Being Jill

Suburgatory, S02E16

Tessa, wanting to have something good on her college application, asked Jill to take her on as her intern.  To Tessa's dismay, her new boss was less impressive and more exhausting than she had imagined.  George tried to follow the therapist's advice to distract Noah from his feelings for Carmen until they died out.  Dalia also gave Mr. Wolfe advice about how to feel better about his breakup with Chef Alan.

Of course, I can give Tessa a lot of credit for being ambitious by jumping at the opportunity she saw in working for Jill.  It's good that she's motivated to get into college and all, but I didn't like the way that she basically pushed Dallas aside, who has been so great to her, the second she thought that Jill might make her look more accomplished.  Maybe so (because let's be real--the crystal store isn't going to wow admissions personnel), but I wish that Tessa had thought to speak to Dallas first before she nearly begged Jill for the job.  I don't like seeing Dallas hurt like that.

Unsurprisingly, Tessa did not like Jill as a boss.  I don't know why she would have thought it would work.  I mean, she babysat for Jill and Noah before.  She couldn't have possibly thought that Jill was less terrible than she seemed.  I would just look at that crib made out of bones (or tusks?) and realize that I was going to work for someone crazy and most likely insensitive.  My favorite crazy thing that Tessa was tasked to do was to interepret Opus' review for Jill's new book.  That was the stupidest and most pointless thing I could imagine Tessa doing for her that involved writing.  It was a good way, however, to teach Tessa that she might have been a bit jumping the gun when asking to work for Jill.  I don't think I've seen Tessa look so mad in a long time.  Seeing her writing up "Opus'" review with so much hatred, I wouldn't have been surprised if she later went to Jill and shoved her own book up her ass.

My favorite part of the story was the very end after Tessa had seen Jill for the self-loathing and pitiful woman that she really was.  By then Tessa wasn't admiring Jill's success or anything and realized that she had been pretty terrible to Dallas.  I'm not mad at Dallas for making Tessa straight out tell her that the person who could teach her how to be a good person was Dallas, not Jill.  I really loved how Dallas pulled that compliment out of Tessa and graciously took Tessa back as an employee.  If she didn't, it would sort of contradict that compliment.  Still, I think that Tessa is lucky that Dallas has a heart of gold.  She could have easily been petty and immature about taking Tessa back, but instead she welcomed her with an open arm.

I didn't think much at first about George doing his best to get Carmen out of Noah's mind.  It just felt like with Noah being married, that was the most sensible thing to do.  However, his persistence and tendency to defend Jill was mostly about his own issues about Alex leaving him long ago.  I wouldn't have ever thought that George and Jill might have something in common, but I liked that this story showed that they do.  It had just looked like George was trying to do right by his friend, but he was really sympathizing with Jill and trying to protect her (and himself).  That's pretty interesting.  Luckily, George isn't as bad as Jill, but we might see more sides of her (like her being her own biggest critic) as Noah continues to pursue Carmen.

I felt a little relived that Carmen didn't have romantic feelings for Noah.  It made his public announcement for divorce and that ridiculous shower scene between him and Carmen seem silly.  I don't get the impression that Carmen is the type to hide her feelings, so I think that she would have made it clearer if she had liked Noah from long ago, even if he were married.  Noah, looking a little swept away by "love," doesn't want to give up.  I feel sort of bad for Carmen, who no doubt, has to endure Noah's courting for a while.  I know he's going to do a lot of outrageous actions to win her over, and I hope he doesn't succeed.  Noah's not such a bad guy, but I still think that he's more trouble than he's worth.  Carmen, being employed to such unstable people, has enough on her plate without having to date Noah.

It was weird to see Dalia helping out Mr. Wolfe, but I get that she sort of identifies with him because Evan broke her heart too.  It was sort of cute to see her taking Wolfe to the salon and giving his hair a new look.  I don't know if Wolfe has any other friends, so Dalia might have been the only one to at least give him the kick in the pants not to mope about his breakup.  The one thing that stands out most in their story, though, is when Dalia was "crying."  The noise she made sounded like a robot was malfunctioning.  It's impressive that she's taught herself how to cry without tears, and yet it's also a little frightening.  I feel like Dalia, who suppresses her emotions so easily, is one day going to explode.  I would not like to see that.  I'd much rather her have like a few seconds to cry for real and get out her pain rather than go psycho one day from never truly expressing her emotions.  Maybe Evan will come to love her after all and Dalia's emotional time bomb will be defused.

I liked this episode all right, but it was far from my favorite.  It's nice to have a break from "What's Ryan and Tessa's problem this week," but I didn't like having to see Tessa try to climb her way to success by stepping on Dallas a little bit.  It's fortunate that Jill was the worst person she could have interned for because it gave Tessa a reality check about how valuable being under Dallas' wing really is.  I don't think it was fortunate that George gave Noah the okay to go pursue Carmen.  If she's smart, she'll stay away from that train wreck.  I think it was cute to see Dalia helping someone with whom she has something in common with, but I'm more worried about her than I am with Mr. Wolfe.  She's obviously still hurting, and I want to see her heart mended as soon as possible.

Left Behind

Suburgatory, S02E15

Tessa confronted Ryan about his unexplained absence and found out that he was investigating possible colleges.  Realizing that their futures would soon go in different directions, Tessa tried to think about college herself, while Ryan tried to find a way to stay with Tessa on a long-term basis.  Marty's sudden death made George realize no one knew him in Chatswin at all.  With Noah's help, George tried to find a good place to leave Marty's ashes after he had been the only one they could find to take them.

What a relief that Ryan wasn't doing anything particularly wrong!  He was just worried that Tessa would freak at the mention of him going off for college.  It's adorable that he was so concerned she wouldn't want to be separated from him that he tried to hide it.  That idiot.  I just wish that Tessa was more worried about them parting one day rather than almost gleefully imagining her life in New York City without Ryan.  I mean, it reflected badly on her when Ryan was moping around about his blessing being a curse because it would put himself and Tessa in different places in the future, while her first thought wasn't to find a way to maintain their relationship.  He was even ready to get himself "hobbled," so that his time with Tessa wouldn't have to end.  It took Tessa while before she thought about how precious her remaining time with Ryanwas  and rushed off to see him.  Sometimes I don't like how long it takes her to realize these things.  She's human, but still.

That guy who works at the photo shop is crazy as hell.  I knew he was a troublemaker from the moment he babbled to Ryan that he wasn't a biological Shay.  Sir, mind your own business!  This time he wanted to be a "hit man," and whack Ryan with a metal pipe?  What is this grown man doing?  He should be arrested, even if Ryan asked him to do it.  Like, Tessa pointed out that he had to hear the message she was leaving for him before he ran out to attack Ryan, but Mr. Photo acted like he had no idea.  After coming back for a second attack that failed, thankfully, I was happy to see Tessa snatch the pipe from him.  What a nutcase!  I don't like the idea of Ryan hanging out with that guy.  Nothing good ever comes from it.

Besides Ryan saying that he wanted a life-size of Tessa over a pocket-size (aww!), I loved when Tessa ambushed him in the bathroom:

[Ryan] Tessa.  You're not allowed in here unless you have a penis.[Tessa] Then what's your excuse?

I liked that Tessa was not playing around when it came to lying to her like that.  I'm guessing that he was just going to keep avoiding her, so she had to resort to such methods.  Thank goodness.  I wouldn't have wanted half of the story to be about him running away from her.

In George's story, Marty's death was so predictable.  If hadn't died after talking about having his life ahead of him, it would have seemed like false advertising (or foreshadowing).  It was sad that not one damn person knew more about him beyond a few superficial things like what his driver's license might tell you or what his mailman could say.  It's ironic the second George thought to learn one thing about Marty that he kicked the bucket.  Especially because the few bits of information he gained tipped the scale enough to make him the owner of Marty's ashes.  That's a crazy responsibility for someone who barely had a conversation with the guy.  But I guess Marty was sort of lucky he ended up in George's hands.  He could have gone to Dalia who sang this horribly monotone song for his slideshow, yet easily admitted she had never even met him.  She really set the overall sentiment for those in attendance of Marty's memorial.

It was sort of cute that even though Marty's "girl" turned out to be another stranger, Fatima still was grateful enough for the gift of the tickets to give his urn a kiss.  It was a little weird, but nice that she wasn't creeped out by receiiving a gift from a dead guy.  That was closer than he was going to get with Fatima at that moment, so George sorta did Marty a favor.

I liked George's idea of spreading out Marty's ashes outside of Chatswin to let Marty travel like he always wanted to.  I guess they couldn't afford to go somewhere really far, but I think George's heart was in the right place, so it was good enough.

