Life In Pieces Series Finale Review

It's hard to believe we've reached the final piece in the absolute gift that has been Life In Pieces. I never expected it to last for very long, certainly not this long, so I'm very grateful to have been given four seasons with the Short family. I won't lie, there were some rough points. I was pretty critical of the entire third season of the show. But this fourth and unfortunately final season recaptured the magic. I didn't review the show this season beyond the premiere, but I just had to return one last time.

Story 1:
Tyler and Clementine have a pregnancy scare, which leads to Tim and Heather discussing when they will become grandparents. Sam tells them that she never plans to have kids, and Sophia tells them that she plans to adopt, meaning that they will never have grandchildren that are biologically theirs. This prompts Tim to start talking about having another kid that can make them grandparents, despite the many challenges (including Heather's age and Tim's vasectomy). After Heather agrees to give it another go, Tim goes to the doctor to discuss getting his vasectomy reversed, but the doctor tells him that his vasectomy was badly botched and that it will be extremely painful to have it reversed. Tim decides to wait until after he finds out if Heather is even fertile. She is, which means he has to get that vasectomy reversed.

Story 2:
Matt & Colleen and Jen & Greg both stop by John & Joan's to ask Joan to babysit their kids. Despite a conflict over which kids she'll watch, they decide for Joan that she can watch them all. John had been planning to go to the theater, but Joan convinces him to stay and help out with the kids. The next day, Jen & Greg's kids are still there, and Heather also drops Sophia (who may have pink eye) off to "help" with the kids. During a therapy session, Joan falls asleep, and then Lark interrupts the session. Her patient was feeling ignored in the first place, and Joan does not help. She loses the patient, and then Matt & Colleen drop Lucas off. To top it all off, Joan is starting to develop pinkeye.

Story 3:
Jen and Greg have to pretend that Lark lives at John & Joan's, in order to get her into the good school district. Joan goes along with it easily, but their cover is immediately blown since the principal was in the living room the whole time with John and overheard their entire plan. Jen looks for private schools, but they're all extremely expensive. They decide to look for houses that are actually in good school districts. They don't like the first house they go to (well, Greg does but Jen doesn't and that's what matters), but their realtor takes them to a house that isn't on the market yet but the owners are considering offers. That house turns out to be John and Joan's home. John and Joan tell them that they were considering a single-floor home and wanted to see how much they could make on it. Greg is devastated and wants the house to stay in the family, and Joan also thinks that is a good idea and wants Greg and Jen to move in.

Story 4:
Matt tells Colleen that he heard back about a job in Germany, and it's good news. They don't want to tell the family until after his birthday party, which will be a problem because Colleen made Germany the theme of his party. Tim tells the family that they're having another child, John and Joan tell everyone that they're selling the house, and Greg and Jen tell everyone that they're buying it, even if John isn't completely sold on the idea. With that, Matt lets it spill that he got a new job, and everyone's mood is significantly brought down when he tells them they're moving to Germany. Colleen tells him that they can't take Lucas out of the country, and he won't be able to take the job. Colleen tells Matt to take the job anyway, because the job is too important to turn down. He decides to take the job and move to Germany.

Wrap-Up:

This wasn't a bad episode, but it's not the way I'd have liked to see this show go out. So much more could have been done with the show. As a regular season finale, it would have been very good. Mainly because I doubt Matt would have moved away for good, which was one of the biggest problems I had with the show. It was just a sad ending, one that didn't feel very in-character for this show or for Matt. After all that he went through to get his family, it just seems hard to believe that he could leave them, even if they would join him soon enough. The other stories were all fine, and two of them featured interesting developments that would have been fun to see where they went in season five. Even though we won't get to really have endings for those stories, I'm fine with that. I obviously want more of the show, but most of the characters on it got endings that I'm content with (aside from, of course, Matt and Colleen). So goodbye Jen, Greg, Lark, Tim, Heather, Matt, Colleen, Tyler, Clementine, Sophia, Sam, John, and Joan, who I think I'll miss most of all. And goodbye Life In Pieces. It's been a hell of a ride.

Grade: 7.5/10
Score: B-

Life In Pieces Season 4 Premiere & Episode 2 Review

It's been a long wait to see the Short family again, but Life In Pieces is finally back for season four. I was very critical of the show last season, and I wasn't a big fan of quite a few of the storylines, but I'm still excited for it to be back after so long away.

