The Tuck Stops Here
The theme of this episode is immediately set up when Ben needs some encouragement to stand up to Emma’s new bedtime refusal. Every character is faced with a situation where they need to stand up to someone and it made for some interesting moments.
As the episode title suggests, this episode was more Tucker-focused than usual and I loved it! Tucker is still working for Mary Hart as a producer for her talk show but it’s driving him crazy. When Ben comes to set to give Tucker Mary’s lunch he sees a pretty intense altercation between them. Naturally, he records it to show Tucker that he needs to stand up for himself more often. Emma ends up accidentally posting the video online and it goes viral. Mary confronts Tucker and says he’ll get a promotion if he finds out who leaked the video and fires them. However, this backfires when Tucker gets fired after he tries to trick Mary into firing Ben, who doesn't even work there, for the video incident. He got a little too excited they were able to pull it off and said some pretty fire-worthy things into a hot mic. Ben feels bad about causing all this trouble for Tucker so he goes back to the set to seduce Mary. He ends up getting her to admit to cheating on her husband and he recorded it to use as leverage to get Tucker’s job back. Afterwards, Mary still wants to sleep with him. One of my favorite parts of this episode was her and Ben’s interactions, they were hilarious together! I also really liked Ben in this episode. He was a really good friend. This is when he’s at his best - helping the people he cares about instead of constantly hitting on random women. I like this side of Ben and I wish he had more opportunities for stories like this instead of all his failed romantic storylines.
During this episode, Bonnie is lonely after Brad left, which is causing some problems for Danny and Riley. I loved this storyline because it gave us some great Danny/Riley scenes, especially that great kiss at the beginning. Sidenote - I never knew that Medieval/fantasy costumes could look so good until I saw Danny and Riley wearing them - they looked amazing! Anyways, Riley is getting super frustrated that Bonnie’s loneliness is causing her to become their permanent third wheel, so she confronts Danny about telling his mom to back off. Bonnie overhears this conversation and forms a plan to get Danny to choose her over Riley. Sometimes I really don’t like Bonnie. For example, her teary, heartfelt talk with Danny - I really wish it had been sincere. Everything she was saying was true and I hate that they made her use those fake tears and turned the whole thing into a comedic moment. I think they could have made it more of a mix of heartfelt and comedy, so I was disappointed because this show usually does that so well. The final straw for Riley is when Danny ditches her to take Bonnie to the Mary Hart Sweetheart Special that Riley has been really looking forward to. She ends up going to the show with Ben to get Danny upset and when Danny actually blows up at Bonnie, it turns out it was all fake?Bonnie’s reaction is that it was all part of her master plan to get Danny to stand up to her. This seemed a little weird to me but I guess this is a comedy and it’s funnier than watching Bonnie get all sad and lonely because her son doesn’t want to spend time with her anymore.
Favorite Quotes:
“You guys are amateurs. Always run through a bar. She has to stop.” - Ben
“Today, it’s a crock pot, tomorrow it’s our anniversary.” - Riley
“Wait - tomorrow’s our anniversary?? I mean…tomorrow’s our anniversary. Hope you didn't forget.” - Danny
“Tucker! Care to explain what this is?” [shows video on iPad] - Mary Hart
Oh you know what, it’s basically just a really big phone.” - Tucker
“All my friends complain that their kids never want to spend any time with them, but not me. No. I always say, ‘I have the best son in the world.’” - Bonnie
“What about Ben?” - Danny
“What about Ben?” - Bonnie
“Your mom stole my boyfriend” - Riley
“What are you doing here and why are you with my brother?” - Danny
“I don’t know, because Ben didn’t dump me for his mother? Because Ben is a true friend. Because Ben would never abandon me.” - Riley
“Ben’s gotta go. See you later, Riles.” - Ben
“I finally realized you were right. This job, this humiliation, it’s beneath me. I am better than Mary Hart.” - Tucker
“I got your job back!” - Ben
“Oh my God! You did?! That’s amazing! I love this job!” - Tucker
The Dating Game
This episode was like a crazy love pentagon. Everyone is dating everyone and things got pretty great and hilarious.