Noah admitted that he was in love with Carmen--duh!  Who didn't know that?  There is no way Noah's affection for her only amounted to how well she took care of Opus.  Please.  He took her to an opera and got her fancy gifts.  It explains a lot of why he couldn't let the feud with Dallas die for the longest time.  He wanted his woman back, not his nanny.  I don't know how Jill will fit into this whole thing, but I'm sure Noah's love won't come easy.  Jill and Noah don't have the most spectacular marriage, but I doubt that Jill will be able to save face if Noah divorces her for "the help."  I just hope that Carmen, who hasn't done anything wrong (so far) doesn't get caught in the crossfire of Noah's decision to pursue her.

Speaking of love, Dalia is so aggressive when it comes to Evan.  I don't think that he'll be able to push her away after that intense kiss she gave him.  That was insane.  I admire her for going after the one she wants, even if he's so outside of my imagination of her preference.  I wonder if Dalia and Evan will make as a wonderfully mismatched couple as Tessa and Ryan do.

This was a good episode.  I couldn't hate it for any reason as long as Ryan wasn't trying to go after another girl behind Tessa's back.  I should have had more faith in him--he wouldn't be that much of a scumbag.  I don't know if they'll be able to survive Ryan going off to college, but at least they've agreed to enjoy their time while they have it.  And it's great that Ryan didn't throw away his future by letting a crazy photographer destroy his leg.   George was burdened by giving Marty his final resting place, but he eventually figured out the best thing to do.  The lesson he and Noah learned through their journey of Marty's unknown life made Noah confess his love for Carmen, which seems equivalent to lighting a stick of dynamite to me.  There might be another explosion of love soon between Evan and Dalia.  I doubt that little dork will be able to keep Dalia off his mind after the passionate kiss she gave him this week.

Don't Ask Tessa

Suburgatory, S02E14

Fueled by how well Tessa thought things were going with Ryan, Tessa began giving love advice to students and staff at school, whether her opinion was wanted or not.  She stuck her nose into Mr. Wolfe's relationship with Chef Alan when she observed a possible cheating situation.  George wanted Noah and Dallas to end their feud, so he tried to help Dallas coach the T-ball team she hoped would crush Noah's.  George soon saw that Dallas' coaching style, while not teaching the kids how to play the game, ended up being a more enriching experience for the kids than his take-no-prisoners approach.

I haven't a clue why Tessa would get such an inflated head after surving some trials with Ryan.  They haven't even made to a year of a successful dating.  It seems a little early for her to be claiming herself an expert, no matter what others think of her.  My main problem with Tessa dishing out tips of love is that most of the time she has had an issue with Ryan, she went to Dallas for advice.  She probably would have broken up with him by now if it wasn't for her.  So Tessa doesn't really know anything about making it work, I think.  It was so bizarre to me that she was so cocky.  I guess this is one thing I don't like about Tessa.  She takes a little praise a little too far.  I mean, she was messing with adult relationships.  She doesn't know squat.

I actually hoped that Tessa would be brought down to earth when Chef Alan proved to be innocent of cheating on Mr. Wolfe.  I was just as shocked as him that Tessa was right about the whole thing (well, she wasn't right to make him roller skate in purple hot pants).  Throughout the whole episode Lisa kept suggesting that Tessa focus on her own boyfriend, but I didn't pay her much mind because I thought she just didn't like that Tessa was meddling so much (even though Lisa would totally do the same thing).  I was floored when Lisa pointed out to Tessa that Ryan's absence had nothing to do with an away game as she had thought.  What the hell is going on?!  They cannot do this to me.  I hated how they suggested that Ryan is doing something shady and ended the episode there.  What?!   If he's cheating on her, I'll go crazy.

I think I felt pretty much the same as George about the rivaltry between Noah and Dallas.  They needed to hurry up and bring that to a close.  Especially because Noah was determined to go around stealing everythng from Dallas that he could, including her hairstyle and OB/GYN.  Um, he's lost it.  I was annoyed that when he knew that George was getting involved in their T-ball match, he made some Grinch-like moves and started taking things from George as well, including a smoker detector and a chair.  George is a better friend than me because while that moron's arms were full of my stuff, I would have smashed a bowl on his head.  However, I loved when George called Noah "Mufasa" due to his poofy new hairdo.  That was great.

Dallas also had a good line when she was arguing with George about the quality of hair styling the new girl did on her. George claimed that she had done a wonderful job on Dallas' hair, but Dallas vehemently disagreed:

She did no such thing, you ignorant fool!

Dallas was just so passionate about that that it made me laugh.  I don't think I could be angry or keep a straight face if she called me a fool like that.

The T-ball game didn't go at all as I thought it would.  The kids seemed resistant to George's coaching, but by the time they were playing, they were vicious players calling for the other team's blood.  I don't even know how long George taught them, but their progress was crazy.  I thought Dallas would just lose from the kids wanting to dance and eat frozen treats rather than them being disqualified for injuring a kid.  Wow.  It all worked in George's favor because Dallas agreed (or halfway did) that she would end the feud between her and Noah, while Noah was happy that it looked like George had thrown the game for Noah's sake.  Also, George noticed that making kids super competitive wasn't as good as letting them have fun.  I would have hated to see him get caught up in victory as well when the game had nothing to do with him really.

This episode was okay.  It wasn't too fun watching Tessa put her nose into things that weren't really her business.  I didn't want to see her mess up Mr. Wolfe's relationship with Alan, so it was slightly good that her suspicions about him turned out to be correct.  What was really bad, though, is that they alluded to the fact that Tessa and Ryan might have trouble in paradise.  It's killing me to think that Ryan is up to no good when things have been so amazing between them.  Dallas and Noah seem to finally have brought an end to their long battle, but I wouldn't say that it's impossible they'll fight again.  They seem to have similar taste when it comes to employees, so they may soon be at each other's throats again before we know it.

Chatswin's Valentine's Day

Suburgatory, S02E13

Tessa and Ryan went to see an art house movie that she wanted to see, and she was surprised that while she found it to be boring, Ryan identified with it and found it provoking.  George planned an expensive dinner for him and Dallas, but her botched beauty procedure made her hide her face at home.  Shelia's mother came into town and her mother's closeness with Fred made her realize the mistake she had made dealing with Malik as Lisa's boyfriend.

In this week's chapter of the Tessa and Ryan romance, the two argued over different opinions on a movie.  Considering it was a movie that Tessa had to cutely bribe Ryan into seeing with caramel corn and gummy bears, it was a real shock that Ryan was moved by the movie and it went over Tessa's head.  There are so many layers to Ryan that are revealed now that he's with Tessa.  I really loved that even though they were in a fight again, we got to see Ryan thinking deeply on a level that Tessa wasn't.  It was nice to see her on his lap, asking him to explain parts of the movie.  I want to see more of him in a position where he can teach Tessa, a change from her always being more informed than he is.

Also, I liked the beginning of their story where Ryan gave her that Valentine and he got so excited when she replied "Y" to it.  He's like a little kid, and I love it.  You would think his childish ways would get annoying after a while, but it just makes me like him all the more.

 I applaud George for not getting too upset about Dallas crushing his plans for dinner when he spent $600 on it.  I mean, he did try to get his money's worth by eating an 18-course dinner for two by himself, but he could have taken a much more negative route.  I guess it shows how much he cares for Dallas when he can be less concerned about the cost and more about Dallas herself.

As for Dallas' face, she looked like a freaking alien who had a face lift.  I don't think it was nearly as bad as Dalia had described it, but it was enough to make me cry out when I finally saw it.  I was just glad that George wasn't too horrified when he saw her.  It might have been due to the fact that he had a lot to drink before, but even so, she was a sight to see under any circumstances.   I wouldn't have blamed him if he ran out the door.

In Shelia's story, it was a little weird how much her mother liked Fred.  It's not that I couldn't see anyone infatuated with him, it's just that it's odd to see Shelia being pushed to the side.  She's usually so overbearing that few can ignore her.  But it was interesting that her mother troubles made her realize what she had been doing wrong with Lisa's former relationship with Malik.  I never saw it as Shelia butting into their business, but I guess it was that way.  Malik seemed to have been an ally to Lisa's mother instead of on Lisa's side, which explains better why she didn't think she could be with him anymore.  If Lisa ever needed to complain about her mother, Malik would have only defended Shelia.  Thankfully, Shelia butted in one last time to make things right and pretended to get upset when Malik stood up for Lisa.  Shelia might be smothering, but she does have Lisa's best interests at heart.  This was one of the few stories that I actually liked her because she seemed more vulnerable and helpful without being pushy.

This was a good Valentine's Day story.  It was too mushy or trying to be overly romantic.  I got to see some interesting development in Tessa and Ryan's relationship.  Tessa might be the smart one, but it doesn't mean that she understands everything.  I like seeing that Ryan has more to his mind than making out and football.  George's date with Dallas was a flop, but no more so than Dallas' procedure.  I really hope I don't have to see her face looking so horrific any time soon.  Shelia may not be my favorite character, but she helped Malik and Lisa get back together, which scores her a lot of points in my favor.  It's been way too long that they been broken up, so I'm eager to see them lovey-dovey again (well, as long as they're not too nasty together like last time).

