State of the Shea, Pt. 85: Five Shades of “Date (Night)”
ATTENTION READERS!
While you’re here, please follow this link and take a simple 3-question survey for me. Thanks!
The episode got its name from a line or two of Lea’s (as has happened on more than one occasion), but there ended up being so many twosomes getting (or trying to get) quality time in that single hour of TGD, I took my notes for this episode with that in mind.
For it was about relationships– of many kinds– as well as a generous nod to the words “embracing the unknown.” Those very words might be on the minds of TGD’s cast and crew, both on this episode and beyond, as they prepare for a time when they might not know what awaits them. But within the confines of this episode, I found it an interesting question to pose in each “date” situation.
FIRST, THOUGH, LET’S ADDRESS ONE UNKNOWN THAT WAS NOT EMBRACED IN THIS EPISODE…
How would Shaun deal with Dom’s hemophobia?
It was the first time we’d seen Dom on Team Murphy, but Dom miraculously made it through the rebar removal and surgery without a single retch or fainting spell. (And the second surgery– the one Shaun decided on after determining his POTW did not have early-onset Alzheimers after all– happened entirely offscreen.) I get it– the show had bigger plotlines to carry out this time around. But it felt like a disservice to Charlie that the “other” med student looked comparatively perfect alongside Shaun when we all know Dom has his own set of issues. How would Shaun have handled it? Would he have told Dom he “shouldn’t be a surgeon either” (as he’s already told Charlie)?
Nah. He’d at least rattle off a list of remedies first.
Of course the funniest part of that potential dialogue is Dom saying “I know (I shouldn’t be a surgeon)! I’m just trying to get through this rotation the best I can.” To which Shaun might toss off one of his “Hmm”s.
Think we’ll ever get to find out for sure?
Hmm.
ANOTHER “UNKNOWN” (for now) NOT EMBRACED...
What’s the deal with Lim and her mother?
Dr. Audrey Lim has been a fixture in the St. Bon’s hierarchy almost as long as Glassman has (for the purposes of this show, anyway). She’s dedicated, hard-working, responsible to a fault… but save for a half-dozen or so episodes through the years that cast a bright light on her mental well-being and/or social life (or lack thereof), it’s something of a mystery what makes this superwoman tick.
When I saw that Lim’s mother was going to be making an appearance– now, with only a half-dozen episodes remaining on the series– I was intrigued. When I watched Eileen (played by Bess Armstrong, who has appeared on everything from My So-Called Life to The Nanny to Grey’s Anatomy) and Lim interact on “Date Night,” I was downright giddy with the realization that “Mom” was appearing in not one episode, but FOUR! This could get quite interesting…!
And then I saw Eileen/Mom interact with Dr. Aaron Glassman, and my head kind of exploded. So let’s start this “Date” list with them…
Glassman/Eileen (a.k.a. Lim’s Mom)
Relationship status: Virtual strangers with one connection (Lim)
Relationship length: Depends on how long they spent shopping for that TV tray (and eating food truck crepes)
This “date” started with… Glassman offering to take Eileen, AKA Lim’s Mom, shopping while his co-president Lim attended a board meeting
Ended with… Glassman perhaps telling Eileen more about his late daughter Maddie as they dined on Galette Bretonne, which is “a thin buckwheat pancake with a savory blue cheese filling” for those of you who were wondering.
Best lines:
GLASSMAN: “You’d rather cover a board meeting than hang out with your mom?”
LIM (thinking it over a moment): “Yeah.”
GLASSMAN: “Does she have leprosy?”
Best Development: The promo for the next episode… showing these two ended up sleeping together that night. (What was in those crepes?!)
Did they “Embrace the Unknown” and how did that work out: Yes… and quite well! (Unless you asked Lim about it)
Kalu/Jordan
Relationship status: Friends/colleagues that “OMG LIKE EACH OTHER” according to Charlie
Relationship length: No official relationship yet; started working together about a year ago (in real time… in St. Bons time it’s more like 4-5 months I think)
This “date” started with… Kalu bringing a peace offering of delicious food. You may recall this is the second time he’s done this in the space of just four episodes… First time he did so to apologize for judging Jordan harshly in her decision to administer opiates to Perez in the Season 6 finale (“Love’s Labor”)... this time it was to apologize for his less-than-wise crack about Jordan needing to be needed by the men in which she’s interested.