Episode 1:

Story 1: Welcome to the Jungle:

The entire family is on vacation in the jungle to celebrate John and Joan's 50th anniversary. Though they're hungry, they are rushed off to their rooms quickly and can't even eat. The rooms are disgusting and awful, and Tim and one of his daughters both got bit by bugs. Lark loses her stuffed armadillo, and refuses to go to sleep before they get it. Greg installed a GPS tracker in it, but won't go out to get it because it's outside. Jen shames him into going, but he quickly retreats back into the room. However, he goes back out. The armadillo starts moving, which causes Greg to freak out. It turns out that the hut employee was the one who had it, and he gets it back for Lark. However, the toy is full of bugs and they have to get rid of it anyway.

Story 2: Be My Little Baby:

Sophia gets stuck hanging out with Heather, even though she wants to hang out with Tim, Sam and Tyler. Sam and Tyler tell her to blow Heather off and even try to convince her to have another child so she doesn't have to fill the role of "the baby" anymore. However, Heather doesn't get the message. Sophia tells Tim about it, and Tim tells Heather that Sophia doesn't want to be treated like baby anymore. Heather feels like a terrible mom, but she makes up for that the next day by letting Sophia go zip-lining. However, Sophia gets scared right before she's about to zip-line, though Heather also doesn't understand that and makes her go.

Story 3: Colleen's Last Resort:

Colleen tells Matt that she booked a room at a much nicer hotel, but Matt doesn't want to go because it's a family vacation. After a snake shows up in their bed, they end up going. Everyone is suspicious of them the next day when they look clean, rested and happy. Tim spots Matt and Colleen's hotel keycard, and Matt and Colleen are found out. Greg is ready to snitch on them, but Colleen offers a compromise: they will all stay in the room together starting that night, which really puts a damper on Matt and Colleen's vacation.

Story 4: 50 Short Years:

John proposes to Joan that they get a room at the same hotel that the rest of the family is staying at, though Joan instantly shoots the idea down. The next day on their guided tour, John wants to ditch it which Joan wants to keep going. However, John is able to convince her to sneak away. This leads to them getting lost. They end up finding a road, and they ask a bus for a ride. They hop on the bus, which is from the resort, and discover their entire family. Joan is heartbroken and declares that their children "suck." However, Colleen is able to fix things by giving John and Joan their room and sending the rest of the family back to hell.

Wrap-Up:

I thought that this was a great return, mainly because it focused on the family and their bonds, instead of the often-weak pregnancy-related stories like last season. It was really fun to see the entire family on the vacation from hell, and many of my favorite characters all got something to do. My favorite story was the fourth one, as it was a culmination of all of them and was a really great way to wrap up the episode. The second story felt pretty familiar, and wasn't very original, but I still enjoyed it despite the issues with it. The first and third stories were both solid as well, with some really funny moments in both. This premiere gives me hope that this season will be better than the third, and made me very excited for the rest of the season. It's great to have the show back, and I never realized how much I missed it.

Score: 9/10
Grade: A-

Episode 2:

Story 1: Funeral For A Goose:

Tyler's band isn't attracting an audience anymore, which leads to Tim taking him to record a demo at a studio to raise his spirits. The recording doesn't go very well though, and Tyler thinks he's terrible. He decides to quit music altogether. Tim tells Tyler about his time as a diver, saying that even though diving wasn't for him, it did lead him to his eventual passion. He also tells Tyler that he can go back to making music if he wants to. After this talk, Tim decides to try diving one more time.

Story 2: Rough Pregnancy:

Jen tells Greg that his "nose breath" makes her want to vomit. She also tells him about a bunch of other things he does that she hates, and he tries not to do any of them anymore. However, Greg finally  can't stand her demands anymore and he tells her how he feels. This leads to her turning the A/C all the way down to the 50s, and they get in a war over the thermostat.

Story 3: Good Care:

John brings Joan home from the hospital after her injury in the jungle, and he pledges to take care of her until she is better. Heather helps him out with making food, but John wants her to keep it a secret from Joan. He takes advantage of her kindness though, and asks her to make both Joan and him smoothies (or, in his case, a milkshake) and tells her to go to the market. Joan thinks that the food is a bit too good, though, and gets upset that she's had to take care of the cooking and cleaning for five decades while John was perfectly capable himself. When John starts requesting more and more intricate food, Heather walks out. This leads to John giving Joan food of much lower quality, and she gets suspicious. John confesses to her that Heather was the one doing it, which makes Joan very happy, since it means that she's married to someone very, very incompetent, and not someone lazy.

