Looking Ahead at 2018-2019

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Well, it's been a summer. There was a whole lot of nothing on television, aside from the Bates Family, the Duggar Family, the Roloff Family, and the newer addition to my reality followings - the Busby Family. Technically, there was also Trial & Error, but I'm behind in that because Spectrum is awful and we're on our third DVR box in two months. But, I spent some time last night going through the new shows for the broadcast networks and made some selections. because, you know, there's more to TV life than

ABC came in high, CW isn't even on the board, and FOX tanked. CBS and NBC are surprisingly equal, but we'll see how that pans out. I picked more shows this year than I did last year, but a few of them I really don't think will make it to Thanksgiving, so not much is lost in giving them a try.

What made the cut?
For ABC, I'm going with the soon-to-premiere Single Parents (a bit too much exposure, already, I think), A Million Little Things (it better be better than Friends with Better Lives), plus the farther out The Rookie (Nathan Fillion, anyone?), The Conners, Schooled, and The Kids are Alright (it seems that we're on an every-other-year-there's-a-Catholic-family-show module). As two of those are spin-offs, I'm not really feeling like my ABC selections are as high as they appear.

For FOX, the only thing I'm going to bother with is Rel, which starts tonight. It's about a guy who has to rebuild his life after a divorce, so it'll be a rough start, but Sinbad plays the protagonist's father, so that could be fun.

On NBC, the start dates are mostly soon. In September alone, I'll be checking out New Amsterdam (I'm a sucker for medical shows), I Feel Bad (I need more "mom shows"), and Manifest (it's going to be awful or amazing), plus later on there's Gilded Age (period show!), Abby's (this looks like a hot mess), and The Village (which, really, I'm only in to see Daren Kagasoff act again).

Rounding it out on CBS, there's the crazy (unscripted) Million Dollar Mile, the unlikely-to-work Happy Together, the reboot of Murphy Brown, the too-much-like-Living-Biblically-from-last-season God Friended Me, the is-this-Timeless-again? Blood & Treasure, and the Beth-Behrs-is-back The Neighborhood.

The bigger, scarier thing (if you can believe it) is that I have a TON of returning shows, which I don't think I realized back in Spring!
ABC: Fresh off the Boat, American Housewife, Speechless, The Goldbergs, Black-ish, The Good Doctor [only one new thing from last year remaining]
FOX: Bob's Burgers, The Resident, Last Man Standing (I don't think it'll be that good this time around, though...) [only one new thing from last year remaining]
NBC: This is Us, Superstore, A.P. Bio, Will & Grace, The Good Place (which I discovered online over the summer) [only one new thing from last year remaining]
CBS: Man with a Plan, How to Get Away with Murder, The Big Bang Theory, Young Sheldon [only one new thing from last year remaining]
CW: Jane the Virgin, Dynasty [one old, one from last year]
Other Networks: South Park (Comedy Central), Grown-ish (Freeform), Good Trouble (the Freeform spin-off of The Fosters), plus the aforementioned follow-an-atypical-family shows I enjoy. 

And, at some point, I still do plan to check out The Mick and Good Girls. So... yeah, there's a lot of television entertainment to be enjoyed this year. 

Last Man Standing: Columbus Day

A Columbus Day episode is a rarity on television... in fact, I can't think of ANY. Normally, I don't think I'd care about the holiday not getting much attention, but this year I think it needs some emphasis. Tonight, at the gym, the manager wasn't in, but I was told she'd be available on Monday. As that's a holiday, I double-checked that the woman would be in, and the employee said "oh, that's right, it's Columbia's Day on Monday." At first I thought I misheard, but the gentleman said it two more times, prompting my husband and I to laugh in horror as soon as we got to the parking lot! Similarly, last May I was teaching a fifth grade theatre class and used Columbus as an example, but was met with a lot of "deer-in-headlights" looks. I glanced at their teacher, who said the students know who he is, but when it didn't seem to click, I changed the example for the other classes. I still remember the song I learned in kindergarten about the explorer, but apparently he needs more acknowledgement! Granted, Last Man Standing might not have been the ideal vehicle for that, but I’m appreciative just the same.