Matchmaking And Dog Therapy

Suburgatory, S02E11

Tessa was asked by Shelia to help find Lisa a boyfriend, and after seeing Lisa dating a little boy, Tessa tried to find a match for Lisa online.  George fought with Yoni over the best way to help Yakult, and Dallas began to take Yoni's side in the matter.

One of my favorite things about Tessa's story was that although she had to spend a lot of time with Shelia, the focus wasn't about how the two got along, but whether Lisa could be hooked up before she "ran out of time."  I was worried for a second Shelia was going to grill Tessa and judge Tessa up and down for being with her favorite child, but luckily she seems cool with Tessa enough to think that she needs to be involved in another Shay's future.  It was weird that Tessa was put in the position of matchmaker, but not presumptuous (as it was when Lisa was doing that in the past) since Lisa was pratically begging Tessa to do so.

I guess I can't be too surprised that a simple dream about Lisa being a spinster cat lady scared her into thinking that if she didn't get a boyfriend soon, she'd be alone forever.  I just wish Lisa would use those brains I know she has to think about how rash that seems for someone her age.  Unless she thinks she's never going to leave Chatswin where there aren't enough guys to appreciate her, it's jumping the gun.  Rather than be amused that she was dating someone still in middle school, I just felt bad for Lisa.  She looked even more desperate than usual.  It's crazy that she has confidence about other odd things and yet has not a bit about her own value as a girlfriend.  I'm sure her mother doesn't help in that area (she made it clear by stating that boys were exactly lining up for her).

I got scared that when Tessa accidentally invited her ex to be Lisa's date that Tessa might fall for him again.  Luckily, she was so damned bored with him.  I loved that.  Then I thought Ryan might feel threatened and he did in a way that I didn't expect.  He was only threatened by the quality of Scott's hair.  Too cute.  My favorite part of the whole episode was when he told Tessa that she had to leave him for Scott because of how silky his hair was.  Tessa told him no and gave him a little kiss.  Aww!  God, I love them together!

I also liked that Lisa realized that she was wasting her time with Scott and AJ because with Malik she had already felt what love was like.  That better mean that she'll reconsidering taking Malik back.  The way they broke up was ridiculous.  She gave up way too quickly on him.

George sort of gave up quickly, too, when battling with Yoni.  Yoni is fake as hell and has some weird grudge against George (I guess maybe because George is the only one who sees through his bullshit?), but I sort of like him as the role of George's nemesis.  I couldn't be too mad that Dallas was falling for all of Yoni's pseudo healing tips when every other woman in Chatswin was eating up every word out of Yoni's mouth, but it was frustrating that George was being made to look like a monster.  All he really had to do was really show that he cared about Yakult and he would have won Dallas' trust a lot faster.  Oh, well.  It was sort of funny to see Yoni driving George crazy.

The best thing about that story and my second favorite thing in the episode was when George was taking Yakult for a walk and had Dalia with him.  She opened up to him about her thoughts of religious conversion and school.  It's so cute how they are bonding like that!  It was even better when George and Dalia teamed up to expose Yoni as a fraud to Dallas--so good.  And I like that Dalia thought that fetch was a game George made up for her and Yakult to play.  Dalia is really brilliant at making the most of her screen time.  George's victory wouldn't have been half as great if Dalia wasn't involved.

This was a really good episode.  I don't think it was hilarious or anything, but it was adorable.  There weren't a lot of Ryan and Tessa moments, but that one at dinner with Scott was more than enough to placate me until next time.  Hopefully Lisa will consider the special thing she had with Malik and start getting him back in her life.  I don't need to see her hanging around with boys like AJ again.  George is really becoming an irreplaceable existence in not just Dallas' life, but Dalia's as well.  I get a real kick out of George and Dalia bonding, and I'm interested to see what kind of way Dalia might open up to George next.

Tessa Needs To Think Again

Suburgatory, S02E10

Ryan and Tessa made their love public, and Tessa was induted into the group of the football girlfriends.  George, Noah, and Fred formed together to make a rock band, and the dynamic was in danger when George wanted Shela to be their vocalist.

I am really loving the reboot of Ryan and Tessa dating.  Last time, it was like they were just having this fling where they just made out and nothing else really.  Ryan was so cute when he was literally shouting about their love in the halls.  I didn't see anything wrong with that until Amber came along to introduce Tessa into the "football girlfriends club."

I could see that entering that cult of girls only living to pump up their jock boyfriends would rile Tessa up enough that she would conduct a rebellion.  Usually, I'm on board with her outrages at school and all, but this time I couldn't ignore that she is now Ryan's girlfriend and shouldn't try to screw up things for him.  Sure she felt like she was liberating all those girls, but it felt more like she was doing it all for herself.  She had barely dipped her toe into Ryan's world before she abndoned ship and started destroying things.  I was pretty afraid of what was going to happen once she "freed" all those girls from the sweatshop.

However, when Ryan and the other players arrived to the pep rally without their paper banner and no enthusiasm from the bleachers, I was cracking up at Ryan's rage.  Lisa was so right that Ryan would be on kill mode when he saw all of that--he was shouting for the person responsible like he was going to tear them apart.  I was laughing so hard, especially when Tessa ran for dear life from the gym.  I was scared that even when she confessed her responsibility for the failed pep rally that he might still throw her into some lockers or something (not really, because Ryan's a sweetheart).  I was, though, afraid that he wouldn't forgive her because he made it clear that Tessa had barely given any effort to fit in with his friends and experience his world.  I really wanted to shake Tessa then when she tried to make what she did seem all right because it's what she always does.  Ryan didn't really have the vocabulary to shoot her down, but I still enjoyed him telling her to "think again, thinker."  What was important is he got across that he was pissed and what she did was not cool.

I was taking more of Ryan's side when he grabbed her in the hall after their fight and cutely said "interception" (Tessa didn't care for it, but I liked his goofy attempt to make up).  Instead of staying mad at her, he made her a paper banner for her to run through with her name on it.  It might have been of poor quality and unnecessary because she was just going to class, but I think that was just about the nicest thing he could have done to smooth things over and make Tessa walk in his shoes for a second.  I was a little angry he had to convince her a bit to do it, even if it was silly.  Geez, Tessa, show a little more remorse for mocking his way of life and not really seeing that it isn't all terrible.  Anyway, I loved when she ran through and looked like an idiot, but she enjoyed it.  And Ryan cheering her on about math--wonderful.  Tessa might have been a bit of a jerk in this episode, but as long as they were able to get a little closer despite some problems along the way, it's all good to me.

George's story was just silly.  I was surprised, though, that they were all good musicians.  I expected them to sound like a bunch of random dads trying to be rock stars--in other words, like they had never played an instrument in their lives.  But they were pretty good.  Shelia wasn't bad either, but I was just as displeased that he let her into the band as Noah and Fred were.  Like, the point of the band was to have some fun and not be bothered by the pressure of the women they loved, and yet George threw that all away so that he could make a band that sounded amazing.  Good thing that Shelia dissed Dallas, so that George could see the damage his new band was doing.  Casting aside his friends is one thing, but treating Dallas like a groupie or something was starting to cross the line.  Anyways, I just really didn't want to see George and Shelia hanging out.  She's just so overbearing that I can't stand to see George around her.

This was good episode, but I was just really loving the start of Ryan and Tessa.  They had me worried that they were going to let their differences throw them for a loop straight from the beginning, but now they have made me a bit more confident that they can work through their issues where they don't particularly agree.  I really want to see Tessa make more of an effort to accept Ryan and change a little instead of him doing all the changing and compromising for her sake.  Now that this relationship is in round two, I can't bear for it fall apart again.

It Has To Mean Something

Suburgatory, S02E09

George was forced to hide and help Fred when he was trying to keep secrets about the nature of his job hidden from Shelia.  Tessa, left alone on pain medication, freaked out about aliens stealing teeth after she had gotten her wisdom teeth pulled.  Dallas thought George was only humoring her when he agreed they were ready for "joint decor."  Ryan tried to figure out where he stood with Tessa when came to deliver her homework.

Sadly for George he had a front seat to another chapter of Shay Family Crazy Time.  It was fine for him to give Fred shelter while he worked out his problems, but when Shelia got involved, it was a lot more trouble than it was worth.  I was nearly thinking it was a waste of his time to hide Fred until Fred asked George to go to his house to steal a gift basket that would reveal his real job.  I liked when he tried to walk into the house and ran into Ryan.  They were both trying their best not to seem suspicious to the other.  If George wasn't after that basket, he might have considered what Ryan was sort of suggesting about his intentions with his daughter.  It got even better when Lisa caught him about to walk out of the door.  The two of them had my favorite lines from the story:

[George] I'm not stealing.

[Lisa] I don't care.

It cracks me up that Lisa can look at her neighbor creeping around in her house and not give a damn about what he might be trying to do.  You would think she would be the slightest bit curious, but no.  Lisa always keeps me on my toes because I never know how she's going to react to things.