Story 4: Meet the Parents

Morgan, the mother of Matt and Colleen's prospective baby, is a bit of a mess, but Matt and Colleen do their best to make a good impression on her. However, another set of prospective parents come in to meet with her, and Matt and Colleen start to doubt that they'll get the baby. They go to the adoption agency and request to see Morgan again to try to convince her to give them her baby, but she's already on her way home. They are able to track her down before she catches the bus. She tells her that she loved the book that they gave her because of the picture of them as Minions, and she tells them that she is giving them her baby.

Wrap-Up:

This episode was weaker than the premiere, but was still better than most episodes last season. The third story was the only one that I'd actually describe as being "great," but the other three were all decent themselves. John and Joan were both so funny in story 3, and Joan's line about John being "very, very incompetent" was by far the funniest line in the entire episode. I always love their stories, so it's not a surprise that this one was my favorite. The fourth story was also far better than I anticipated, considering how much I disliked the Matt and Colleen baby stories last season. It wasn't anything spectacular, but it actually did make me look forward to their storyline moving forward, as I think their new life with their baby's biological mother is going to be interesting. The other two stories were both pretty mediocre, but both still had enjoyable moments, especially the second story, which had a weirdly sweet ending. All in all, a decent-yet-uneven episode that was still solidly enjoyable.

Score: 8/10
Grade: B

Life In Pieces Season 3 Finale Review

I've been a vocal critic of the third season of Life in Pieces, but at the end of the day, I really do love this show. When the show was missing from CBS's fall schedule, I was super annoyed and honestly pretty sad. But we still have two episodes left in season three, so let's (hopefully) enjoy those instead of focusing on the bad.

Episode 21: Video Piercing Model Hangover:

In the first story, Joan gives Colleen a box of thank-you cards, so that she can send cards to people that gave her and Matt wedding presents. Colleen doesn't really get why she has to do it, but she does it anyway because they need baby gifts. Matt suggests making a video instead, so they only have to make one, very impersonal video. When they watch it, the family really hates it. And at dinner, they all make a point of showing their frustration. Matt and Colleen defend themselves, but Matt does start thanking the family for all the things they've done for him. Everyone's happy about this, except for Greg.

In the second story, Sophia wants an ear piercing, but Tim and Heather won't let her. They tell her she can get it when she's 15 like Sam was. Sophia finds out that Sam didn't get pierced ears because of her age, but rather her good grades. Since Sophia got straight As, she thinks it's time to get her ears pierced. Tim and Heather still resist, but Sophia isn't ready to back down. Heather asks Jen for help with Sophia, asking to do a mock trial with her based on the ear piercing issue. She agrees, and they start the trial. Sophia wins, and even Jen says so. So they take Sophia to get her ears pierced, but she really doesn't want to. Clementine tells Tim to get his ear pierced to show her how horrible it is, but she ends up wanting a bellybutton piercing instead.

In the third story, a talent agent approaches John to ask him about modeling. He isn't sure at first, but he agrees. When he gets to the photo shoot, it turns out to not be so glamorous. He's modeling a stair lift, which is really embarrassing for him. He tries to prove that he can use stairs, but the coffee shop they go to doesn't have stair. However, a guy approaches him to tell John he's the reason he bought the stair lift. This convinces him to keep modeling.

In the fourth story, Greg and Jen are both hungover after a party the night before. Lark calls for them, but they discover that she's getting cereal by herself. Later on, Lark gets some water for them and they decide to let Lark take care of herself a little more. Jen and Greg are both getting more rest now, and are able to do things they usually wouldn't have had time for. This won't last long though, because oopsie, Jen is pregnant!

Score: 8/10
Grade B

Season Finale: Sixteen Spanish Car Leak:

In the first story, it's Sam's sixteenth birthday. Ryan has made some birthday plans, but she knows that Tim and Heather probably already made plans for her, so she turns him down. However, it doesn't seem like they even remembered her birthday. They're just trying to make the big party they've planned a surprise. Sam decides to spend the day with Ryan, and he tells her she loves him. When she gets home, she embarrasses herself in front of her entire family by telling Ryan that she wants him to be her "first." Welp, there goes the day.

In the second story, John and Joan are planning a vacation to South America. They get Spanish lessons, and John is really terrible and gets absolutely zero things correct. They decide to immerse themselves in the language to really get ahold of it, so they go to a Spanish market. Joan holds up the produce line, because she's really bad at speaking Spanish. Joan also has difficulty, and he ends up buying all of the piñatas due to a misunderstanding. Joan is really upset and thinks her South American adventure is in jeopardy, but they decide to just use their phones for translation.

