Hi gang, sorry for taking for frickin’ ever to write this review. I cannot believe this is the second last episode of season three. Where has the time gone? Soon Amanda and Busy will completely change…and not for the better.
Anyway, let us focus on the now and this episode, so aptly named after the mid 90’s sitcom starring Tia and Tamara Mowry. Unfortunately this episode does not feature a sassy black lady by the name of Jackee.
The episode opens with Amanda and Busy talking about some upcoming concert Neon Vomit has on the weekend. I wonder what sexual favours The Liz had to perform in order to secure that gig. Amanda’s also decided that it is a brilliant idea to let Busy perm her hair. I know it was the 90s, but who the fuck still got a perm beyond the 80s? Anyway, Amanda wants curly hair because “everyone she knows has it”…wonder if that will be her excuse for when she acquires herpes in the distant future. But she points out that it isn’t nearly as “radical” as changing your name, which Phyllis has now done, going back to her maiden name of Myers. Busy asks Amanda if she will change her name too, but Amanda gets pissed, proudly proclaiming she will always be a Zimm. Oh yeah, and I forgot to point out the most important part of their conversation; Amanda will be meeting Mel’s daughter Leslie tonight and she has a dead mom (will matter later).
The next scene…and Amanda’s hair looks exactly how you’d expect it to, i.e. a deranged poodle.
Now that Phyllis is newly divorced, she is wasting no time washing every aspect of Leonard out of her life, starting with a purging of her closet. She goes to throw away some fugly sweater, which Amanda gets offended by since she and her dad picked it out for Phyllis. Maybe if you guys had better taste she wouldn’t be tossing it out.
Amanda then goes in her room and writes some emo diary entry about how she wishes her hair wasn’t fucked, that she didn’t have to meet Leslie and that her mom would quit pretending to be sad about the divorce. Yawn, next.
Next scene, and Phyllis and Amanda arrive to the restaurant. Amanda gets all whiny about the restaurant being really fancy, even though her outfit looks totally normal (other than her hair and her stupid Blossom hat). Mel comes waltzing up with “14 year old” Leslie in tow. Can this show please start casting people that sort of look their age? This girl looks like she’s in her early 20s. Anyway, Amanda seems to immediately take a disliking to Leslie, sort of snubbing her, and Leslie seems super fake, so I’m sure these two are going to get along swimmingly!
They have a boring dinner, where Amanda is forced to eat vegetables she doesn’t like.
Back at home, Phyllis is obviously trying to get this Mel/Leslie and Phyllis/Amanda dynamic to happen, because her and Mel want Amanda and Phyllis to spend the whole weekend at his place to bond. Amanda gets super pissed, because she wants to go to Busy’s concert. Phyllis pulls the whole “Mel and I would be soooooo disappointed” line. I don’t often side with Amanda, but I was pretty annoyed with this scene. Phyllis just got divorced and already is trying to force this new dynamic on Amanda who clearly hasn’t come to terms with the fact that her parents aren’t getting back together. Pretty selfish on Phyllis’ end I must say.
Amanda calls Busy to bitch about it (while she’s clipping her toe nails in the scene haha) to which Busy is pretty sympathetic. Busy then implies that Mel and Phyllis are probably banging, because they went to New York together and they are forcing interactions between the two daughters. Busy even goes so far as to suggest that maybe Phyllis will marry Mel and Leslie will become Amanda’s sister, which freaks Amanda right the hell out.
Next scene, Amanda and Phyllis has arrived at Mel’s artsy-fartsy pad. Leslie is playing a solo cello concert for Mel and Phyllis, and Mel suggests Amanda bring her things to Leslie’s room to sleep in. Both girls are pretty WTF at that, as it is clear that neither likes the other, but these adults are determined to force this union on their daughters so they can keep having sex and not feel guilty about it.
Amanda goes into Leslie’s room, and looks at a bunch of pictures on her wall from various moments in Leslie’s life. She comes upon a picture of Leslie as a child with her dead mother. Amanda gets tears in her eyes, and I guess starts wondering if Leslie is going to attempt to steal her mother for her own.
After the concert, Phyllis suggests that her and the girl’s should go shopping. Leslie totally burns Amanda’s sweater, saying they should buy her a new one, which makes Amanda mad haha. The sweater is ugly, just accept it.