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Last Man Standing "Rediscover America" (S04E03): Eve playing for the football team is now making the local newspaper. However, she’s not thrilled that she's always referred to as "the female kicker," though Vanessa and Kristin point out that she's opening doors for young girls. [does nobody remember that Rudy played football on The Cosby Show in the eighties? However, once Eve misses a field goal and costs her team the game, Kristin is upset at how the newspaper depicts Eve as female. [I hate Kristin.] Eve begins to feel the burden of being expected to represent all women, increasing the pressure on her during games.

Ed's girlfriend is bothered that Mike is the face of Outdoor Man in a regional magazine, which prompts Ed to cancel Mike's Columbus Day sale, despite the fact that he knows Mike's marketing mind has done wonders for them over the years. [pride can be a nuisance.] However, Mike goes ahead with making a Columbus Day vlog, only to make Ed the star, comparing the older man to Leif Ericson, who beat Columbus to "discovering America," but doesn't get the credit. [I thought that this might have been a little mushy for Mike’s character.]

RETURNING: Last Man Standing: Sexism

I’m really not a fan of how Vanessa treats Eve’s interests. She’s not the biggest fan of her youngest daughter being part of JROTC, she doesn’tlike that the teen wants to serve her country, and now she’s against Eve wanting to give football a try. It’s not like Kristin (a high school dropout with a Prom-conceived son) and Mandy (a college drop-out who excels in neither book nor street smarts) are doing wonderfully for themselves, so why not allow Eve to try another path?!? Then again, for someone with a PhD in geology, Vanessa is very caught up in her looks and such, similar to those older daughters!

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Last Man Standing "Here's the Kicker" (S04E01): Eve and Mike are at a football game, and Eve is chosen to kick a field goal. She makes it, and wins a Camaro. [how random! Remember when Niles magically won a truck on Frasier for making a free throw?] The Baxters sell the car to put the money toward Eve’s college fund, but that's only the start of things - she is asked to try out as placekicker on the school football team. [that kinda makes sense.] Eve, however, is upset that she can’t have the car, as she plans to attend West Point, where there is no tuition cost. But, Vanessa points out that Eve is already committed to playing soccer, though Eve is able to work out playing both sports. Vanessa continues to think football is a bad idea. [Vanessa not being able to watch Eve play was eye-roll-inducingly annoying.]

Meanwhile, Justin should have been the one to win the car, but Eve took his seat when Justin was at the concession stand, so he’s not happy with her. [speaking of football players, did we know Chuck's son, Brandon, also plays football?] Plus, Eve sprains her knee at practice – and Vanessa freaks out before learning that it was soccer, not football, that caused the minor injury. [I’m surprised that Vanessa didn’t immediately take Eve to the doctor to make sure it wasn’t more serious.]

Last Man Standing "War Games" (S04E02): Boyd gets thrown out of a birthday party because he was playing "Dirty Dozen" with some of the kids. [lmao. No way the average six-year-old knows what Dirty Dozen is!] Boyd later gets to try splatball with some kids from school, causing a major parenting conflict between Kristin and Ryan. It turns out that Mike gave Kristin a gun when she was 16, but after coming clean to Ryan about it, she decides to keep it at her parents' home. [I don’t want to get political, but I wasn’t happy about the turn this story took.]

Also, Vanessa's college roommates come to visit, and Vanessa wears one of Mandy's LBD designs. [woopty-doo?]

New Season, New Format

We're changing up our episode recaps and remarks for the new television season, mainly to shift our focus to covering new series and specials before they air rather than after. We believe this will help you make more fitting choices as to what to watch, and it will also help out our subscribers not to receive as many articles about shows they potentially have no interest in, as our current lineup is very broad.

But, we're not dropping recaps with remarks completely. We will still cover pilots we deem promising, and we'll be writing about holiday episodes of those and of our returning favorites. Plus, we are continuing to cover some series in their entirety, particularly cable shows that are tougher for you to catch up on elsewhere. What does this mean for your favorite show? For all of the series we were currently recapping, here are their fates:

                                                      16 & Pregnant: regular posting
                                                      19 Kids & Counting: regular posting
                                                      2 Broke Girls: holidays and special episodes only
                                                      Bob's Burgers: holidays and special episodes only
                                                      Buddy's Bakery Rescue: discontinued
                                                      Cake Boss: regular posting
                                                      Cake Boss: Next Great Baker: fate to be determined if series is renewed
                                                      Falling Skies: discontinued
                                                      Girl Meets World: regular posting
                                                      Hot in Cleveland: holidays and special episodes only
                                                      Instant Mom: holidays and special episodes only
                                                      Last Man Standing: holidays and special episodes only
                                                      Little People, Big World: regular posting
                                                      Melissa & Joey: holidays and special episodes only
                                                      Mistresses: fate to be determined if series is renewed
                                                      South Park: regular posting
                                                      Switched at Birth: regular posting
                                                      Teen Mom 2: regular posting
                                                      The Big Bang Theory: holidays and special episodes only
                                                      The Exes: regular posting
                                                      The Goldbergs: holidays and special episodes only
                                                      The Middle: holidays and special episodes only
                                                      Under the Dome: fate to be determined if series is renewed
                                                      White Collar: holidays and special episodes only

what do you think of the posting schedule? sad to be losing regular updates? excited for more new program coverage? 

Last Man Standing: Boyd Rides a Sheep, Kristin Gets Engaged

I'm not sure who made the decision to end the season with Ryan and Kristin finally getting along well enough to seriously consider getting married, but I'm not standing behind it. In fact, I think it would be a fine place to let this series die, as morbid as that sounds. The characters are still fairly static after three seasons and a great deal of tinkering, the plotlines ignore previous stories, there was some rapid-aging that didn't help anything, and the jokes are getting fewer and farther between. If a fourth season happens (and I don't think it should), I'll see where they're going with this, but it is definitely no longer a staple. And, considering that the TGIF-reboot ABC has been trying to make happen is repeatedly failing, it might be time to just wipe the slate clean and try something different.

Last Man Standing "Mutton Busting" (S03E22) [Season Finale]: Eve and Justin get tutored by Andrew, who repeatedly asks her to Prom when Justin is out of the room.

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She turns him down to attend with her boyfriend, but she also wants to wear her JROTC uniform, and he wants her to wear a dress. [my HS didn't have JROTC, but is it common for girls to wear their uniforms to Prom?] He later tells her that he'll let her wear her uniform, but she decides to just go with Andrew, who won't tell her what to do. She even wears a dress, though, but it's her own decision. 

Mike takes off Boyd's training wheels, and he falls while riding his bike, freaking out Kristin. [c'mon. the kid is fine.] Ryan and Kristin then take Boyd to a sock-puppet Hamlet before Mike puts the lad on a mechanical sheep to see if he's got what it takes to ride a sheep in a junior rodeo. [I'm a little ashamed to say that the only reason I know what "mutton busting" is because of Josh and Mackenzie on Teen Mom 3.] Ryan tries to stop it, then sees that he needs to let Boyd try things if he'll ever get good at anything... and this is his lucky day, as the boy rides "Gary" quite a while. [Kristin still objecting was kinda dragging down the situation.]

The episode ends with Kristin and Ryan announcing their engagement to her parents.

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.]]

Last Man Standing: People are Not Dogs

I'm going to open with the fact that I would have let Eve go on that trip. I'm not a parent, so I can't relate to the situation exactly, but I am a firm believer in treating each child as an individual, so thinking that Eve would act slutty out of nowhere just because both her sisters were is uncalled for. Besides, while we know that Vanessa doesn't think she knows her daughter, Mike has demonstrated a good relationship with Eve, and although he hasn't met Justin, you'd think that he would be able to trust that his daughter really is on the trip to show off her hard work, not to get some alone-time with a boy. Of course, Muffin managed to get some private time with another dog right under Mike's nose, but that dog is randomly around anyway...

Last Man Standing "Stud Muffin" (S03E16): Chuck is upset that his purebred German Shepherd, Lady, is pregnant by Muffin, the Baxters’ dog. The girls want one of the puppies, but Chuck wants to abort the “monster puppies.” [I had never thought about animal abortions so I had to ask around... turns out, it sure is a thing!] To make matters worse, Chuck has moved out, and Vanessa feels bad that Carol didn’t share that with her. Mike gets Muffin ‘fixed,’ then talks to Chuck, learning that the former marine isn’t sure what his new purpose is in life now that he’s retired. [where is this going?]

Mandy hit a parked van but Eve is the one who leaves a note. The driver owns an electronics store, and gives Mandy an iPad for her integrity. [um, the Baxters don't make Mandy share with Eve in this situation??] But, she wants to return it for cash because it is only the base model. [... and this is why there are horrible people in the world.]

