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“Thanksgiving Drama Game”

This show keeps getting better. The Dimeos are true to character and I am thankful for it. Thanksgiving isn’t always thanks and happiness. It is stressful and sarcastic with no doubt multiple things going wrong. Speechless is willing to give us the family drama with laughs, so we can laugh about our own family mishaps.

The Dimeos look at their extended family in disgust due to the outrageous manner in which they present themselves. There is a rich uncle who is constantly talking about how much money he has from his dental practice, an aunt who is constantly crying, an old woman who is constantly reliving her past dancing days, and an idiot kid cousin who always says one word the entire day. It is so funny and spot-on when Jimmy tries to get out of going to his brother’s house for Thanksgiving. When they can’t think of anything they immediately say JJ is sick. The Uncle’s response of, “What’s wrong? Besides the cerebral palsy…” was ridiculously dumb but the rebuttal of coming over to their house was a hilarious scenario that was bound to happen. In hilarious fashion, the Dimeos decide to make a game out of their misfortunes. The person who racks up the most points with their annoying family member of choice gets the wad of cash that Uncle Billy usually dishes out.

Of course, Jimmy racks up the points with his brother who could not stop talking about how rich he was and all the things he bought. I felt so sorry for Jimmy because not only was his brother talking non-stop, it was really annoying to hear about all the money. As crazy as the aunt was with her spontaneous crying, and the old lady dancing for JJ (hilarious Harold and Maude reference by the way), and the cousin constantly saying “YAASS”, Uncle Billy was the worst. Even in the moment when the family finds out the uncle is broke, I felt no sympathy what so ever. But in the end when Jimmy gave a wad of cash to his brother by selling the T.V he had just bought, I remembered what Jimmy said to Dylan about them being lazy, but not jerks. I respected Jimmy and Mya for doing something nice for their extended family, despite the awful things that they do.

This episode reminded me that family is family. No matter what they do to you or how they act, you always love them. It also reminded me that you may have problems of your own but you never know what someone else is going through. Everyone has problems! Even though no one actually ate Thanksgiving dinner, it was nice to see them all spend the day together. Who doesn’t like shopping when you can cut the line with a guy in a wheelchair. JJ has no problem being used for that, especially when he has witty comebacks:

“I’ve been sitting in this line for 36 hours.”

“I’ve been sitting in this chair for 17 years.”

Boom. Mic drop.

This show is awesome and if you haven’t given it a try… you should. It’s funny, it’s thoughtful, and it’s a family that you can love. The situations they find themselves in are so realistic and it’s a great satire to life. 

“Brotherly love over a Ray-cation”

After seeing the family dynamics between so many of the Dimeos, it was nice to get a deeper look at the brotherly bond between Ray and JJ. The two of them have been seen together at times when Ray seems to be the butt of the jokes or is dealing with some awkward experience. This week’s episode of Speechless gave us a glimpse into how Ray and JJ really feel about each other.

This was indeed a suspenseful episode revolving around both JJ and Ray. JJ needed a plan to get a kiss from the girl he likes and Ray needed a plan to get him to school on time for a field trip. These are all plans that the family needs to rehears because they’re a crazy mess and I love it.

Even with this family, practice does not make perfect. The trial run for JJ’s kiss is hilarious because Ray willingly plays the part as Claire. The comments that ensue are fantastic. Ray actually appreciates how smooth and charming his brother — is even if it was pretend. Although JJ didn’t get the kiss he wanted, he learned that he can’t rely on his family to help him do everything. I appreciated the life lesson.

Ray needed his family to come together so he could be on time for school, so that he wouldn’t miss the boat for his field trip. This family is ridiculous and so realistic (at least to me). The best part about their trials was the fact that when they were early they thought they could get breakfast so they ended up being late. My family has done that numerous times. In the end, Ray left it to a car service to get him to school on time. Clearly, he knows his family very well.

Where the two stories collided is where Speechless gave me and the rest of the Dimeo family all the feels. JJ reached out to Claire on his own and got rejected. I am glad it was done off screen because I don’t think I could have handled the actual “not into you” moment. I am way too invested emotionally with these characters and this show. But that’s how good Speechless is.

When Ray decides to miss his field trip to console his brother is the sweetest gesture. This shows how close Ray and JJ really are. The bonding moment on the beach where Ray is actually comforting his older brother is great. I love how the other members of the family didn’t interrupt when they found them. They just let them be, on the bench by the ocean. They didn’t even care that they cut school. Ray felt no shame in divulging all his women fails to JJ. It was cute. Then they looked out into the ocean dreaming of Emma Watson. Hilarious.

This show is fantastic. It is the first season and I am already invested in everything that happens each week. It is my mid-week laugh session for sure. Catch up with the Dimeos on ABC and get ready for next weeks all new episode.

Catalina Combs is an aspiring film critic from California. She loves reading, writing, film, baking, music, drawing, traveling, Disney, and playing soccer. Her life usually revolves around all of these and her family. The oldest of six, Catalina tries to set a good example for her siblings. She graduated from Santa Clara University in 2010 with a BA in English Creative Writing and is pursuing an MA in Film. I also blog on WordPress and contribute to the website Examiner.com. Twitter- @tiggercraze | Facebook- Cat Combs | Instagram: @tiggercraze

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