Zoey is back (yay!) and she wants to ask Ben out. She's working up the nerve at their door when Tucker comes along and misinterprets that she has a crush on him instead of Ben. This is so awkward but I love his enthusiasm, he’s so excited and it’s adorable. I so want Tucker to find someone great soon! Throughout the episode, Tucker just keeps thinking she’s into him and schedules another date for them instead of her and Ben. Even when she leaves her baby with Tucker, he still doesn't get it and thinks she’s just going to grab some takeout.
Meanwhile, Ben is still chasing after Sam, his new bar manager that he crushed on in high school. Ben asks Danny to find out if Sam likes him but it backfires when she thinks that Danny is asking for himself instead. Danny thinks he scheduled drinks for her and Ben but really she thinks she’s going out with Danny. Sam ends up telling Danny she likes him and not Ben (I knew it!) but I’m not worried because thankfully I know Danny would never jeopardize what he has with Riley. I actually feel really bad for Ben though. He’s handled everything with Riley way better than I thought he would and now when Danny tries to tell him about Sam, he’s understandably upset. He thinks that Danny just can’t believe that someone would actually like him over Danny, which is obviously referencing Riley. I really do feel bad for him but I’m glad that we’re finally getting some good, honest feelings out of him. This is the most I’ve felt for him about the situation, and I think it’s because his reaction and feelings felt less comedic and more real here. Later in the episode, Ben gets Sam to come over for dinner, which obviously coincides with Zoey coming over for her dinner date. The whole thing ends with a big confrontation and all the boys in the doghouse, spending the night drinking beers on the couch together without their respective dates.
Elsewhere, Riley is working on a big divorce case for work and is being forced to hang out with her client. She gets Bonnie to spend time with her instead but it turns out her client is a lesbian, which Riley fails to realize after not reading her file, and the client thinks Riley is actually setting her up on a date with Bonnie. This causes Riley to have a meltdown because if her client finds out Bonnie is straight then she’ll know she didn't read her file and her career will be in jeopardy. Later during the “break-up” Riley doesn't do a very good hiding job and Bonnie has to cover by saying Riley is her ex. The whole thing was ridiculous but also pretty funny. I love when Riley and Bonnie team up because, in any situation, they’re hilarious together.
I really loved this episode! All the miscommunications and misunderstandings really made for some great moments. The main thing I loved about this episode (and the previous episode) was Tucker. I just love him so much and I think he’s the best character on the show. If every episode could feature him as much as these, I would be very happy.
I thought this episode was more situationally funny than “writing” funny so the favorite quotes section is pretty short but I can’t ignore this gem from Danny.
Favorite Quote:
“We both know what’s going on here, the sexual tension, the subtle flirting, the double entrees.” - Danny
What did you think of these episodes? Let me know in the comments and thanks for reading!
About the Author - Kate Sidwell
Kate is a 24 year old, USA based, Psychology/Public Health Researcher - but that’s just her day job! In her spare time she is an avid TV watcher (some may even say addict!!). Some of her favorite shows are Jane the Virgin, Bates Motel, The Flash, Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, Rookie Blue, Silicon Valley, Beauty and the Beast, Sleepy Hollow, The 100, The Mindy Project, Pretty Little Liars, Once Upon a Time, The Royals, Orphan Black…so pretty much too many to count and a huge variety! She’ll give pretty much any show a chance! She also devotes a lot of time to her tumblr (
eat-sleep-breathe-tv.tumblr.com) where you can find her reviewing and commenting on most of these shows and just generally fangirling! She’s excited to be writing for SpoilerTV on Complications, Baby Daddy, Proof, Switched at Birth, Secrets and Lies, and Minority Report!