I have no idea how the hell Fred got from the basement to an ariport shuttle outside when it looked like Shelia was about to gas the basement.  I suppose that's one of those mysteries like when George got the cardboard in the previous episode.  I don't care if Shelia did know his secret after all (not a surprise).  I was just glad Fred was gone from their house.

Tessa was amazing this week because we got to see a side of her we usually don't.  She tends to be pretty cool and collected, but under medication she was so paranoid and wide-eyed.  I loved it.  She was really cute when she was throwing juice at Fred and scared that George and Dallas' souls had been captured in crystal.  I really like seeing characters act outside of their norm for a while.  It's funny to see a different side of them, especially when that side is high and insane.

My favorite part of the episode, though was when Tessa had gotten her mind back and Ryan had visited her.  That whole scene between them was just so great from start to finish.  I loved Ryan putting the sock around her head and telling her she looked like a bunny, him saying that their kiss and his attraction to her has to mean something, and him arguing that they could work because opposites attract.  It just makes me smile when I think about their conversation, even if they haven't quite decided if they're going to give their relationship another shot.  But I'm really hoping that Tessa takes a chance on Ryan again.  He was just so sweet with her that I'm dying to see more scenes like this.  They just have to get together again!

Dallas and George moved into the "joint decor" phase of their relationship, which I wasn't sure that he was really feeling.  But thanks to Tessa (who was also to blame a little bit for the problem in the first place), Dallas learned that George really liked that crystal picture of them sitting on the couch.  Personally, I would think that a picture would have been better, but I guess nothing says Dallas like something etched in crystal, so it might be the best way for George to be reminded of her every time he looks at it (you know, besides her face staring back at him). They're moving along pretty well recently, which is good, but I feel like they might have some kind of bump soon (just because nothing goes this well in TV or life, I guess).

I have to say I just loved this episode because of Tessa and Ryan.  Tessa was so funny when she was shouting about signs of sixes and aliens.  We'll probably never get to see her so unraveled again.  Of course, that was nothing compared to her scene with Ryan.  That has to be one of my favorite moments in this show yet.  If they don't get together again, I'm going to flip out.  They may not be perfect together, but you can't help but wish for them to give it a try anyway.  Like Dallas suggested: if George and her can make it work, then opposites like Tessa and Ryan have a chance at happiness as well.

Fighting Like Sisters Already

Suburgatory, S02E09

After Tessa made her feel bad about her SAT scores, Dalia invited Tessa to her hip hop class to show off her dancing skills.  Their fight encouraged a fight between Dallas and George as well.  The Shays kidnapped Malik in hopes to exchange him for Ryan, but ended up going to Malik's for dinner and pleading Ryan to come home.  Jill and Noah also asked Mr. Wolfe to train Opus because he wasn't exceptional enough to get into their first choice preschool.

I was surprised that Tessa was being so cocky about her SAT scores to Dalia.  I know they aren't best friends or anything, but it wasn't like Dalia had started anything with her, so it came off as pretty rude.  I'm guessing that she was just too jealous of Dalia who gets big rewards like cars for doing the bare minimum, while she scores in the top percentile and gets a measly card.  What I like most about this behavior is that the girls are sort of acting like sisters already.  I can imagine why otherwise Tessa would expect George to reward her in a similar manner when she knows full well that in her own family they don't have the means to be handing out cars like candy bars.

I was nearly ready to feel bad for Dalia until she got to shine at the hip hop class.  I love seeing Dalia dance!  She's not only good, but she maintains that expressionless face the whole time doing it.  It just gives her movement even more attitude.  Plus, I thought her outfit was cute.  Tessa wasn't too into the dancing, but once she felt upstaged, she started to get into it.  I don't think she was as good as Dalia, but she was putting up a decent fight.  At any rate, their dance-off was entertaining to watch.

It was interrupted by Dallas and George's own beef with each other, concerning parenting.  I was surprised at Dallas telling George that he lets Tessa act any way that she wants.  She was tripping.  Dalia is not innocent in that area, either.  But they both made good points.  George could stand to be a little less cheap, at least in showing his daughter that he's proud of her.  She doesn't need to get a new car, but something nice might keep her from getting jealous.  My favorite part of their dance-off was when George started break dancing and Tessa wondered where George had magically gotten some cardboard from.

In the Shay story, I was surprised at how far they would take their insanity.  Malik didn't feel very scared, but he was still kidnapped, nonetheless.  And worse than that, he was lured into the Shay's trap by Lisa pretending to want him back.  That was damn cold.  But I guess she'll do anything to get back her brother.  It amazes me how much she loves him, considering she always seemed to resent being in his shadow.  Anyway, it was ridiculous that they took him and tried to disguise their identities.  They're not just crazy, but they're idiots as well.  Lucky for them that Malik's parents didn't think anything of it and invited them to dinner.

One thing that made me laugh at Malik's house was when Malik's dad first opened the door:

[Edmond] Did you do your homework?

[Malik] Not yet, I was  kidnapped.

I just love how no one took the kidnapping seriously.  They might have just shown up for dinner without going that far.  Later, I was sort of bothered at the way Malik's parents were supporting Ryan's decision to get emancipated, as if he had been abused in his life.  He shouldn't have been lied to for so long, but he certainly wasn't treated badly at any time.  He was living the life of a king, which took a vegetarian meal and a lack of pudding skin before Ryan could remember.  It's ridiculous that it took him so long to think of all of the benefits of being a Shay.

I was happy to see Ryan finally return home, but not so much to see him eating a big thing of pudding skin.  It looked really gross to me, but if it got him home again, then it's all good.  It was cute that he was saying that skin was thicker than water and then Lisa couldn't let it go and had to correct him.  It really made me laugh.

I sort of felt that the story about Opus was unnecessary.  It was adorable to see Mr. Wolfe talking to Opus as if he could understand him and judging him seriously on an impossible scale, but it didn't really add to anything, except to the idea that Noah and Jill are bizarre parents.  It's almost as if they haven't a clue about what babies are capable of (which really makes it obvious they didn't raise their first child).  I guess it was an all right story if they just needed to fill up some extra time, but they could have extended one of the dance-offs in the Tessa story instead.

It was great to watch this show again after the holiday break because I've missed the weirdness of Chatswin.  I like that Tessa and Dalia seem to be bonding as sisters, even though their parents aren't even married.  It makes it seem like it's possible that their families could successful join one day.  Dalia and Tessa are never going to be thick as thieves, but I could see them functioning as arguing sisters in the future.  The Shays being reunited again is wonderful because it means they can stop committing crimes to get Ryan back.  Most of all Ryan can stop acting like his parents stole his liver while he was sleeping or something and get back to being the Shay's shining but dopey star.  Opus is a cute little baby, but he doesn't really need any stories about him that aren't related to the main characters.  That time can better be spent on settling another beef between Tessa and Dalia.

Being With Loved Ones

Suburgatory, S02E07

Ryan freaked out after learning he was adopted and stayed at Malik's house during his identity crisis.  George set up avacation package for Tessa and Alex to enjoy during the holidays, so they could spend time together.  Dalia wanted Carmen to come home for Christmas and made a music video that expressed her feelings.  Carmen and Jill didn't get along well, and Carmen considered whether she wanted to stay at that house.

Ryan was sort of acting like a mixture of the Hulk and some kind of wild animal once he found out he was adopted.  I knew he would be mad and confused, but I could have never predicted that he would jump on his parents' car and start banging on it in a fit of rage!  I really loved how he scared the hell out of his family.  It was so funny.  Especially when he went to Lisa's window calling her a liar and she quickly rolled up the window in fear.  He probably would have pulled her out of the car and started swinging her body around like a bag or potatoes.  Ryan is so crazy!  He even hit things like parking meters and lamp posts like some kind of maniac.

I loved that he somehow happened to be running on the street when Malik's family was driving by.  It was cute how Malik coaxed him into coming near with a Starburst.  He's such a simple guy!  Then it was really weird that Malik threw him into the trunk and closed it.  Malik's dad responded in a funny way:

Did you just put a human being in our trunk?

I'm assuming that Malik did so because there was no room in that little ass car for one more person, but I felt kind of bad for him.  But at least he had a place to go.  While there, he apparently had time to print out business cards with his new "opposite name," Eugene Goldfarb.  Horrible name.  Doesn't fit him at all.  It was funny that he had "no longer living a lie" written on there.

The best part of Ryan's story was when Lisa asked Tessa to go talk to him.  It seemed that she had straightened him out and made him realize that the Shays were his real family because they raised him, but he ended up running away.  However, I was so happy that Tessa admitted that she had a crush on Ryan too and kissed him.  It was adorable how happy he was about it because she had used tongue.  It was the only thing he wanted for Christmas--Aww!  Ryan and Tessa forever!

