Last Man Standing: Parenting Priorities

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

The main storyline is that Eve and Mandy both have extracurricular activities they want their parents to witness, but Mike and Vanessa are worn out from attending everything all the time. On top of it, Mike really wants to take part in a guys' weekend, and his plans keep wavering as those of his daughters change. Mike tries to balance everything while Vanessa is caught by both girls admitting that she'd rather be doing other things, so they both have their hands full. Boyd is mentioned (but not seen) when Kristin talks about a pre-preschool graduation. [EYE ROLL] A pretty run-of-the-mill episode, complete with Ed and Kyle bringing some masculinity to the sitcom. There were a few moments that stood out, however... the joke about taking a handicap by buying everything at Ed's store was bad. Mike doing summer stock when he was younger was strange enough, but for Vanessa to have never known was a bit improbably. Oh, and shooting your mother with a bb gun? I don't even know why we should find that amusing OR interesting OR funny.

Last Man Standing  "Wherefore Art Thou, Mike Baxter" (S01E21): Ed and Mike need to find a third employee to compete with them in the annual Grudge Cup. [I fail to believe that they have no other wilderness men in a sportsman shop.] Ed hires a sniper to drive the store's forklift, but he winds up not working out because he's arrested for robbery. [haha] They end up taking Kyle, who has little experience in the events: fishing, hatchet toss, archery, and shooting. 

(ABC/PETER "HOPPER" STONE)

Eve's soccer team loses the semifinals so Mike and Vanessa will have the weekend free. They are really happy about it (seriously. see the picture!), even though Eve is bummed. The twist comes when understudy Mandy gets the opportunity to star in Romeo & Juliet because the lead broke her collarbone. [why is Mandy dressed like that?] There goes the free weekend for the parents! Vanessa had been celebrating her freedom on the phone when Eve overhears. [Kristin TRIED to warn her!] While trying to dig herself out of that, Vanessa admits that sometimes she'd rather be someplace else... giving the example of being anywhere besides watching teenagers butcher Shakespeare. [haha!] Mandy overhears this, so it's up to young-mom Kristin to smooth things over, explaining that some things are boring and it's a lot of work to go to everything. [yeah, I don't have much to say on this one. I think my mom stopped going to my orchestra concerts when I was fourteen or fifteen, except for the "graduating senior" concert.]

Mike, meanwhile, thinks that he'll be able to participate in the Grudge Cup and make it back for a 5pm performance. It's trickier than it seems, however, when he really needs to be a father-figure to Kyle. [relieving yourself by the other team's tent?? GROSS!] The kid talks about never having his dad around as a child and needs to be taught how to throw a hatchet (but has a natural talent for that and archery!), so when Mike tries to duck out early by encouraging Kyle that he doesn't "need" Mike, Kyle remembers that those are the words his father would often use. [snap!] Mike is guilted into staying, completely missing Mandy not knowing her lines and making up her part. [typical disaster. I fail to believe that nobody else had studied the lines, though... why not replace her at intermission? and, who was watching Boyd during the play?] Later, when Mike agrees to see the show the following weekend, he tells her that she should have learned her part, which I imagine she heard from multiple people. [again, I'd offer the part to someone else. though it seems that the original Juliet didn't care enough to learn her lines, either.]

Oh, and Ed's team ends up losing because he choked. [figures.]