.

I think that's definitely true. it seemed like because vivian was saying that she should let Angela go, after that she just couldn't. very interesting, cuz it reminded me so much of the Pilot. "I can't bring myself to eat a well-balanced meal in front of my mother. It just... means too much to her."

[K-man]

This is an interesting question about why Angela asked for Patty. It appears to me that if Angela were calling home late at night past her curfew to ask to stay out a little later (let's say for an example) she would wish to speak to Graham. That's just the feeling I get. Perhaps in a panic situation like a friend's overdose Angela reaches out to Patty b/c she feels Patty will handle things better.?. Patty is such a strong personality in the Chase family dynamic. Maybe Angela sees Patty as the decision-maker in the family and in an emergency such as this she is looking for action and not talk or reason. Maybe she just trusts Patty's judgement more than Graham's at this point in her life.

[svenkid]

some important things

1. the rickie/patty relationship starts to develop here.

2. the look and gestures from vivian when patty has to leave to get angela, it's like she knows exactly that patty is doing exactly what mothers do and help their children at any cost.

3. when amber is yelling at rayanne, and she falls off the bed, angela trys to help her, and rickie holds her back, that was intense.

4. at the end patty tells angela that in fact she DOES trust her.

[model]

I just finished watching this episode and it REALLY upset me when Amber blew off Rayanne's comment about giving back the money. If Amber had been an attentive mother I would put money on that party never even taking place.

[Kbranagh]

We are back to drama!
Better for sure than the Halloween episode. A few things that i liked
1) finally they shows in a serious way the dark side of Ryanne
2) We finally meet some others element of the Chase family, Vivian is hilarious and very funny, i'd like to see her again! And more important they bring back the adoption issue, they never mentioned it, never one time after the pilot, i tought they forgot it.
But the episode isn't flawless, in my opinion there are some problem of pace during the first 20 minutes, i found the first half a little too slow and i think to know why!!
1)For the first time the original score of W.G Snuffy Walden is very underused and the show need the Walden precence!
2) in this episode there are no Brian,Jordan and...Sharon has only a 30 seconds scene, it's the first time in the series that not all cast is organically introduced in a one episode, maybe is not a big deal for one time but in this case the episode suffers a little bit. The episode start to get better only with the Ryanne overdose and with Chase family conflicts in the second half.

One more thing, We left "Strangers in the House" with the "promise" that the relationship between Angela and Brian and Angela and Sharon would have changed but in the last two episodes nothing is changed and the few scenes that we have seen with these three characters there are no relevant, in fact Angela is even more mean with Brian in the Halloween episode! I'm little disappoint about that, i hope that the writers start developed this three relationships because there are only 9 episodes left, the time is gold! More than anything i want to see more of Brian and Angela togheter.

Grade: B

[richard]

I hope you haven't stopped watching - I've really enjoyed your recaps!

[Kbranagh]

I hope you haven't stopped watching - I've really enjoyed your recaps!

No no, i want to go slow because there are only 9 episode left i watch the episode 11 tomorrow or monday.

Thank you for posting by the way you are really kind.

[richard]

I don't blame you - I just finished re-watching Friday Night Lights (you should definitely watch if you haven't, don't be put off by the football!) and as I got to the final season I had to slow down as I didn't want it to finish!

[Kbranagh]

I don't blame you - I just finished re-watching Friday Night Lights (you should definitely watch if you haven't, don't be put off by the football!) and as I got to the final season I had to slow down as I didn't want it to finish!

Great show! I loved it, i need to rewatch it too! Jason Katmis made it.