They end up going to some shop that looks like it’s in Yorkville or something. Amanda points out a purple dress to Leslie that she likes in the display window, and then goes to find it in the store to try it on. But lo and behold, Leslie also likes the same dress and THAT CAN’T BE!!!! Amanda gets super bitchy and exclaims that she doesn’t want the dress anymore. I’m sorry, but get over yourself. Leslie doesn’t even live with Amanda, and there’s definitely been times I’ve bought the same thing as my friend because we both like it. Amanda’s being super immature here. The salesmen then makes the error of asking Phyllis if she wants him to wrap up the dress for her daughter aka Leslie, and Phyllis doesn’t correct him, which results in a look of betrayal from Amanda.
Later on, Amanda calls Busy to bitch about Leslie, saying how super fake she is and is trying to be all chummy with Amanda’s mom. Busy more or less says just deal with it and ignore Leslie since it’s only one more day. But we all know Amanda’s the queen of drama, so that will not be happening.
Amanda returns to the living room and looks at Mel’s photography while still sulking about the dress. Mel asks Amanda if she still wants to see his new shots at his studio because he needs “a good eye.” I gotta say, Mel is being really nice to Amanda considering that A. She’s being a brat and B. SHE FUCKED UP HIS CAR LIKE LAST WEEK.
As they start setting the table for dinner, shit is about to hit the fan. Leslie asks Mel to drive her to her friend’s house, to which Phyllis replies that she wanted everyone to watch a movie together. Because obviously this forced interaction cannot take a break for one second of this weekend. Amanda gets excited at this, because if Leslie goes out than she can go to Busy’s concert. But Mel agrees with Phyllis and says they should stay in and become the Brady Bunch. Phyllis hands Leslie some food she doesn’t like, which Leslie makes known and Phyllis tells her she doesn’t have to eat it if she doesn’t want to. This pisses Amanda off since Phyllis always forces Amanda to eat shit she hates, which makes sense because you’re her daughter you dumbass. Leslie tells Amanda to mind her own fucking business and both parents start getting annoyed at their kid’s behaviour. Leslie calls Amanda an “immature baby” (correct) and Amanda retorts back with calling Leslie a “snobby stuck-up” (also correct). Leslie tells Amanda she should GTFO because it’s not her house. Amanda then says “Maybe it’s your house, but she’s my mother. Just because you don’t have a mother doesn’t mean you can steal mine. She’s not yours and she never will be!” And runs out crying like an immature baby. I find this an extremely insensitive thing to say on Amanda’s part, but as always I will fall back on my “teenagers are stupid” reason. Dumb parents should’ve just let them see their friends and this all would’ve been avoided.
Amanda runs outside to sob and Phyllis follows. Amanda basically lays it out to Phyllis, saying she’s been acting weird since the divorce, forcing Mel and Leslie on her and she knows Phyllis is doing the nasty with Mel. Phyllis says yeah, she is, but Amanda will always be her family and the most important thing in her life. Phyllis says she loves Mel a lot and that it’ll take time for them to get used to Leslie and vice versa, to which Amanda replies “what if I don’t want to get used to her?” Phyllis kinda shrugs and is like “you’re not wrecking this for me!!!” aka looks sadly off into the distance knowing she’ll probably have to deal with future outbursts from Amanda.
Next scene is Amanda writing in her diary about how changing means growing up and she’s not ready. Well clearly not judging by that little spectacle you pulled earlier.
Amanda goes into Leslie’s bedroom where she awkwardly has to spend the night and asks Leslie if she is still awake, to which Leslie replies “d’uh my eyes are open.” Amanda tells Leslie she used to want a sister when she was younger, even wrote to Santa for one, but then one day she didn’t want one, and now she still thinks she doesn’t. Leslie then says she never wanted a sister, only a mother, but now she doesn’t really think she wants one anymore either. So it is clear they both still hate each other.
Amanda then gets in bed and says “Leslie….goodnight.” Way to not apologize at all for your actions, Amanda.
Ugh two Amanda-centric episodes in a row is too much for me. I’m so tired of her bratty behaviour. Thankfully the last episode is equally about Busy and Amanda and how they may be too damn opposite to continue their friendship. Will it survive???? (yes, come on, there’s two more seasons of this goddamn show). But tune in soon (probably) for the final episode of season three!
Ready or Not Reviewed! 