Last Man Standing "Eve's Boyfriend" (S03E17): Eve goes on a date, and Vanessa wants all the details. Eve shares that Justin is religious, and has signed a purity pledge, but Mike doesn't believe it. [gutting racks on sale for fathers with teenage daughters, haha!] Eve is scheduled to go on an overnight JROTC camping trip, but when Kristin and Mandy learn that Justin will also be along, they tease her and then make sure their parents know. [what kind of sisters wouldn't keep that quiet? who tells on something like that??]

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Kristin is shocked that Eve wouldn't do the same things she would, but Eve goes ahead and goes out the window and on the trip anyway. Mike goes after her, but doesn't get there until hours afterward. [not sure why there's like a half-day gap in there...] When he realizes that Eve didn't want to let down her squad, he decides to let her stay, but he'll just chaperone. [that's a justifiable solution!]

Last Man Standing: The Mysteries of Valentine's Day

My husband is very thoughtful about gifts, and he has been since before we were even dating. So, I have no way to relate to Vanessa not getting gifts on Valentine's Day, making this episode very amusing for me. I feel bad for the woman, as she wouldn't believe in a hundred years that her husband would send her roses on Valentine's Day! This is an attitude that has had several different influences on her daughters... Kristin is indifferent to the holiday, Mandy wants something considerate presents, and Eve wavers from ignorant of the occasion to obsessive. I really disliked seeing the bossy side of Eve, and seeing her bully the boys in the classroom left a sour taste in my mouth. A ROTC cadet may be a good match for her, but I don't want to see her be the next Mandy and change for a boy, either.

Last Man Standing "Tasers" (S03E15): It's Valentine's Day, so Eve decides to try getting a boyfriend, and invites three guys to be "finalists." She gives them a series of tests, but one guy walks out, saying he won't jump through hoops for her. [I'm shocked the other two boys stayed!] She decides to go with Andrew, who has liked her for years, but she promptly treats him poorly. [Mandy is supposed to be the b*tch in the family!] She then dumps him when he does everything for her, and winds up with Justin, the JROTC boy who won't cater to her every whim. [::eye roll::]

Mike gets Vanessa a stun-gun on (but not for) Valentine's Day. Flowers also get delivered, but with no card, the girls argue over who received them. [that's awkward!] Kyle wouldn't have the money for that arrangement, but Ryan wouldn't send them to Kristin's parents' house, Mike isn't that romantic, and Eve doesn't have a beau. Kristin suspects her boss, John, sent them, so she confronts him at work, only to learn that he is dating a coworker, Rachel. [SO awkward!] Eve tells Ryan about the situation, and he sneaks up on Kristin int he parking lot, and she accidentally tases him (having taken Vanessa's unwanted present). [you're KIDDING me!] Kyle carves a bird from soap for Mandy, but the rain turns it into bubbles.

It turns out that the flowers WERE from Mike, who thought it would be a big surprise for his wife. However, it's such a surprise that she refuses to believe him until the card is finally found in the bushes! [the vlog dissing Valentine's Day was a bit harsh.]

Last Man Standing: Googling Yourself

I was in grad school the first time I googled myself, as I was engaged to be married and wondered what was out there with my "old name." I was impressed with the results, and they were all me, which is something that doesn't happen when you google my name now. In this day and age, it should come as no shock that I've googled friends and family members to see what was out there - regardless of how common their names may be. Sometimes there are too many other "Vanessa Baxter" people to find the one I want on the web, but sometimes there's just nothing to be found... no newspaper articles, no mentions on websites, nothing. My sister graduated from college six weeks ago, so I googled her right around Christmas to see what prospective employers might find... a bunch of social media profiles, a quote in her college's newspaper, a group presentation powerpoint, and her name in our hometown paper's list of graduates from her high school class. Without considering middle names, her current name is more unique than mine, so she has the luxury of determining what's out there about her. Vanessa, however, is going to be overshadowed, because regardless of how magnificent her work in geology is, more people are going to care about the shadier "Vanessa Baxter." I kinda wonder what Mandy would find...

Last Man Standing "Renaming Boyd's School" (S03E14): Mandy is working on sewing an ambitious cocktail dress for a fashion assignment, and Blanca helps her. [awkward Contempo Casuals sweatshop remarks... though I laughed at "how much do I owe you?" "$20." "an hour?" "...yes."] 