He basically dares her to try it anyway. She loves it. “I’ll fix you a plate.” Unfortunately we don’t see the rest of this BUT SHOULD COUNT IT AS A DATE, YES?
Ended with… a scene that appeared in close-up to be an intense discussion about olives (while out to dinner the next night?)... but was actually the two of them facing each other while donating blood. (I feel like this gesture was connected to POTW Nathan’s sickle cell disease, but I’m not sure how…)
Best line: JORDAN (to Kalu): “You don’t know me, okay? So you should stop acting like you do.”
NOTE: I actually said these words– more like shouted them– to someone many years ago. Much to my relief, that was only the second (and final) time I had to be around that person. Jordan, on the other hand, has worked with Kalu for months…
Best Development: Hard to say. The Jordan/Kalu interactions this season seem to be on track for an accelerated slow burn (given they only have so much time left in the series)... but…
Did they “Embrace the Unknown” and how did that work out: Jordan told POTW Nathan– as she politely declined his dinner request– You’re everything I pray for, but… I might need to face some unknowns too.” Is she, though?
We know there’s a spark between these two. We also know Jordan has no plans to be sexually active again until she’s married (as per her conversation with Lea last season). And we further know that her would-be boyfriend Dr. Danny Perez is scheduled to return to St. Bon’s sometime before the close of the series. (Apologies if that’s “spoiler news” for some, but it’s been widely reported for several weeks now so I’m including it here.)
So my theory is pretty simple: they keep Jordan and Kalu on the slow burn track until Perez returns, and then the big series-ending question becomes WHO WILL JORDAN CHOOSE? That way they get to stretch this love triangle all the way to the end without ever having to deal directly with Jordan’s vow of chastity.
(Me, I’d rather just see her get with Kalu and stay with him while Perez continued to stay away… but if you followed State of the #Shea last season you already know how I feel about that storyline!)
Jerome/Asher
Relationship status: Very serious
Relationship length: Nearly 2 years
This “date” started with… Asher scheduling a FaceTime date for them when Jerome’s trip to Australia wasn’t affording them any quality time, texts, etc.
Ended with… A makeup date night.
After Jerome blew it on their first attempt (Asher wore cashmere and everything!) because jetlag was getting the best of him, an evening of Asher binge-watching Say Yes to The Dress turned into apologies, acceptance, and attempt #2.
Best line: Not a particular line as much as a particular detail… Asher had an ENTIRE PIE (and a fork) in his hands when Jerome called him back. Remember when he was downing a giant slab of chocolate cake in the cafeteria shortly after his parents arrived in the “Sons” episode? Lea may have started the role of “stress eater” on this show, but Asher’s done a great job of taking it over!
Best Development: There really wasn’t one. They were endearing as always, but the #Jasher moments in this episode felt like placeholder moments at best. Which is especially frustrating, as I’m now wondering if Asher will get any stories of substance for the remainder of the series…
Did they “Embrace the Unknown” and how did that work out:
(OK, I may remove these last 2 questions entirely when I edit this post for later reading. It hurts too much…)
Park/Morgan
Relationship status: Living together (again, after a year or so apart)
Relationship length: Hard to say. Maybe med student Dom has the most comprehensive answer…
This “Date” started with… OK, for these two it was more like “Hookup Night”. Scratch that– it didn’t have to be nighttime.
Anyway, it started with Morgan wondering if she and Park would ever have sex again (because of Eden), then briefly continued while they tested that theory (over a newly-sleeping Eden). Then that theory was proven correct almost immediately. (In my experience, you’ve gotta let a baby doze for at least 5-10 minutes before you try to move them. Just saying.)
Ended with… The third of three old-school attempts to get their groove back…
Attempt #1 was Morgan summoning Park to her office for a “snack” after he said he was unable to meet her for lunch. She locked the door, unbuttoned her blouse, said “This is gonna be so hot” (which probably doomed the rendezvous right there)... and sure enough…go at it on the desk for 10 seconds, then Lim knocks. They plan for “the 3rd floor supply closet” tomorrow at a time TBD.
Attempt #2 was said supply closet, which was desperation at its peak (active vacuum cleaners, collapsing shelves, “do you smell ammonia?”). The ammonia finally did them in and they gave up, emerging from the closet smelling “lemony” (according to Charlie).