In the third story, Matt and Colleen are at the clinic waiting for Rita to get impregnated. Unfortunately, they discover that she's already pregnant. This leaves them without a valid surrogacy option, so they decide to reconsider a baby. They go to look at a car, but the salesman keeps reminding them of kids. They end up buying a car, but it rolls away while they're distracted and it gets smashed.

In the final story of the season, Greg and Jen decide to keep her pregnancy a secret. Unfortunately, Lark overhears them talking about the baby and she now has to keep it a secret. Joan finds out from Lark, and she doesn't act cool about it at all. Tim and Heather are trying to convince Sam not to lose her virginity, and then Lark barges in to tell them that her mommy is pregnant. Jen and Greg are freaking out that she'll tell Matt and Colleen, and it almost happens. They decide to keep her eating, so she can't talk. That's when Colleen reveals that they're adopting a baby. They introduce the family to their adoption agent, and then Lark reveals that Jen is pregnant. Matt thinks Greg was trying to upstage him with their announcement, and they get into an argument. Then, Tim realizes that Sam and Ryan are missing, so he runs upstairs. Except they aren't missing. Greg and Matt make up, and everything is right with the world again.

Score: 9.5/10
Grade: A

Wrap-Up:

This was a really great way to end the season. After a shaky season, Life In Pieces redeemed itself this week. Neither episode was perfect, but both were good. I absolutely loved the second episode, baby story and all! The John and Joan story from the finale was a personal favorite, but I also really liked the others. There wasn't a terrible story to be found, though ear piercing story from the first episode of the evening and the Matt and Colleen buying a car story from the finale were probably the worst of the night and were mediocre. The rest were all highly enjoyable and funny stories. Life In Pieces used to be my favorite comedy on TV but this season the quality has been notably lacking. The cast remains one of TV's best, but the show had been missing the magic that made it so special in the previous seasons. It recaptured that magic tonight, and I hope it doesn't let go of it again.


And that's a wrap on Life In Pieces season 3! Thank you for reading my reviews throughout this season! I'm not sure when season 4 will premiere, but whenever that is, I really hope I'll be seeing you all again for it.

Life In Pieces Season 3 Episodes 19 & 20 Review

I didn't get a chance to review the Life in Pieces episode from two weeks ago, but I'm going to provide a short review of it, in addition to my standard long-form review of the most recent episode. Let's get to it!

Episode 19: #TBT: House Destiny Introduction Retirement:

I loved the last #TBT episode, so I had high expectations for this episode going into it. One perk is that it didn't feature a Matt & Colleen baby story! That should be an automatic 10/10!

However, the stories were all really good. It felt like a classic Life In Pieces episode, which hasn't been the case for many episodes this season. I truly laughed at this episode and was delighted throughout. I hope they go back to episodes like this in the future. And more on John being a pilot, too! That was so much fun!

Score: 10/10
Grade: A+

Episode 20: Lingerie Cookbook Gamble Surrogate:

In the first story, Heather calls Tim and Tyler at the mall to ask them to get Sam a new bra. Tim is reluctant, but he agrees. He tells Tyler to get the bra, but Tyler doesn't want to go into the store because of all the women in the store. Tim and Tyler decide to go in together. When the saleswoman asks for details about what bra he needs, Tim has no clue. He calls Heather for help, but she offers nothing of any use. He eventually buys all of the bras that the saleswoman brings to him. They then find out that the one bra comes with free panties, so Tyler picks a pair out. Nothing about this is weird at all!

In the second story, Joan decides to revive the family cookbook, and she asks Jen for a recipe. Jen doesn't cook, but she tries to find a recipe just to prove that she isn't completely incompetent in the kitchen. She decides to just lie and pass someone else's recipe off as her own. She really lays it on thick with her story, and Joan is so touched by it that she decides to get crabs so Jen can make the recipe. Jen tries her best to make this not a disaster, and the soup turns out well.

In the third story, Heather leaves John to babysit the girls, since Sam is grounded. Sam isn't taking things well, since everyone else that she knows is at a party. Her friend Jenna is supposed to wear red to the party to rebel, but Sophia is doubtful. So they gamble on it, along with other things. Tyler and Clementine come to take over for John, but they too get sucked into the betting. They then discover that Jenna and Madison (another girl there) have gotten closer in Sam's absence. John comforts her about it.