Speaking of Tessa, I'm surprised that she missed George so much.  She just seemed so gung-ho about spending time with Alex that I thought she would be super excited.  But I guess during Christmas you just really long for your traditions and those that you remember spending them with.  It just didn't feel like Christmas when she was in a spa and sitting in a hotel lobby with a mother she barely knew.  Also, there was that incredibly clumsy hug the two of them did.  Ugh.  It was nothing like the quick one George had to remind Tessa to give him before she left.  So it only made sense she would want to come back.  I was a little touched by her feelings because it reminded me of my own feelings for my father during Christmas.

There were lots of great things in the other stories, but Dalia blew away all the other stories with her music video "You Missed A Spot."  That was hilarious and cute!  She even had her stepmother in there sort of rapping in a futuristic flight attendant outfit.  And I loved seeing Dalia making a heart with her hands but seem so emotionless doing it.  I think I enjoyed every second of that video.  I had high expectations, but Dalia exceeded them.  Wow.

Another "wow' thing was that Dalia called George "Daddy Altman."  I don't know if she meant it sincerely (because her voice always sounds the same), but it was sort of sweet because it caught me off-guard.  Has she already started to think of George as a father figure?  Because that would great. He might have scored enough points to earn that right since he managed to get Carmen back for Dalia.  I thought he might, but I hoped Carmen wouldn't have to actually be in a box (she must love Dalia to sit in a box with packing peanuts just to surprise Dalia).  He also scored points with Dallas too--good job, George.

Great Christmas episode.  It's a little earlier than I was expecting, but I suppose it's all right since it's already December.  I guess that just means that they won't be showing any more episodes for a while?  I hope that Ryan goes home soon and gives up that stupid name he invented.  I'm happy that Tessa hasn't forgotten about her father in exchange for her mother.  Dalia's hilarious music video also helped get herself reunited with her loved one.   She really needs to have another reason to make another video again--I don't care what the song is about.

Domestication And Friendship Not So Bad

Suburgatory, S02E06

George's old friends from New York came to visit while they were doing business in town and made fun of George for adapting so well to the suburban life.  Tessa wanted to enjoy spending time with her tablet alone, but Lisa wanted to spend all her time with her now that she was single again.

I think that George still has a little of his edge left from life in the city, but now that he is becoming "twinsies" with Shelia, I could see how his friends would think he was a sellout or too domesticated.  However, I absolutely hated how they were coming down on Dallas, who despite her looks, is a very smart and caring person.  I fell more in love with George when he not only admitted that the all-over phony woman that his friends pointed out was his girlfriend, but when he also defended her when they continued to talk shit about her.  I was worried that he was going to cave into peer pressure and try to relive his days as a "real" man as his friends envisioned it, but George stood by Dallas's side.  To me, that's a real man.  The best kind of person can own up to what they really love and not try to hide it because someone tries to make them feel bad about it.

Equally as great was when Dallas gave George the idea to bid against his friends for some architecture project.  George would have never thought of that on his own.  Plus, Dallas assisted him both in the concept and the presentation--they are a great team!  I was really proud of them as a couple to see them working like a dynamic duo!  They didn't end up winning the bid, but at least they made some waves and impressed the clients.  I could definitely see Dallas and George getting together on some good business deals in the future.

In Tessa's story, I was a little distracted by the open advertising for the Microsoft Surface tablet.  Nothing new to see products in TV shows, but I hate when it's all up in my face.  She even listed some of the great features of the thing at one point.  Wow.  Can't I get a little more of a break from the commercials?  Still, I've been interested in the Surface, so I wasn't too outraged.  I'm sure that they only did the advertising because it was necessary.  If it keeps the show going, I can't be too mad.

I felt Tessa on her desire to be alone with her tablet, though.  It's been a while since Lisa has sort of kidnapped Tessa's day to make her do some kind of dorky activity.  Lisa literally pulled out her trunk of tricks in this story.  If I was Tessa, I might have cut her off the beginning in the hopes that being alone would make her miss Malik.  It's obvious that Lisa is trying to fill her loneliness with Tessa.  I'm glad that even if Lisa isn't aware of it, she's not over Malik yet.  If she was, I'd doubt she'd need to try to shove a smoked fish down Tessa's throat.

I don't know how I feel about a "friendship fish." I thought it was cute that Tessa finally agreed to eat it with Lisa.  No surprise that Tessa got food poisoning from it, though.  I would be pretty nervous about someone pulling a fish out a trunk and asking me to eat it.  But she must really wanted Lisa to be her friend is she's willing to puke out her guts for the sake of friendship.  Her tablet is a nice alternative, but I guess only real friendship is worth all that suffering.

I'm also unsure what Ellen's prolonged stay at the Altman house will bring.  For a woman who knows that her daughter is a mess, she sure doesn't seem to like George too much.  Maybe she wanted to raise Tessa in the absence of her daughter?  I don't know.  But I don't see them getting along too well.  No matter what, George is a good parent, so I think she should at least respect that about him.  But I'm sure as a grandmother, Ellen's going to have a lot of suggestions for parental improvement.

This was a cute episode about George and Tessa sort of coming to terms with what they have become.  George has changed, but it doesn't mean that he's become some kind of pathetic loser.  And I definitely think with Dallas's help, he is going to continue to change and grow for the better.  Tessa's grown in the sense that she can't just sort of fend for herself and has to stick by the friends she's made.  She can't just callously cast them aside for some some wires and a shiny screen.  Lisa, as I said before, needs to hurry up and take Malik back.  Not just for her sake, but so we don't have to see Tessa suffering while wearing an airbrushed shirt and a watermelon hat.

Lisa, You Fool!

Suburgatory, S02E05

Tessa decided to spend Thanksgiving with her grandmother because she was told her mother would be visiting there.  George tried to cook Thanksgiving dinner for Dallas, Dalia, Mr. Wolfe, Alan the chef, and Noah.  Lisa didn't want Malik to come to their house for dinner, but he did and Shelia mistakenly walked in on him after he got out of the shower.

I was surprised that we actually got to see Alex in this episode because I had a feeling that Tessa was going to be disappointed by spending Thanksgiving at her grandmother's.  I was happy to see that she was at least pretty enough for me to believe should could be Tessa's mother.  She did seem flaky, but at least there was some time for Alex and Tessa to bond.  However, I couldn't help but feel bad for George because I like him and know that he's quite attached to his daughter.  I couldn't help but wish Tessa would pay him a little attention when he was sitting sort of lonely-like on the stairs, listening to Tessa and Alex laugh.  Aww...  I know Tessa wants and deserves to get to know her mom, but I would hate to see her forget all about George.  Everyone else in his life is kind of a mess, so he needs Tessa as much as she needs him.

The biggest thing that happened in this episode was that Lisa was being so unreasonable.  Sure, Shelia is borderline offensive in the way she is trying to accommodate to Malik and welcome him to the family, but her behavior is much better than her outright trying to send Malik away.  Granted, it is beyond awkward the way Malik and Shelia handled the mistake of her walking in on him naked, but at least the two involved didn't make it into something gross.  It was just weird and funny.  In fact, I loved when Shelia and Malik high-fived when Malik commented that it wasn't a "little thing" either.  Lisa just needed to get over it.  And by that, I mean she needed to accept that it was bizarre and give herself time to forget that it happened.  That is the only logical thing anyone should have done.  I can't believe that she ended it with Malik over that and the fact that Malik doesn't hate Shelia.  Lisa probably wants someone she can badmouth her mother to, but I wouldn't think it was a problem for my boyfriend to like my mother unless he liked her in a sexual, creepy way.  Lisa is a moron.  She will never do better than Malik.  She's too freaking crazy for anyone else to handle!  I was so mad to see her give up that easy.  

The best thing out of this story, though, was that Lisa found an envelope with the coveted wishbone in it that Ryan had been saving to wish for sex with Tessa (somehow cute in a slightly creepy way).  I was actually a little moved by him offering that wishbone he had been concentrating on all night to Lisa so her problem might be solved.  God, I love Ryan.  He's so dumb, but he's so sweet!  Every time I see him, it's like he makes me like him a little bit more.

I'm not really looking forward to seeing more of Alex.  I'm taking her with a little grain of salt just because George has suggested that she can sometimes emotionally con people.  I would hate to see her start bonding with Tessa to only disappear again for a significant chunk of time.  Tessa is smart and probably thinks she won't get attached to her, but I know she will and she'll get hurt if Alex falls off the face of the world again.  The most important thing, though, isn't Alex, but Lisa  getting her act together and realizing the huge mistake she's made by tossing Malik aside.  Ain't no other boy gonna put up with your nonsense, Lisa--go get him back before it's too late!

George Gets The Best Review Ever

Suburgatory, S02E04

Dallas was going around town telling everyone how magnificent George was in bed, but they hadn't even gotten past kissing yet.  Dalia ditched her friends for the companionship for her new Singaporean stepmother, and the Ks were looked after by Lisa.  Tessa tried to get Dalia to be herself again when she noticed how she was spiraling into desperation.