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It turns out that Clark, of Lewis & Clark, owned slaves, so Boyd's elementary school may change its name. Vanessa is upset because, during her PTA presidency, she was in charge of a Clark mural in the lobby of the school. Mike does a vlog about people being overly sensitive to things that should't be taken offensively, then tries to get Carol and Chuck to support keeping the school's name the same. But, there's no easy answer as to what to do, so nothing really happens. [so... yeah, a useless episode.]

Last Man Standing: Who Needs ADHD Meds?

Like many college students, I lived on Mountain Dew and Girl Scout cookies during midterms and finals, and though nobody ever personally admitted to me they were abusing prescription drugs for studying, I knew it was happening. It was in the college paper, you'd hear whispers about pills in large lecture halls, and sometimes you'd know someone who talked about someone who could "hook you up." So, I guess I'm not too surprised that Mandy went that route, but I am still disappointed. If this was a drama, this could be a great way to break into a good depiction of the issue, but with a comedy (and especially this one, with a terrible track record for remembering what has happened), it could wind up being a one-time mention, and I hope for more than that.

Last Man Standing "Breaking Boyd" (S03E13): Boyd has been misbehaving at school, and it's suggested that Kristin and Ryan take him to a child psychologist, who diagnoses him with ADHD. [interesting (and heavy) topic to tackle.] Kristin thinks that he should try medication, but Ryan, Vanessa, and Mike fight that in lieu of alternative methods, so Boyd is soon trying coffee in the mornings, no sugary snacks in the afternoon, yoga, and rhythmic drumming. [coffee but not sugar? okay. also, I loved the addition of walking five miles uphill both ways to get to school, "and if there was a tornado, we just got there faster." hahahaha!] Mike decides to build a hockey rink in his backyard so Boyd can get out some of his excess energy, and it seems to be working. [I still think it seems a little aggressive, though.]

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Kyle tries to help Mandy study, but she is constantly distracted, so she gives him her phone until after finals. [while Facebook was born when I was in college, there were no "status updates" to read until after I left grad school, so, thankfully, I missed out on that form of procrastination.] Kyle starts handling Mandy's friends' issues as she studies, and she winds up with great grades (Bs and As). Mike suspects she took Boyd's pills, and although she tries to deny it, she eventually confesses, and the Baxters decide it might be time she get tested for her own short attention span. [that is a twist I didn't see coming!]

Last Man Standing: Eve Gets Political

Eve has long been the most interesting child in this family for me, so I was glad to see an episode dedicated to her... or, well, meant to be dedicated to her. I found this episode to be largely NOT about Eve, which was a bit disappointing, given the title. I have made my peace with the fact that this comedy is going to be full of politics, but whole episodes dedicated to that rather than attitudes and comments here and there is a bit much. There's already plenty of fuel for the fire without trying to bring in extra elements, so I'm a little uncertain for the future of this family show... if it wants to live to see future seasons (and I'm not saying that it should), it's going to have to do better about not putting off its audience.

Last Man Standing "All About Eve" (S03E12): Eve has been re-posting Mike's vlogs on facebook and is getting quite a lot of backlash, though she refuses to stop sharing them, even after it lands her in "a scrap." [what is it, 1960? who calls a fight a scrap? I laughed at Vanessa pointing out that it's gotta be rough to go through highschool as a teenage girl Mike!] Vanessa and Ed both ask Mike to tone down the vlogs for Eve's sake, but he fights censorship as long as he can, eventually stopping himself from venting about tyranny. Mike then tells Eve that she should either get more involved or do less to antagonize others, so she decides to run for class president. Mike follows suit by ranting about taxes on his next vlog.

Everyone in the Baxter household winds up getting in trouble when there's a speed trap in the neighborhood. Mike rolls through a stop sign at 4mph and Vanessa gets caught for speeding in a construction zone, earning them each a ticket.

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Mandy also gets pulled over, but uses her looks to get out of it, a method that she uses frequently to help with term paper extensions as well. [Vanessa being upset that she couldn't use her looks bothered me.] Eve waves a sign on the corner to let drivers know about the speed trap, and gets off with a warning about obstructing justice. When talking to the Baxters, the officer recognizes Mike from the vlogs and admits that he, too, hates the government, and agrees to help him out next time. [I was surprised that Eve didn't comment on that when Mike came back inside!] Mike immediately uses a favor to get Vanessa pulled over again, but let her think she's still "got it" by letting her go without a ticket.

