Turns out, even after all this time, Theo’s been holding on to a lot of anxiety over Jon’s suicide.
Our TV Fanatics, Jack, Jasmine, and Christine, hash out what Theo needs next, Gary and Maggie’s quest for new friends, the legacy of Alex Joseph, and if Walter moving in with Rome and Regina is the right move.
And did you hear Maggie talk about having a home birth on A Million Little Things Season 5 Episode 4? Is that a good decision or a bad one? Read on to find out.
Theo was checking up on Katherine and had a meltdown over the bird dying. They learned he’s been holding onto fears he’s had since Jon died. Should the show further explore Theo’s anxiety during this final season?
Jack: Theo has always been an anxious child, so it was good to finally have some explanation for it. Since this is the final season, it would be great if Theo could overcome some of his anxiety.
Jasmine: I guess so, just so they can develop his character more, even if it is just for the final season. While I wasn’t a fan of this storyline at all, and I felt like jumping into this now was too little too late, I would welcome a storyline exploring this for him.
Theo is an incredibly anxious kid with helicopter parents, and he has a mother who still suffers from anxiety and the pressure to be perfect. I’ve always suspected Theo has internalized that, but again, he’s always suffered with storylines.
Christine: Yes! Theo has suffered from anxiety since the start of the series. He internalizes a lot and needs to talk about that more.
It would be fantastic to see Katherine and Eddie address Theo’s issues and help him get to the cause and how to change things moving forward.
Do you understand Gary’s push to make new friends who will also be parents? Is bringing new friends into this group a good idea, given the limited amount of episodes?
Jack: I did get it. Gary and Maggie are moving into a new stage of life. I feel like this may be one of the ways the show comes full circle as it comes to an end.
The friend group began with John befriending random people he was stuck in an elevator with, so for Gary to befriend random people he meets at the birthing class is a nice way to end things.
Jasmine: I understood it. You naturally want to have friends for different stages and aspects of your life because a select couple of people can’t be everything to you.
I never considered that he would be bringing these friends into his current friend group. It felt like when you have work friends, a group of friends with a select hobby, and your life friends. They don’t always intersect.
They even have similar archetypes as Maggie and Gary and what they bring to their friend group. But it could be interesting and full circle.
Christine: Making new friends is always good, but this story arc felt strange and took up way too much time.
This is the final season. I want to see the core characters I’ve come to love, not new friends I personally don’t care about.
Given Maggie’s medical history, are you surprised she’s seriously considering a home birth? Do you think she should go ahead with it?
Jack: I think if she wants to look into it, she should, but she should also consider her medical history and find out what the risks are before she decides.
Jasmine: I’m surprised she’s considering it so late in the game that it feels like she’s doing it because Claire is doing it. She needs to do her research before she makes a decision to determine if it’s ideal for her.
Christine: Is she crazy? I understand that Maggie has spent a lot of time in hospitals under horrible circumstances and doesn’t want to relive that stress, but this has to be considered a high-risk pregnancy, given her history. If something goes wrong and there isn’t medical care available, she’ll never forgive herself.
And Jasmine’s right. This felt like Maggie wanted to do it because it’s what her new, cool friend is doing. The further we get into this season, the more I expect better of Maggie and am disappointed.
Are Rome and Regina making the right decision by having Walter move in with them? Were you surprised that Walter agreed?
Jack: I don’t think they have much choice. Walter made it clear he won’t accept a home health aide, so if they want to keep an eye on him, this is the only way to go.
I think Walter is happy to spend additional time with Rome and Regina, even if he doesn’t like the idea that he can no longer be fully independent. He probably is also lonely since Flo is gone. So it made sense that he would agree to move in with them.
Jasmine: Yeah, I agree with Jack. I don’t think they had much choice. It made sense that he agreed to it, too. And he got to agree while still holding onto his pride and not having to admit things like that he’s lonely.
Christine: Yeah, this is a tough situation, especially with Walter unwilling to tolerate anyone else in his home.
But does having Walter live with them solve the problem? If Regina and Rome work all day and Walter is alone, won’t the same issues persist?
And considering how quickly Walter agreed to this, he must be feeling scared and lonely, even if he won’t admit to that.
Regina and Sophie learned that Alex Joseph died at the hospital. How do you rate this storyline?
Jack: I wasn’t fully invested in this story, and I had a feeling it would end this way.
I don’t know why, but it felt like the kinds of stories on Good Trouble more than a storyline for AMLT.
I’ll give it a B-. I like that they tried to bring awareness to the harsh conditions homeless people often experience, but I just didn’t feel connected with the people involved or the outcome.
Jasmine: Ha! Admittedly, I do have a soft spot for Luca on Good Trouble moving into the Coterie.
Yeah, I don’t know what their intention is with this storyline and where they want it to go. It’s just one of those things that popped up. I thought bringing Dustin back was such an odd choice, and most people wouldn’t even remember him.
I could invest in this more if I had any inkling as to what they’re trying to do.
Christine: I’m giving it a C at best because we never had a chance to care about the man since we only saw him on screen for a couple of scenes in one episode.
I’m sure this is all leading somewhere for Regina, but if they wanted the audience to care, they needed to give us more of a chance to do so.
What, if anything, disappointed you in this installment?
Jack: I didn’t like Greta being overly positive about the bird’s chances. That probably made it harder for Theo.
Also, I know Katherine was working, but it seemed weird that she wasn’t part of this, or the episode, at all.
Also, I didn’t like Rome leaving his class to take his father’s call. I know some urgent things are going on, but I felt like the way he handled it was disrespectful to his students.
Jasmine: I thought this was a weak episode, and I still don’t know where we’re headed with most of the characters for this final season, and I want to feel like I can see a clear picture developing.
I thought they wasted too much time on Maggie and Gary at the birthing place. I was irritated with the Theo storyline with the bird, and yes that Katherine feels so disconnected.
While this, thankfully, isn’t disappointing me like at least two of my other final season shows, I’m not terribly impressed with anything just yet, either.
Christine: Theo came across more like an 8-year-old than a pre-teen in this episode, and it made me wonder when this kid will be given the opportunity to grow up.
And way too much time was spent at the birthing class with no real payoff.
This final season feels like it’s meandering, and I have no idea where it’s leading us. Also, this felt like a filler episode, and with so few installments left, that was very disappointing.
What was your favorite quote, scene, or storyline from “A Bird in the Hand”?
Jack: I liked Theo’s story, especially his conversation with Eddie about Jon.
Jasmine: The Howards interviewing Healthcare home aids was hilarious.
Christine: I loved how Eddie handled Theo with both the dying bird and Jon’s depression.
Where Greta wanted to tell Theo what he wanted to hear, which makes some sense considering how hard she’s trying to be accepted, Eddie was compassionate but honest and refused to sugarcoat things for Theo.
And Eddie handled the conversation about Jon’s depression and suicide very well. Once again, his answers were honest but age-appropriate, and he was willing to admit what he’d gotten wrong in the beginning and what he’s learned since.
I probably respected Eddie more in this episode than in any other of the series.
Now it’s your turn, TV Fanatics! Hit that SHOW COMMENTS button below to chime in with your thoughts on the final season. And then check out Jasmine’s A Million Little Things Season 5 Episode 4 review.
And you can always watch A Million Little Things online here at TV Fanatic.
C. Orlando is a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.