Welcome to the Parenting Roundabout podcast. I'm Terry Morrow and I'm Catherine hileco. As parents and parenting writers, we can't help but see everything through a parenting lens. But as our kids have become adults, we find ourselves more interested in getting caught up on movies and streaming than I'm going over the same parenting topics over and over.
So since we're pretty sure we can find parenting wisdom anywhere, we're going to talk about what we're watching, what we thought about it, and maybe what we can learn from it, if only what not to do. Watch and listen along, and let's all make like we're doing something important for our families. Each Wednesday we bring you our thoughts on a newer entertainment property, and for this week of February twenty fourth, we're continuing with A Man on the Inside.
Season one, Episode five was called Presence and Clear Danger, one of the lesser puns we've gotten. And also no Emily again.
No, no Emily, and really I mean there was a little danger at the beginning because they realized that somebody's onto them.
Right they.
Julie gives Charles an ostentatious watch, figuring that somebody's going to try to steal it, and instead somebody leaves Elliott's watch in his room, and so they kind of dispatch that threat, and then they're just sort of waiting for something to happen, as are we all, and it just kind of wanders on into a saddish sort of episode about old people and the way we treat our seniors and why don't we get that massage chair when we can really enjoy it, and you know, somebody with the
you know, going into the memory unit, and it just just we sort of lost track of the case. Yeah, he just kind of stopped being a detective and started being a guy who is now recalling his wife's dissent in this woman he's just briefly made friends with. And what was that exactly? Not through what show is that we are watched? Yeah, yeah, because it was a detective show for five minutes, and then it was a melancholy look at aging, except Elliott has cancer.
And Elliott's getting married again though, yes.
That's right, he in Victoria, Virginia, Virginia. He and Virginia are getting married again, and.
Awe, but I was not convinced as to I mean, I understand why he was pursuing her. Again, I mean he was pursuing her even before he got his diagnose. You know, he saw his doctor.
She intuited that his cancer was bad, so I guess that was the reason.
Why she said, yes.
She may legitimately care for him, and also, you know, she'll be fun. I don't know what his prognosis is, but it's not like she's tying herself down forever. But I felt that it was because she because she asked him immediately when she saw his demeanor, herd kind of changed immediately. So again it was all about this is what the end of life is like. This is what it's like for all these old people here. And isn't that kind of melancholy and okay? Fun half hour there?
You go, right, that's great. What what were we doing here again?
Let me think, oh, yeah, we're solving a crime.
There wasn't even like a little teaser at the end that kind of brought us back to it. It just wandered, as old people are like this off in a completely different direction, which makes me think, what are we doing here? What is this show about? Is this a detective show? By way of talking about deep, deep thoughts about aging or is it actually a detective show that happens to have that setting.
And perhaps somebody doesn't know and has not yet figured that out.
I have that feeling, so that's a problem.
I think.
Could you kind of work that out before you start the series.
Without Yeah, maybe eight episodes were more than you needed, because.
I mean, I'm I'm really kind of okay either way. The detective stuff was fun and funny and that was cool, and you know, you know, I like my group of friends type shows, and if they want to do one with all old people, I think that could be fun.
And if it's wistful and melancholy, sometimes that's okay. But I don't think that you can just sort of, on a week by week basis decide to be one or the other, especially if you say clear danger in the times and then you can just completely forget that unless the danger is life. Life is the danger it will get you, and I don't want that to be what
it was. That seems a little much, you guys, come on, possibly, especially for those of us sort of roughly in the age group of your well mind wife yet but hadn't there I've had a week or two makes me think I could fit in very well with those people. I you know, would like to have a young person come with a cup of water in my pills would be very helpful. And uh, you know and mix you of Manhattan exactly. Yes, I probably can't have a Manhattan with
all that medicage for myself. How did they work that out? How did they How can any of those people have as good?
Question?
If they've got there, They've got their blood pressure medication, they got their statin medication, They're probably on some heart thing, they're probably on something, some kidney stuff. You know. Yeah, I think that big water for you all. Maybe some herb tea, but no caffeine. Oh well, it just was was weird. Did you feel that way too?
Yeah? Yeah, you know they had this scene of Charles and bossy Susan, the president of the association, you know, making demands about security and and Charles was obviously just kind of sitting back and like, I'm I'm not really here, Yeah, you know, I'm just I'm just along for the ride because.
I got well, he didn't have to do anything because she was.
Yeah, she was doing all the time, for sure. But you know, then you had the you know, the guy from corporate come in and just be like, oh things are things are okay.
But I mean he was saying like they don't have money for that's this sort of thing. Right, It's a pretty nice looking place. I'm guessing those these people are dropping some bucks to be there. Oh yeah, how can they not have money for security? It's not like this is like the welfare hotel down right, you know in downtown. This looks like it would be a place where people who have money would pay money to be right.
Well, and also it wouldn't cost money to like not allow any old person to access people's rooms, you know. I mean I get they need they need it for emergency purposes, but people are just really really going in and out.
Of the room, yeah, for reasons.
Unless you know, Deity's the one behind it all. You know, she's the thief because you know, she is the only one who really technically should have access to everything.
Right Yeah, yeah, except we don't want to suspect her of anything. It's just the case is just sort of wandering off into her relevancy. Yes, and nobody. You know, there was such urgency that they've got to they've got to find this. They've got to do this right away. And I think we're on day twenty two now and not particularly close to me closer, and yet nobody's we haven't we've we've just seen the lady who had her jewelry stolen wants. She hasn't been in every episode going
where are my jewels? I'm gonna bring you all down? Her son, and we.