I thought maybe Dallas had learned her lesson from their first date, but I guess it's just in her nature to want to make things dramatic and magical, not matter what it is.  I had to just laugh when she brought George to the bedroom and she was hanging in the air and all these crazy light work was going off.  It was like he was in some kind of strip club.  The gospel choir was another funny addition to their first attempt at sex.  But for all this show, Dallas fizzled out with a fake orgasm and praise of a night that was over before it started.  I was really surprised that she kept doing this to him, as if she had no confidence that he could perform, nor wanted him.  It was so bizarre.  Then I wondered why the hell she was bragging about the sex so much when he hadn't gotten to do a damn thing.  I liked this situation just because I didn't expect it.  They have such good chemistry, I thought she would be happy to jump his bones.  But it took a talking before they got to bed for real, and even then Dallas wasn't wowed.  Haha.  George was lucky she already pumped him up before actually trying him out.

The funniest part of this episode was when Dallas and George were at the Chinese restaurant about to tell Tessa and Dalia the news about them:

[George] We have a-a little announce to make.

[Waitress] No coupon tonight.  Everything full price.

[George] That's fine.

[Waitress] Price doesn't include gratuity.

[George] O-Ok.  Why....why is she directing this at me?

[Dallas] Sorry, George, Shun Ju can be a little--

[Waitress] You want extra pancake, you pay.

[George] I don't even know if we're getting moo shu.

 I was dying with laughter at how crazy aggressive she was being, like George had stolen something.  That must be something that happens to him often in Chatswin because he just has the face of a cheap or non-paying customer.

Another interesting thing that happened at that table was that Tessa found that she was interested in what was happening to Dalia.  I wasn't shocked that she went out of her way to make sure Dalia was okay, but I did think she was being overly nice to Dalia.  I like that Tessa can help her out even if Dalia isn't grateful.  I mean, that's the beauty of their relationship--they are sworn enemies, but they tend to give each other advice whether the other wants it or not.  I love that they're not friends, but still manage to look out for each other when times are rough.  Dalia didn't look bad with black hair, but she certainly didn't look good as Evan's companion.  Although Tessa was told in a wonderfully Dalia way to get "the h out of her r," it's great that she dyed Dalia's hair back to blonde.  And returned her lackeys to her side.

Speaking of the Ks, I was laughing when they almost got into the "molest-y" van and were given to Lisa to be watched over.  Instead of them being like abandoned puppies, I was hoping that they might turn into 3 creepy versions of Lisa, but no such luck.  That would have been so good for her to be the leader of a group for once.  But I guess she just doesn't know how to use people like Dalia does.  You have to have those skills from birth.

Two more things I wanted to point out.  One, Mr. Wolfe looked so creepy with those blue contacts in.  Eww!  No!   Two, Wan-er's character didn't make sense to me because they speak English in Singapore.  I don't know why she would only be speaking Chinese (save when she said "bye").  Also, since they said that Wan-er is a flight attendant, I would think that they would require she speak some English.  I don't know.  It was very odd to me.

This was a good episode.  George got to feel like an undeserving rock star, and Tessa acted like Dalia's friend when Dalia felt like she had no one else (except Evan--ugh).  I'm looking forward to them getting back to normal where they are messing up each other's lives, rather than making them better.  And it was nice to have a little focus on Dalia for a change.  I get a little disappointed when she's only in the episode for about 2 lines (she's one of the best in this show)!

Romantic Steps Forward

Suburgatory, S02E03

George took Dallas on their first date, but it didn't go so well with her life coach there.  Ryan thought he was dying because Lisa was being so nice to him and asked his sister to help him get Tessa.  Tessa offered to watch Opus while Noah and Carmen went out, and she freaked out being alone in the house.

Both George and Tessa seemed to be starting something with their respective love interests.  For George and Dallas, I was really expecting something special when they finally had an official date, but it was a bust.  I think my favorite thing about their date was when Dallas made a grand entrance with lighting, music, and an outfit change.  Wow.  Her "sadist" jacket was also entertaining.  But as far as it being a romantic night, it wasn't until the very end.

Their main obstacle to starting off their new relationship was Dallas' life coach, Tabitha.  He was a delight, although he was ruining the date between them I had anticipated, because he was played by H. Jon Benajim.  He's a strange and awkward guy, but that voice just makes you want to laugh.  This guy had no shame playing the third wheel, nor giving his opinion of George and Dallas' connection even when he didn't know anything about them.  If anyone else had played Tabitha, I might have wanted to punch that guy, but I was torn by being amused by him.

However, it was all worth it because they had such a sweet moment in the rain where George told Dallas she looked pretty, even without her perfect hair and face.  I don't know how real Dallas will get with George (that would mean making herself pretty vulnerable), but if she was ever going to do it with anyone, it would certainly be with George.  I really hope we get to see them on a more successful date soon.

The new dynamic between Ryan and Lisa is interesting because she's decided to go overkill with kindness so that she won't lose him if he discovers he's adopted.  I'm glad Ryan is smart enough to know something is wrong when his sister is being nicer than usual, but it is so typical of him to be completely wrong about why.  I was surprised, but happy, that he took advantage of Lisa's kindness to get help with Tessa.  I can't help but think that moron just may be right for Tessa yet (unless someone better comes along).  They don't have much in common, but at least Ryan was there for her when she was freaking out about serial killers coming to the door and such.  It made me giggle to see Ryan turn Tessa's kiss on the cheek to one on the lips and question why she hadn't used tongue.  I liked even better when he was sort of pouting about that:

[Ryan] You're not attracted to me because I'm holding a baby.

[Tessa] I'm only attracted to because you're holding a baby. 

He's really winning me over with his simple nature.  I mean, I don't feel like he would take advantage of Tessa ever.  He just doesn't seem like the type to be malicious or purposely insensitive.  And it might take a while, but he does have the potential to be a little less thick.  I think if Tessa worked on him and he actually listened, he might be a pretty good guy for her.

On a different subject, what the hell is going on with Noah and Carmen?  Is he falling for her?  Because their relationship seems to be going far beyond just nanny and employer.  I might be more worried about that if I liked Jill, but I'm still not a fan of infidelity.  So I hope he's just really grateful that someone is raising his child so superbly.  I feel like it's going to get awkward between them soon.

I really liked this episode.  I like that things are going pretty well for George and Dallas, despite their failure of a first day.  Ryan seems like he has a good chance of getting Tessa's attention again, but I don't see her wanting to date him anytime soon.  Still, I'm cheering Ryan on and I really hope that he can continue to change Tessa's opinion about him.

Witches And Switches

Suburgatory, S02E02

Tessa was worried that a witch was following her so that she could make her a witch too.  Dallas failed to ask George on a date.  George decided to dress up like Noah for the Halloween party after Noah had dressed up like George.

This was a pretty cute Halloween episode.  First of all, we got to see everyone in different costumes.  The ones I enjoyed best were Malik as Fred and Tessa as Daphne from Scooby Doo.  I would have never expected Malik to pick that outfit (and it was only funnier when Ryan had mistakenly thought to wear the same one), but it suited him.  I also thought that Tessa was adorable in a red wig and her boots.  She totally pulled off that look.  What I didn't like too much was Noah being George and vice-versa.

Although I didn't like their costumes because Noah was being an ass, and George with a blonde wig and lack of mustache (I cried out in protest when he raised his razor to his face) was just so very, very wrong, this situation turned out to be funny.  At the party, George was getting the Noah treatment and Noah got George's.  That was hilarious.  I loved that girls were more into Noah as George and that they escorted his ass out when he seemed to be threatening George.  Love seeing someone like Noah get what they deserve.  But because George had dolled himself up like one of the Chatswins zombies, he learned that he had missed an opportunity to date Dallas.

I felt sorta bad that Dallas, although not completely forthcoming in her invitation, was shot down by George.  Oh, but I also have to say the second I saw her in this episode, I knew that her costume was Barbie.  I just never figured she would imagine that George would want to be her Ken.  But I liked that when Dalia let him know the opportunity he had missed (gotta love that girl for telling him how it is), George basically was Ken by then and he and Dallas had upgraded from "friends who flirt."  But we still can't be totally sure that they are going to make it to couple status anytime soon.

I also liked Tessa's story too because the witch following her turned out to be a feminist hippie of some sort and was played by Rachel Dratch. She's just an odd woman no matter what role she plays.  And it was nice for Tessa to meet someone local who wasn't all about dressing up slutty and getting plastic surgery.  If she remains on the show, she could be a good role model for her.  But I just wonder why it is that Paula can sneak into the school and plant her book in certain places without anyone ever noticing.  That's pretty creepy, no matter what message of feminism she's trying to spread to the clueless students of Chatswin.

And speaking of that book she had planted, I wondered how it was okay for Shelia to just burn it when it was a library book.  Well, I did until I learned that Paula was just putting the book in library on her own accord.  So I suppose it's okay.  But still, the principle of the thing.  That lady is nuts.   And so is Lisa for that matter, trying to convince Tessa to stay by her side and claiming spirits were speaking through her.  I was a little more freaked out by her than I was of the so-called witch.

