Sunday, April 20, 2014

ROUND-UP: Last Man Standing: Sliding Downhill

This show is going downhill again. It has had its ups and downs, and with the season finale just around the corner, I really wonder about the future of this program. The pokes at liberalism (whether the media, the government, or any other facet of life) have gotten old, they've toyed with the characters' paths, relationships, and and personalities a bit too much, and coming up with new ways to keep the aging kids around is proving difficult. Mandy working in the basement is believable for a while, but if she keeps making money like she has been, it would make complete sense for her to move out on her own to New York or LA or Milan or Paris... somewhere with a fashion scene, which Denver lacks. Kristin's only big storylines this season have been disappointing, and the coming and going of Boyd isn't helping anymore. That leaves Eve, who went from tomboy sports star to semi-boy-crazed ROTC brat, to live with a sporting goods store business manager and a geologist... cue the fun? The premise for any potential fourth season had better be good if they want to keep my attention!

Last Man Standing "Project Mandy" (S03E18): Mandy gets a B- on a fashion show project and considers quitting school because of it. She wants $5,000 to start a product line, and when Mike won't give it to her, her grandfather does. [ha!] Mike and Vanessa still fight it, but when Mandy has 80+ orders in 3 days, Mike decides to let her give it a try for a semester. Blanca comes in on the project as well. [you know, so we can be reminded of all these perimeter characters that get built up in big ways and then fall off the face of the planet again...]
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Last Man Standing "Hard-Ass Teacher" (S03E19): Eve has decided she wants to go to West Point, but Vanessa isn't happy about it. [I had a friend in HS who gave West Point serious consideration. She spent a good chunk of time figuring out how she could get good enough recommendations, but I don't even remember if she applied in the end.] She becomes super obsessed with her grades, so when she doesn't do too well on a geometry class, she takes Mandy's advice and tries to switch to an easier teacher. [hehe. a good half of my IB class chose Chemistry II over Visual Arts because of the easy-teacher scenario.] Mike catches on and tells her not to take the easy way out, though Vanessa supports the change, in the name of GPA. Vanessa goes to see the tough teacher to see if Eve can do something to get a higher grade, but is taken aback by the man. Mike lets Eve make the final decision on what to do. [I'm betting my mom would have let me switch if it meant a higher grade, too.]

A helicopter parent tries to get her son, Jason, a job at Outdoor Man, but the teen is focused only on his phone. [ugh!] She talk Ed into hiring the lump, and then into dating her! [so weird!]

Last Man Standing "Parenting Bud" (S03E20): Vanessa doesn't have time to make dinner, so they get some BBQ for dinner, as that's what Mike wants. She starts realizing that Mike usually gets his way, so she decides to get what she wants for dinner, and hires Chuck to re-do the security system. [that definitely sounds like something in Mike's realm, though.] Mike winds up continuing to mess with her regardless.

Kyle's grandmother escapes from the retirement home again, and he keeps helping her out, even though she doesn't appreciate it. [awww.[ The experience convinces Mike that he needs to help his father (who got mugged but doesn't want a gun), even if Bud doesn't want it, either. [I guess this was supposed to be a key moment for the family, but meh.]

Last Man Standing "April, Come She Will" (S03E21): Chuck goes to Outdoor Man, and Mike has Kyle follow him around. Later, when something is wrong with Mike's alarm system and the security company comes out to check on it, Chuck nearly lets them arrest Mike for being a "peeping Tom." [eh. I didn't really find this prank storyline funny.]

Vanessa's sister, April, visits from Boulder, and she's decided to have a baby. But, the 40-year-old needs a donor egg, which costs $6,000 she doesn't have. [let's not forget, the woman often comes to Vanessa for money, and even lived with the Baxters for a while.] She also isn't positive that she's in a committed relationship, but thinks that the baby will help her boyfriend settle down. [omg, that dumb at 40??!?] Mike and Vanessa don't feel comfortable backing this project, but Mandy will donate her own eggs. [ahhh! didn't see that coming!!] Mike and Vanessa try to stop her, but when Mandy starts doing her own research, she begins to realize that maybe April isn't ready. The woman won't even lock down a month because she isn't willing to change some future plans, which causes Mandy to tell her favorite aunt that she won't go through with it. [good for Mandy! besides, there would still be costs for the medication and procedure to harvest Mandy's eggs, which April probably couldn't afford anyway.]]
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