Some advice to #Parnick here: do a better job of vetting the supply closets in the future. As I recall, #Jasher found an ideal one in last year’s episode “A Big Sign”...
Attempt #3 was the two of them pulling up to the house at the end of the day with Morgan feeling a little defeated… until Park name-drops his ex-wife (Mia) in a reassurance effort that goes wrong almost immediately. Or does it? For Morgan goes “from zero to bitch in 5 seconds” (Park’s words) and about five seconds after that, they’re going at it passionately in the car.
Best line:
CHARLIE (when Park gives her new directions immediately after the supply closest incident): Now my tablet smells lemony!
PARK (turning back as he heads down the hallway): But– it’s streak-free!
CHARLIE: Oh.
Best Development: We can only presume that Attempt #3 was successful, or at least successful enough (gearshifts, bucket seats, etc.) One tiny question though… where was Eden during that scene? In the backseat sleeping? In the backseat, NOT sleeping? Feels like, ironically, the writers took some creative license there with the tiny person that was inadvertently responsible for #Parnick’s sex woes in the first place.
Did they “Embrace the Unknown” and how did that work out: Assuming they’ve never done the deed together in any of the locations shown in this episode… then yes– In a very literal sense, #Parnick embraced the unknown. But in general this was on-brand stuff for them. Think of it this way: with later-season TGD there is a “cute” long-term heterosexual couple and there is a “sexy” long-term heterosexual couple. You know which is which without a name being mentioned, don’t you?
(I’m not saying that I’m crazy about these characterizations myself, mind you.)
Shaun/Lea
Relationship status: married with one newborn child
Relationship length: Became a couple in 2020; Married since 2022
This “Date” started with… Shaun leaving an “I miss you” note (signed Dr. Shuan Murphy) when he and Lea were starting to become parent-shaped ships that pass in the proverbial night. When Lea and Steve arrived for a visit to Shaun’s office several hours later, they made plans at “their favorite karaoke bar” for that very evening.
Ended with… Lea (sort of) lamenting the fact that their lives were very different now… which seemed to prompt a bout of ShaunVision that sent Shaun racing back to the hospital while Lea went home to Steve.
Best line: “They do have a lot of A-B-B-A.” Shaun to Lea as he announces “Islands in the Stream” is not a karaoke option at their bar of choice.
Note to writers: I would have greatly enjoyed a #Shea performance of “Take a Chance on Me” in the name of moving forward from their “Islands” days. Would it have killed you to give us just 20 seconds of Lea trying to teach Shaun Bjorn and Benny’s “take a chan-chance” part?
(OK, I’ll take the easy way out here and assume they wanted to have some ABBA music in this episode, but couldn’t because ABC wouldn’t cover the licensing fees. When in doubt about these remaining TGD episodes, blame ABC!)
Best Development: Shaun and Lea reconnect in their own way– nestled in their bed with Steve sleeping in the bassinet nearby– as they reflect on the notion that the best is yet to come.
Did they “Embrace the Unknown” and how did that work out:
Arguably, they’re doing that every day as new parents… and their efforts in “Date Night” were to step back and re-embrace the “known” (Tequila and karaoke, “like old times,” as Shaun said.) Of course, that didn’t work. It never really does. But like most essential discoveries (relationships require lots of work, parenting presents unique challenges, compromise beats inflexibility every time, etc.), we’re here to see it through the #Shea filter.
The only drawback with that? The bottom line occasionally gets too easy to see, even for us. This time around, the final words in “Date Night” were virtually identical to the final words in an episode you may recall from three seasons ago…
***
From “Not the Same” (TGD 4 x 4)
SHAUN (to Lea as they celebrate her moving back into the apartment):
You were right, it’s not the same… it’s better.
From “Date Night” (TGD 7 x 4)
SHAUN (to Lea after she points out that he has “more to love” than ever before):
You were right. Our lives will never be the same again… they’ll be better.
***
So, as sweet a parallel as it is, I have to admit to rolling my eyes a wee bit as the show ended.
Should I blame scriptwriter David Hosleton, who just happened to co-write both the episodes? (Is it endearing to borrow your own work in this instance, or just lazy?)
OR… do I blame ABC for putting those words from “Date Night” in one of the all-purpose TGD promos airing this year, which diluted their impact considerably?
(When in doubt about these remaining episodes…)
What did YOU think of “Date Night”? Hit up the comments and share your thoughts with us!
