5 Fights In One Hour - S:3 Ep. 17 “R&B"

Spoiler alert: R&B in the title here is not about the smooth, sensual music of Rhythm & Blues; it’s about the bumpy and uncomfortable times in the life of Randall & Beth.  You are going to want some R&B at the end (Recaps & Booze). Here are this week’s Really Moments:

1. This episode could have been called “5 Fights In One Hour.” This episode focused on Randall and Beth having fights at 5 different critical points in their life - their first date, engagement, wedding, first child, and today. And it’s always about the same thing, Beth changing her life for Randall. Having the same fight again and again? That is marriage. I am just waiting for the episode where they are seen at 5 different points fighting about “why are we spending this money,” “why does your mother say that to me,” and the classic “why do you always load the dishwasher the wrong way.”

2. Randall appears to have been a stalker. On their first date, Beth tells Randall she does not  want to see him again, but Randall will not give up. We see him in bed later that night with a weird smile, convinced Beth will be his, oh yes… she will be his. Good thing she gave in, otherwise the backstories would be about Randall convincing Beth to drop the restraining order.

3. Never write your own marriage vows. When you go see an older band, you want the classic hits, not the new material.  When you go to a wedding, you want classic vows. Of course, Randall and Beth want to write their own vows, but Beth does not have the time because she is organizing the wedding, while Randall has all the time in the world to write an epic poem. Kids, writing your own vows only leads to trouble. Either the bride or groom will outshine the other, and someone is left feeling bad. On their wedding day. Rock out to the classics: sickness and health; richer or poorer; and until death. It really covers it all.

4. A really low blow will end a fight. Beth tells Randall that she could never tell him her feelings because of all his anxiety attacks. Wow, low blow Beth, but that’s some masterful ”making it his fault.” This ends the fight when Randall walks out. Note to those people not yet married, a low blow is either a good or bad tactic when you really want to clear a room.

5. Every man is oblivious, including sweet talking Randall. Men are oblivious. As women, it is our responsibility to fill them in. You know how many times my husband has gone to the fridge and looked for ketchup THAT’S RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIM. A million. Literally.  I counted. Every single time I have to tell him and then show him where it is. If men are that oblivious about ketchup, imagine how they are about a woman’s thoughts. Beth never told Randall in painfully explicit terms that she wanted to dance, how could Randall possibly know. Besides, he is probably lost in the kitchen, looking for mustard.

Really? (Rating from 1-5: 1 means nothing too far-fetched happened; 5 means that someone else has died at the hands of a faulty crockpot):

I give this episode a 3. The part where a couple is having the same fight for years is realistic. However, this whole plotline feels like a 180 degree turn from the characters of Beth and Randall. They have always been a team, and now that team is broken over dance. It is a little hard to believe.