Last Man Standing: Spanking and Elves

Kyle always knew he wasn't "good enough," but knew someone would eventually come along to "fix him" ?? This show is taking a turn for the worse again. More characters is not what this series needed, so Bud hanging around and Ryan and Kyle both constantly showing up isn't awesome. Ed is fine, as it offers Mike a non-female outlet (and, thus, fits with the show's title), but I'd otherwise prefer it to focus on the Baxters. Relegating Eve to small practical jokes is getting old, especially compared to some of the things we've already seen her do - like drink! Maybe it will turn around in the Spring?

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Last Man Standing "Spanking" (S03E10): Mike's dad babysits Boyd, but he swats the kid's behind when he talks back. [the return of Mike's dad some more, eh?] Mike and Ryan are both against spanking, though Vanessa used that technique on occasion. [but apparently only on Kristin?? I would have liked to find out more behind that...] Kristin soon winds up spanking Boyd when he runs out into a parking lot, and she freaks out over doing it, blaming Vanessa. Bud thinks that Mike is too sensitive because of his spankings growing up, but Mike thinks that he's a fine parent. Ryan wants to spoil his son because he was out of his life for three years, but he learns that bribery just won't work forever. [and the way he did it was terribly obvious and ridiculous!]

Mandy gets Kyle a hat, but Ed and Mike soon make fun of him. [Mandy changed her hair.] Ed tells Kyle that Mandy is trying to mark him as her property, so Kyle gets Mandy a gaudy necklace that says, "Mandy & Kyle." ["Tallahassee" as a safe word??] She is honest and says that she doesn't like it, and suggests that they return it and use the money to continue updating his wardrobe. [not the most polite thing to say, but very Mandy.] However, she quickly changes her mind when a woman hits on Kyle when he's wearing the hat. [I'm over Mandy.]

Also, Ryan treats Vanessa and Mike to dinner.

Last Man Standing "Elfie" (S03E11): After Boyd's Christmas play, the family goes back to Kristin's apartment to celebrate. Mike is upset that the place isn't decorated, but Ryan holds to celebrating the traditions of many cultures. [I have a lot to say about that, but I'll leave it alone for now.] When Kristin announces that she wants Boyd to open gifts at home Christmas morning, Vanessa cries. [... and I couldn't roll my eyes hard enough. c'mon, lady, BOYD DOESN'T LIVE THERE ANYMORE!] She then gives Boyd an elf doll that reports to Santa, but Ryan isn't happy about the scare tactic to behave. Eve, however, makes it work to her advantage, thanks to modern technology. Ryan gets more upset, as he doesn't believe in Christmas magic, having never experienced it as a child. [Ryan is such a bummer-person, to quote Go On.]

Mandy doesn't want to be bothered by unwanted gifts, so she tries to get the family to agree to pass on cash or just buy their own presents. However, she gets into the Christmas spirit when she learns that Blanca's niece, Maria, will spend Christmas without her father, who is a sailor overseas in Afghanistan. [but how did she have enough money to fly the guy home??!? we're not talking a red-eye from LAX to JFK, y'all!]

Last Man Standing: The Selfish Baxters

For a Thanksgiving episode, this episode really showcased a lot of selfish people. Eve wanted nothing more than to sit with the adults at the dinner table. Mandy wanted Kyle to leave his elderly grandmother alone. Kristin and Vanessa seemed to be barely involved in anything but drinking wine. Ryan blindly bet $20 on something he knows nothing about, which is a valuable chunk of change for his family. Mike only wants to follow the game in peace, even if that means via radio instead of television. It's no wonder that little Boyd was having a tough time doing his homework assignment! As realistic as this family dynamic may be, it wasn't great to see play out on a holiday.

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Last Man Standing "Thanksgiving" (S03E09): Boyd is doing a video on what his family is thankful for, but everyone keeps mentioning inappropriate things, like wine, a fake ID, illegal sports betting, and being too young to be tried as an adult. [random FCC rant in there!]

Mike's dad shows up, excited that he now has a license to sell marijuana when it becomes legal in Colorado in January. He wants to partner with Mike, but Ed is more interested. However, after talking to Ed, Mike decides to help his father... but he doesn't actually want to be part of the business, so he will market it on the sly. [Ryan explaining "the munchies" was amusing.] But, between his father's business proposition and Ryan caring about football for the first time (thanks to a terrible bet), Mike is unable to enjoy the holiday football games.