Haven't seen Yeah, Mark Kevin Jackson hasn't been.
Back saying that would be fine, It would be fine.
What am I paying you for?
Because I like seeing him?
Yeah, exactly.
So it seems like we have a lot of time on our hands, right and focus. Focus.
This is our parenting tip for them. Yeah, it's our parenting tip for the show, Like, you need to focus, You need to figure out what you're trying to say and say it.
That's right, that's right. Let's let's get get to work here.
You know.
Hm, But boy do I miss having the little Emily parenting moment.
Yeah.
If they've got if they've got time for Virginia and Flow to go to the supermarket, which we've never seen before and just walk around and look at stuff they had time for Emily, absolutely come on. And even if that actress is not available. A couple of her sons could just get on the phone and that would be.
Imagine. They wouldn't even know how to talk on the phone. They would they would be like trying to text, trying to FaceTime. They would be like, Grandpa, how come you don't have Snapchat? Like yeah, right, that'd be fun.
Or they could come visit him all they can all come visit him, and those boys would be so incredibly bored. Yes, and you know, just looking at all the old people and being bummed just the way I sort of am so No. I mean, it's the stories are charming and it's fine. It's just what kind of show do you want to make? Does Mike sure want to write another book when this one is over? About aging grice?
How we care for our elders.
How we care for our seniors, or how to have a distinguished end of life or what? And he just he started out with the detector John and he's saying, why don't we just have wisdom about the old age. I don't know, but this seemed kind of phillery right in a charming and lovely way, and uh, you know, okay, but move along. I did appreciate that the depth of the undercover here is such that he has Julie as the lock screen on his phone.
Oh I missed that.
Yes, maybe it was maybe she was calling him and that's why it came on now that Yeah, but I thought it was still screen and that's it's a good idea. You definitely, if you're undercover, you want to make sure that the lock screen on your phone has something that backs up your story. Yes, very smart, like not not your real daughter, the real Emily, yeah, yes, or something that would blow your cover.
But we do feel like that's probably coming at some point.
Yeah, you would think so, but it's okay. So this was the fourth episode.
No, this was five.
This was five, so we have three more after this. The little thing came up that said day twenty two there towards the end. So he's been doing this for like three weeks with no no progress whatsoever.
Right, Yeah, basically especially since since Elliott's watch got returned. Right, So now we're kind of back to where we started.
Well, somebody dropped it in Charles's apartment and then he sort of orchestrated or returned right, right, I know, but I mean like except whoever? Yeah, so that nobody's complaining me right, right, but still the person who dropped it in his room. No, theoretically though, we feel no sense of urgency about that. What's anyway? So do you think a high school production of Guys and Dolls would be the thing that? Are there any any high schools doing Guys? Actually, my kids in San Francisco.
Well, I don't know about San Francisco, but my kids' school just did it.
Mike did that nice in the fall.
I guess they did it.
Last high school musical I went to see was when the high school here did Rent, which.
Was yeah, that's that's a stretch.
Was really surprised they were allowed to do that. But and I mean they did a good job. They did fine. I think some of the lyrics were maybe toned down, but the still the basic characters were what they were.
Yeah. Well, I mean they do have like sort of high school versions of certain shows.
That's right. So yeah, high school high school musical, the musical, the high school edition. They did that. Actually, they did high school musical audition at the middle school here, but I didn't. I did not partake in that one because I had nobody When when the school here did Rent, I knew some of the kids in the cast, so it was interesting to go watch.
Yeah, and middle school just might be a bridge too far. I mean, high school is one thing. Middle school unless I don't think you want to see unless you gave her that, you know, unless one of those kids lives in your house, then you yes, it's gonna be probably a pass.
Yeah.
Yeah, but one of my dogs has opinions. I don't know if you can hear them, but sorry I can't.
They think they think that there's well, actually that dog. The dog got quite a lot of screen time is still the stuff, right. I think that your dogs are probably wondering why there's not a living dog?
Yes?
Could they not have? The guests can't have little dogs or cats? Right? So we don't have any really much in the way of parenting tips from this other than call your elderly parents call them now, and children, raise your children up now so that they will call you when the time and visit you in whatever facility they have some strategy and buy you an expensive massage. Are just because they look right, and maybe have you live in their homes where you can pick apart and your
jewelry will be a warehouse safe. That's right.
Oh well, well.
And call your dad, Emily, call.
Your dad, because we want to hear from it. We are interested. We miss you, Emily when you.
When your dad is old, you still have to go. Yeah, still have to go visit if nothing else, and to give us something to talk about.
Yes, please maybe next time? Maybe, yes, next week it is episode six, Our man in Sacramento. Oh maybe they're going on a field trip of some kind. They're gonna load them all up in a bus and go to Sacramento. We'll see.
But this makes you want to get old so you can live in the kind of place where you could take a bus strip to Sacramento. Well, around here it's bus trips to Atlantic City to get right, but big with the s. I don't think anybody would want to go to Trenton. No, I don't know what they would. What do you. I've been to Sacramento trying to think that there's anything interesting to do there.
Yeah, I stay capital, old town, Sacramento, old.
Town, getting in a place speaking of old town, you couldn't.
Yeah, I don't know. Well, we'll find out, and we will find out. We'll talk about it next week and we'll see you back here tomorrow for our weekly Roundabout roundup.
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