I liked this episode and I'd want to see it again to take my time to admire the other costumes in the episode that I might have missed.  I liked that it wasn't too cheesy with the scary theme, and it didn't take away too much from the underlying stories of the show (like George and Dallas getting closer).  I would have liked to have more Dalia as usual, and I would have loved to see Malik and Ryan get into more over them both being Fred.  Hell, I just want to see more Ryan period.  Oh, and I hope they can work in some more scenes with George shirtless too (did not know he had it going on like that)!

Tessa Follows In Her Mother's Footsteps

Suburgatory, S02E01

Tessa came home from a summer with her grandmother and expressed an interest in her mother's passion for singing.  Lisa blackmailed her parents about Ryan so that she could get special treatment in the family.  Noah and Dallas fought over Carmen, both wanting her to raise their kids.

I was really happy to see this show back on the air, but not incredibly impressed by the premiere.  I was a little disappointed that Eden was totally out of the picture, but then again I do like the possibility of George dating someone else (especially Dallas) more than his whirlwind relationship from last season.  I was a little interested in Tessa's desire to embrace the talents she might have gained from her mother, but I wish there was more she had learned during her summer about the mysterious woman.  The battle over Carmen was like a comedy relief from the slightly dramatic Tessa story, but not really more interesting than Lisa barely milking her one piece of control over her mother.  The latter story was also disappointing in how little changed as an end result.

I thought it was cute that Tessa wanted to be a little like her mother, even though I felt like George was threatened by the idea a little.  It did seem like she sort of wanted to cast aside his contributions to her being who she is, but then again, George has raised her most of her life, so it's impossible that any influence he has been upon her could be lost by her trying to mimic her mother a little.  The best part of the episode came from this story when Tessa was nearly about to give up her interest in music until George finally shared something about her mother and encouraged her to perform, despite whether she would be good or not.  And I think Tess was pretty good!  It took me a moment to notice that she was singing the theme song, but that was a little cool (since I do like the theme song a lot better than most other shows).  I hope that she continues to do something with singing or playing the guitar because I think it would be a good fit for Tessa, who already showed some talent in writing poetry.

I really wanted Lisa to take her mother for all she was worth with that bombshell of a secret under her belt!  She did try to get to have the solo in their family skit (or whatever that ridiculous prancing around in cat outfits was), which was basically popping out of a trashcan at the end.  Really?  I don't know if she got even an ounce of the "golden child" treatment that Ryan has been given over the years, and Lisa will never have such power over her mother again.  Or a very little chance of having it again.  I knew Shelia would eventually turn the tables on her daughter (because Lisa is nowhere as crafty as her mother), but I had hoped Lisa would really get to enjoy the ride while it lasted.  Her reign of power seemed so short that I felt like why did she even bother to bring it up?  In the end, everything went back to their normal, the potting shed was burned, and Lisa still wasn't doing the solo.  The only difference was that Lisa's parents know that she knows.  And I guess if Ryan ever finds out he's not a Shay by blood, it'll be Lisa's fault for sure.  Not sure Lisa understands how to really take full advantage of an opportunity.

Noah (especially) and Dallas fighting over Carmen was just stupid.  The only good part of it was that it seemed to affect Dalia enough that she felt like she could talk to Tessa about her concern over losing her nanny.  Of course, when she spoke to Tessa, she was both expressing her fondness for Carmen and putting Tessa down at the same time.  That's a talent.  But it was nice to see there was no change really in their relationship.  I would hate to see Dalia stop treating Tessa so badly--it's one of the funniest things.  As far as Carmen leaving Dallas, I don't know if that's really something I care about at this point.  I would think that she would be better suited for Noah, who seems to think it's okay to put a cup holder on his baby.  Before child services come (I doubt they do in Chatswin) I pray that Carmen actually does start to take care of that baby.  Little Opus' mother certainly doesn't give a damn since she's off on a book tour instead of raising her newborn.  These women in that town...

Not the best episode, but not bad enough that I would question watching this show anymore.  After all, it was certainly one of my favorite new shows from last season, so I hope that it can remain one of my favorites.  Lately, my favorites seem to be dropping like flies, so I'm trying to give things more of a chance.  I want to see Tessa singing a little more in the next couple of episodes!

Two Against One

Suburgatory, S01E21

Tessa prepared to escape from the new living situation by applying to an internship in Manhattan.  She wasn't sure how to let George know about it, but Eden surprised her by supporting her decision.  George, on the other hand, freaked out when he found out that Eden had helped Tessa apply and let her go to the city on her own.  After George spoke with Dallas, he was a little less angry, but Eden remained in unknown territory when it came to offering opinions about raising Tessa.  Eden tried to make a compromise between Tessa and George by suggesting he let Tessa commute from her summer job, but Tessa was strongly against it.  Lisa and Malik disagreed about which camp they would attend in the summer, and Malik eventually let Lisa have her way.  Shelia continued to stir up trouble with Noah, regarding Eden carrying her child.

I applaud Tessa for handling a new woman (and a pregnant one at that) in her house as well as she did.  She could have been extremely difficult and mean in that situation, especially because George didn't ask for her input at all before he made the decision to let Eden stay.  I would have been much more aggressively horrible to someone who forbid us to use Wifi and cooked us dinners of wheat meat that looked liked dirt brownies with pieces of corn.  I might have run away if I were in her place.  You don't mess with people's food and you don't mess with their ease to connect to the internet.

Even so, I like Eden in their house because it's almost made them seem like a traditional family for once.  I don't know how motherly Eden is, but she at least brings in a different perspective than what George offers.  And she was in favor of Tessa taking the internship and possibly will be the reason she may get it after all.  At first, it seemed like Eden and George were teaming up against her, but then the tables turned and it looked like George was the odd man out (and he couldn't take it).  I was glad to see that--George has been really making things unfair for Tessa lately.  I hope that Eden continues to sometimes side with Tessa and make George a little less stubborn and overly protective.

But I suspect that after the scene with Dallas that George will one day wake up and realize that Dallas is a more suitable match for him.  After all, they compliment each other, for some reason, and like George said, they often are able to solve their problems when they speak with each other.  Dallas may not be the best parent around, but she's definitely a parent who is open to seeing things from different sides (unlike George who usually has to have someone point things out for him).  George is definitely stricter than Dallas, and I think together they would be a pretty good parenting team (at least better than they are apart).  George even said that Dallas was his Scully to his Mulder.  Wow.  Even without Dallas getting the reference (she was later seen watching X-Files at home), that was an important statement.  So, I doubt that Eden will be George's ultimate match,while he still has such a significant bond with Dallas.

As far as Lisa and Malik were concerned, their argument was really stupid.  I don't know why the two of them couldn't do something else fun for the summer (for kids with money, they sure have boring ideas).  Why not take a trip together (although I could see Shelia murdering Malik before that happened) or just go to a normal camp?  But I guess if they did, it wouldn't be typical of the two of them.  They're weird, and they will always be so.

Noah seems to have gotten a bit better about being crazy about his baby, despite being egged on by Shelia.  I'm glad that he is going to back off and let Eden birth his baby in peace, but I am dying to know what Shelia's problem is with surrogate mothers.  It has to do with something that has happened to her personally.  Since Lisa hasn't gotten back her results from the DNA test, we still don't know if it's related to Lisa being adopted.  I doubt that it is.  Perhaps Lisa was birthed from a surrogate, though?  I could see that being a bad experience if some poor woman had to carry Shelia's baby while she complained and dictated every aspect of her life until the baby was born.  If it's not that, I don't know what Shelia's problem is.  I hope next time we get to see that mystery solved.

This wasn't one of my favorite episodes, but it wasn't bad.  At least there was less of Noah to see, and there seems to be some positive things about Eden living with George and Tessa.  I hope that Tessa gets the internship because I think it'll be a great (and entertaining) experience for her (and the viewers).  For her to do it, though, she'll need George to ease up on her being in the city by herself.  If Eden is able to do anything through her relationship with George, it needs to be making George a less rigid parent.  She may not be who I think George will ended up with in the long run, but it doesn't mean she can't be an important stepping stone.  Who knows--Eden may very well be the one who is key in bringing Dallas and George together.

Eden Rocks The Altman Boat

Suburgatory, S01E20

George continued to have problems while dating Eden, the biggest being that Noah was being overprotective of her and his baby inside of her.  Shelia started to fill Jill's head with the possibility that Eden would try to steal Noah away from her, adding to the negative atmosphere around Eden.  Tessa was enjoying her job at Dallas' store and got a promotion.  However, George, noticing how much time and money she was putting into her job, asked Dallas to cut back Tessa's hours.  Dallas agreed, even though George just wanted Tessa to have more time to spend getting to know Eden.  In a side story, Lisa began to think that she was adopted and looked for evidence.

George really must have no other friends he can make because if he did have another option besides Noah, I would say he was an idiot to continue interacting with Noah at all.  He has gone above and beyond paranoid and intrusive with his questions about George's intimacy with Eden and making George sign a contract about what he could and couldn't do with Eden while pregnant.  I was really hoping that Noah's insanity would make George snap, and he might literally slap some sense into him.  However, George kept respecting his friend's crazy demands, while Eden could barely hug George without him awkwardly pulling away.