Eve sits with Boyd at the kids' table, against her will, though she had an outside shot at dining with the adults when Kyle had to find his wandering grandmother. [why is Mandy using a bluetooth headset?]

Last Man Standing: Upgrading Kyle

The nicest kid in the world hates you. How do you take that kind of news? I never really thought of Kyle as the sweetest guy, but I guess it fits. How he is with Mandy also starts to make more sense, as she has proven herself to be quite the narcissist and would really enjoy having someone fawn all over her, if nothing else. Plus, what was with her "nutrition experiment" of having Kyle eat nothing but cheese all week?? I highly doubt that she is following the guidelines for the assignment. At least the episode was overall pretty funny, though I can't say any one event or joke really stood out that much more than the others. I'd just still really like it if the series would close story arcs instead of ignoring them completely...

Last Man Standing "Vanessa Fixes Kyle" (S03E08): Kyle is still upset at Vanessa for suggesting Mandy date other guys, so Vanessa goes to Outdoor Man to try to make amends. She winds up getting Kyle a position selling boats to boost his confidence, much to the dismay of Mike and Ed. As one might anticipate, Kyle is very sweet and talks about the many cons of boat ownership to potential customers. When he is able to make a sale (a very large one at that!), he feels terrible and admits to only doing it so that Vanessa would like him. Soon enough, though, Kyle impresses Mike with his knowledge of what the other employees' strengths are, so he is promoted to Sales Floor Coordinator, and he even asks for a raise. [I totally saw him moving into an HR-type position.]

Kristin needs someone to babysit Boyd, and Mike makes Eve watch him. [I don't think Kristin should be allowed to pawn him off on the family at all, but I'll stop myself from getting too political.]

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He plays tricks on her, so she sends him down into the basement in the dark. [what?!??] Kristin reminds Eve that they used to play together when Eve was Boyd's age, and then puts her in the basement in retaliation!

Last Man Standing: The Trouble with Snow

Mike decides to help his fellow man yet again! For someone who has railed on several occasions about hand-outs and networking being the easy way out, he sure has seemed to turn over a new leaf lately! While I have no problem with Mike helping his neighbor find a job, I was incredibly angry that Vanessa suggest Eve not shovel driveways so that their neighbor could perform that labor-intensive task instead. Now, as someone who has only had to dig a couple cars out of snow a handful of times, I can't fully appreciate the amount of work that goes into such things, but I can see how it would be awesome to have someone do such things for you, and I'd much rather help out a teenager than a middle-aged man.

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Oh, and Mandy's complaints about going to school in the snow were hilarious to me. My second semester of college, someone in my English class had done the math on what each class cost, so when the professor would let us leave a little early, she'd point out how much money that would waste. Apparently, Mandy's courses total $106/day, though that would have to be an average, not per-hour cost. 

Last Man Standing "Shoveling Snow" (S03E07): It's the first snow of the season, and Eve plans to shovel neighbors' driveways at $20 a pop. But, she's beat to it by another neighbor, Phil. The next snow, she gets 8 driveways, and Phil comes to ask if he can do the local driveways because he needs to make ends meet. [in his defense, he must be really desperate if he's even asking for the business!] Mike thinks that the free market should decide this, but Vanessa thinks that Eve should do the nice thing and step aside. [seriously?] Eve is worried about competing with Phil's snowblower, so she rents Mike's for $2/driveway. [I thought that was smart.] Phil continues to undercut Eve, though she is still getting a little more than half the neighborhood business. But, she's been spreading a rumor that Phil ran over a cat, so Mike tells her to be honest. [interesting ploy to get Chuck in the episode.] When Mike finds out that Phil was laid off, he tries to get him a job at OutdoorMan, though an alcoholic may have to get fired to do so. [I didn't realize that would be a violation of ADA stuff.] Well, Mike does hire Phil, and then Eve starts leasing Phil's snowblower for $1/driveway. [haha!]

Another waitress suggests that Mandy flirt to get bigger tips, so she asks Kyle not to come around. [...except who really cares if the waitress has a significant other? if she was flirty, I'd tip her single or taken.] She makes $40 extra and feels miserable, so she apologizes to Kyle. [boring!] The couple celebrate eight months together, and she wonders about their future. There's not much to think about, though they do say "I love you" to one another for the first time.