In the fourth story, Matt and Colleen are driving her sister Rita crazy with their requests. When she brings fried chicken to a family gathering, they keep her from eating it, even though she's not pregnant yet. At 4 AM, Matt and Colleen start freaking out because Rita isn't home yet, but she arrives home. She's drunk, and she wants to party with friends. They get in an argument and Rita tells her she can get another surrogate. Rita is getting ready to leave, but Colleen convinces her to stay. 

Wrap-Up:
I didn't dislike this episode, but it wasn't good either. It was incredibly mediocre. The second story was by far the best, and I genuinely laughed at it. The first and third weren't too bad, but I didn't like them all that much, either. I did laugh at lines during the stories from Heather and John, respectively, but other than that they weren't too good. 

The fourth story, however, was a travesty. The Matt and Colleen baby story has gotten way too much attention this season and I am so sick of it. It just not funny and it's a complete waste of time. I'm actually getting really annoyed by it at this point. The stories feel repetitive and the time spent on them would be better used on something else. Anything else. I don't dislike the Matt and Colleen characters at all but they've been reduced to just this storyline all season and I'm so sick of it. I need this madness to end sooner rather than later.

There wasn't nearly enough Joan this week, either. Seriously, just give Joan the attention that Matt and Colleen get every freaking week and I'll be happy.

Score: 6/10
Grade: C-

Life In Pieces Season 3 Episode 18 Review

This review of Life In Pieces is nearly a week late, but as the NBC reality series about old celebrities traveling says, better late than never!

In the first story, Tyler and Clementine tell Tim and Heather about their plans to rent out their tiny house in order to pay off their debt. That night, a woman shows up in Tim and Heather's house. The woman, Mavis, is renting the tiny house and came over to use the tub. Tim and Heather are understandably angry about this and tell them to make a change, but Mavis then shows up that night. Heather calls Tyler, but he's way too high to comprehend anything. The next day, Tim and Heather reprimand Tyler and Clementine, and things start to change. They're then informed that Mavis is moving in for six months, which means that Tyler and Clementine are moving back in!

In the second story, one of Jen's clients, Erikson, asks to pay her with a painting, since he doesn't have any money. Greg looks at some of Erikson's paintings, and he doesn't "get" them. Erikson then pops in to observe them for the family portrait they're going to have painted of them. Jen isn't too fond of the idea, so she gives him some pictures of the family instead. Later, Erikson shows up with the painting. It's horrible, and Jen hates it, but Greg likes it. He vows to fix it, but his "fix" is to put it in the bedroom. Matt comes over to look at it, and he's shocked that they scored an original Erikson. He tells them to hold onto it, but Jen holds her ground and wants it gone. So they give it to John and Joan, who proudly display it in their home.

In the third story, Matt and Colleen tell Sophia about their idea for a new children's book. Sophia's not impressed, but she tells her about her idea for a story. It's a good idea, but it's also a stolen idea. Matt and Colleen want to turn it into a story, but Sophia doesn't want to. They don't understand why, but the viewers know. Later, Heather indirectly tells her that plagiarism is okay, as long as you change a few details. Sophia tries to convince Matt and Colleen to change the topic of the story, but they don't want to, since they love the original plan. She decides to tell her friend from school about stealing his idea, and he acts upset. However, it is soon discovered that Socktopia is already a book.

In the fourth story, John gets a scam call from the IRS (which he obviously falls for), and he tries to find money to wire to them. However, Joan tells him to call their accountant Celeste. John tells her that he fired Celeste, and she isn't happy. She decides to check their taxes, and discovers that John made a mistake when he did them himself. She tries to wire money to the IRS, but she gets distracted by John, who is hiding things from the IRS. THen, they get a knock at the door. They suspect it's the IRS, but it's even worse: it's Heather (the horror!!!!). She tells them that it's a scam, which she knows since her own idiot husband (John's words, also mine) fell for it too.

Wrap-Up:
This episode sure was an improvement on the one that preceded it, but that's not an accomplishment at all. The first episodes were pretty good, but weren't really that great. There were parts of all of them that I liked, but I also had significant problems with each. The fourth, however, was amazing. I laughed so much at it and it really reminded me of why I used to love this show so much. It felt like a classic Life In Pieces segment, and was much better than just about anything this show has produced in all of 2018. That helped boost this show up from a just-okay score to one that's slightly above average for this underwhelming season.
Score: 7.5/10
Grade: B-