I'm not sure what nosy Shelia is up to, but I can't believe Jill was so stupid to listen to her.  Everyone in town knows that woman does nothing but give out advice that no one asked for or needed.  And she's a chronic gossip.  She'll say anything, as long as it looks true enough in her eyes, regardless of what the facts might be.  I don't know if Lisa's conclusion that her mother's strange actions are linked to her being adopted, but that would be an interesting turn of events.  It would be sad, though, that her family treats her like an afterthought and she was an adopted child.  It'd be like why did you adopt her if you were only going to make her feel second-best all the time?

As for Tessa, it was nice to see her so good at her job and making some serious cash.  I got annoyed that George had been busy with Eden and hadn't even seen Tessa for a while, but only wanted to start spending time with her again so that she could get to know Eden.  How selfish!  Even if he thought Tessa was in danger of spending too much money or becoming Dallas or something, as long as Tessa was happy and doing well at school, why bother her??  Sure he and Eden has something special, but it didn't give him the right to be butting into her life like that.  As sweet as I thought it was that George provided Eden refuge from crazy Noah and Jill, I leaned toward taking Tessa's side who had to suddenly live with her father's new girlfriend and had to work less at a job she was doing well at.  No matter how well Tessa and Eden may get along, I think that George owes Tessa a huge apologetic gesture.

The last thing I thought was good about this episode was that Dallas started to show signs of jealousy that Eden and George were clicking so well.  So her feelings for George are still there, after all.  It's nice to see the shoe on the other foot because I know that George wasn't too pleased with all the boy toys Dallas had after her divorce, too.  But since he has met Eden, he hasn't bothered with Dallas since (until needing her to cut back Tessa's hours).  I'd love to see Dallas and Eden interact soon.  It'd be funny to see her try to hide her dislike of Eden.

Good episode, although I would have loved some more Dalia in it.  I'm interested to see what Lisa finds out from the DNA test she seemed to be taking at the end.  I wonder how Ryan's feelings would change for her if she was adopted?  It'll be even more interesting to see how Tessa handles another woman under her roof.  I'm pretty sure that even as sweet as Eden appears to be, there's little chance that Tessa will welcome her into their home with open arms.  Sounds like we can expect some entertaining conflict in the next episode!

Tessa And Dalia Versus The Dog-Napper

Suburgatory, S01E19

Dallas entrusted Tessa with the task of finding her dog, Yakult, who had been brushed out of house and home by Dalia.  Tessa joined forces with Dalia to find the little dog, who had been taken in by Mr. Wolfe.  Yakult had brought together Mr. Wolfe and his boyfriend Alan, who was reluctant to admit they were in a relationship.  Although Tessa did most of the work to figure out where Yakult was, she easily let Dalia take all the credit for bringing Yakult home safely.  George met a woman whom he had an incredible connection with, but he had no idea that she was carrying Noah's baby.  He eventually decided to overlook the oddity of dating his friend's surrogate mother and started to get to know her better.

We got to see Tessa working at Dallas' shop for the first time.  Her pink uniform wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.  I liked the little confrontation between her and Dalia in the store.  Dalia tried to fire her, but Dallas took Tessa's side that there was no reason she should be.  I was happy that Dalia didn't get away with dissing Tessa while she was doing honest work, but I also felt bad for Dalia because she seemed a bit neglected.  I thought she might take it out on Tessa, but it's becoming clear that Yakult is a bigger rival to Dalia than Tessa will ever be.  It's a little bit of an insult that she sees a dog more of a threat than Tessa is.  Haha.

My favorite part of the Dalia and Tessa story was when they were chasing Mr. Wolfe to his condo (Dalia referred to the place as a "welfare hotel"--wow).  It was like they were some kind of opposites-attract detective duo.  I loved it.  I didn't think that Dalia would be able to keep up so well, but she was right behind Tessa and even had the time to reapply her lip gloss as she did.  I hope there will be another time they team up like that because it was great.  Later, Tessa downplayed her role in finding Yakult so that Dalia could redeem herself in Dallas' eyes.   It was so sweet of her, but I had worried that it would turn into a moment of "no good deed goes unpunished."  But Dalia didn't do anything to make Tessa regret her actions.  That was nice and surprising.  I bet Dalia just forgot that Tessa existed again or was just so generally happy that she didn't have the time to be a biatch.  Maybe there is hope for these two to become frenemies in the future.

If someone had told me that Alicia Sliverstone would be on this show, I would have been way skeptical of whether she'd make a good addition.  But the chemistry between her and George is completely believable and sweet.  It was a bit disappointing and weird to find out that she was Noah's surrogate, but I was glad that George didn't immediately want to stop seeing her.  Eden just seems like a ray of sunshine who could brighten up George's slightly cynical, city attitude.  I was gunning for him to get with Dallas, but Eden is a wonderful alternative.  I wonder what other kind of obstacles they might have that could upstage her just being pregnant in general.  I'm sure that will create some comical situations while they date.

Suburgatory just doesn't disappoint.  Can't wait to see what happens with just about everyone next time!

Malik and Lisa: Just...Nasty

Suburgatory, S01E18

Lisa and Malik finally became an official couple, but Lisa felt so guilty about making Tessa the third wheel that she tried to hook her up with Evan.  Tessa started feeling sorry for herself and was moping around her house until Ryan brought her out of her funk and reminded her that she wasn't as pathetic as Lisa was trying to make her.  Dallas realized that she was depressed about her divorce after all and leaned on George for advice on how to handle it.  Dalia came to terms with anger she felt toward her mother for separating her from her father, mostly through getting a pet kangaroo.

Wow, after wanting Lisa and Malik to get together, they are so disgusting to watch as a couple.  They can't even drink at the water fountain without all this sensual mouth and tongue action going on!  That, plus their ice cream and fondue eating, made me instantly regret their fusion.  I guess the best thing about them being together is that they compliment each other.  I thought maybe Lisa was the one instigating all the over-sexed vibes, but Malik seems to be of the same mind since the advice he gave to Evan was fairly pervy.  It doesn't surprise me at all that Tessa was having a hard time being around them--anyone would.  Puke city.  I did like how Lisa's mother encouraged their relationship (to the point she seemed to be kissing Malik's ass and bribing him with food).  It was pretty funny how she kept comparing him to random black people she knew (making their breakfast even more awkward).

I was so annoyed, however, that Lisa kept looking upon Tessa like a charity case to the point that she tried to set her up with Evan.  Way to dig deep, Lisa.  She barely tried to find a suitable match and just wanted an easy solution to unwarranted guilt.  Evan was so awkward and dirty in his approach, thanks to listening to Malik.  He was lucky that Tessa didn't slap him in his face.  Despite Lisa claimed that she would take a bullet for Tessa (really?  what about when she ran off when Tessa was buying that scooter??), she obviously doesn't think so much about her that she would try to get some semi-decent.  Never thought I'd say this, but thank goodness for Ryan appearing.

Ryan has won me over, especially after with his time with George.  Initially he was repulsive, but I've gotten the impression that he's not bad guy at all--he's just a moron.  Maybe it was a little creepy he was semi-stalking Tessa while she was eating butter and walking around in breakfast food pajamas, but he gave her the necessary kick in the pants she needed. Tessa was being really weird and lonely by herself, so I'd much rather her go out with Ryan than be at home pretending that she was all right.  Plus, he's kinda cute in a doofus kind of way.  It wouldn't be horrible if Tessa considered him again.

As far as her father's love life is concerned, I was glad to see that George was able to provide Dallas a shoulder to cry on (or a mattress).  She had me fooled that she was taking her divorce incredibly well, and I didn't think that George's offer to give her advice about the divorce would matter to Dallas, but she had a breakdown sooner than I could have imagined.  It was pretty cute how she and George were talking on the bed about handling the depression.  I think some of the things he told her sunk in, even though it looked like it was the idea of  shopping for a new "depressed woman" wardrobe was what lifted her spirits.

It was also sweet how Noah tried to comfort Dalia about the divorce.  That was unexpected.  He usually seems so caught up in himself that he can't be bothered to worried about others' problems.  Even though his solution to Dalia's problem was to get her a kangaroo like the one in Kangaroo Jack, it seemed to help her more than anything else.  After all, she just wanted someone to be on her side (obviously Dallas' dog was her enemy), and I guess a pet kangaroo is better than nothing.  It's not like Dalia is going to get a real friend, so a kangaroo it is.  I really wonder if this pet will be permanent or was just a gag for this episode.  Can't imagine that a kangaroo would be happy living domestically.

I hope that this is the end of having to endure the unpleasant PDAs of Malik and Lisa and perhaps the start of Ryan and Tessa (at least a friendship).  This is one of the few shows that I really look forward to, so I have missed it the past couple of weeks.  Can't wait to see what they have come up with for next week!