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Join lifelong friends Niq and Jess as they dive into the world of television on their podcast, "Next Episode." Each week, they explore popular TV shows, from the latest binge-worthy series to timeless classics, offering insightful commentary, hilarious banter, and candid reviews. Whether you're looking for in-depth analysis, behind-the-scenes trivia, or just a good laugh, Niq and Jess’ dynamic chemistry and shared passion for all things TV make this podcast a must-listen for any TV enthusiast. Tune in and become part of their cozy, fun-filled conversations that feel just like chatting with your own friends.
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Inheriting the Court: How Running Point Revives Sport Comedies
Missing the golden age of rom-coms? Running Point delivers that nostalgic feel while tackling something deeper - a woman's fight for respect in the male-dominated world of professional basketball.
Kate Hudson sparkles as Isla Gordon, the daughter of a wealthy team owner suddenly thrust into the presidency of her family's NBA franchise. What was meant to be a temporary position while her brother attends rehab quickly becomes a battle to prove herself against every stereotype and obstacle thrown her way. The show brilliantly illustrates the "glass cliff" phenomenon - where women are often handed leadership roles during organizational crises, essentially being set up to fail.
What makes Running Point special is how it balances serious workplace dynamics with lighter romantic elements. The chemistry between Isla and coach Jay Brown (Jay Ellis) sizzles from their first scene together, creating a will-they-won't-they tension that feels authentic rather than manufactured. Meanwhile, her relationship with fiancé Lev provides an interesting counterpoint - he's kind and supportive, but their connection lacks the spark that makes viewers invest in their future. This romantic subplot serves as a perfect complement to the basketball drama, giving the show that classic rom-com energy we've been missing.
The family dynamics within the Gordon clan form the emotional heart of the series. Brothers who undermine her, a legacy of misogyny from their father, and Isla's own journey from the family "screw-up" to competent leader create a compelling narrative arc. By season's end, we're fully invested in her success, making the cliffhanger all the more effective as her brother schemes to reclaim his position.
Ready for a show that feels like comfort food for your streaming appetite while still offering something substantive? Dive into Running Point and rediscover why Kate Hudson remains the queen of accessible, engaging storytelling. Subscribe to our podcast for more deep dives into your favorite shows!
Hi guys and welcome back to next episode with Nick and Jess. And today we're actually discussing the Netflix hit Running Point. Yes, did I say it right? You did, you did, you got it right. I've been calling this show Running plus Random Word all week, but you got it. You got it. I'm proud of you. I'm excited. Do we agree that this show is a true palette cleanser?
Jess:Yes, we both agree. True palette cleanser light.
Niq:Yes, love it. I love a show like this. This show could very easily become a comfort show of mine if it was just a little bit more spooky, because it like immediately from the beginning, like I knew exactly what was going to happen. Like there was like a couple surprises, but for the most part I saw everything coming and sometimes in a comfort show you just don't want to be surprised, you just want to be entertained yeah, it's like I know what's going to happen, but it's the ride fun, right right, right, right, exactly.
Niq:And this show, um, it reminds me of nobody's. Nobody wants this. I don't think it's as compelling.
Jess:It's not.
Niq:It's not, but I'm also okay with that Right, but I feel like it's just as enjoyable. I really enjoyed it. I thought it was cute, I thought it was fun, I thought it was funny. But Nobody Wants, this was special. It was, it was. It may be Kirsten.
Jess:I'm a Kirsten Bell. You know what I think? No, I don't. The writing was more compelling on. Nobody Wants this. But what I think Running Point has is this feeling of nostalgia because it feels like a rom-com. I know it's not purely a rom-com, it's about this woman kind of inheriting this basketball team and how that affects her life being in a male-dominated field. But because it's Kate Hudson, there's a little nostalgia there with rom-coms, and then we know that the rom-cominess is coming.
Niq:Right, yes, and I kind of miss the rom-com era. I'm not a natural romance girl, like I'm not a natural romance girl, but when I was watching the show I'm like man. Rom-coms used to hit back in the day.
Jess:Where have they been? They absolutely used to hit and I do miss them because I'm like that's probably why we've been struggling so much to find light shows, because everything has a little air of heaviness and so it was nice to have something that truly felt light and just fun and yeah.
Niq:Why do you think, like rom-coms have kind of lost, like some of like, the like punch that they used to have, like it used to be like, oh my God, during? The summer you were going to probably get like three or four really great like rom-coms and you would have stars who really like they spent their whole career just like rom-coms and you would have stars who really like they spent their whole career just doing rom-coms and that was that was considered success. You know that was awesome.
Jess:What happened to the rom-com, I think I'm really boring and basic, like you know, like, even though, like yes, watching the show I knew exactly what was going to happen, how it was going to unfold, but something just felt fun and fresh about it, whereas the rom-coms over the last few years before Nobody Wants this they kind of felt stale and boring.
Niq:I have a person who I feel like is the reason why rom-coms started failing and people are going to disagree. His name is and you know I'm terrible with names, but I'm going to get close enough his name is jude apatow. Like judd apatow, okay, judd apatow, I told you I was going to get close like he. I feel like when he Does he write rom-coms, does he write like racy stuff? He kind of like Changed the rom-com Format and kind of Made them, I feel like, more male centered.
Jess:Oh, that makes sense. Switch that up.
Niq:And I think like they Kind of took on like this Mutation and they lost like some of like the fun when it comes to like women and like this being like our cute little thing that we enjoy.
Jess:Like they used to remember they used to call rom-coms chick flicks they did, and I think I'm trying to see what rom-coms he made. Oh, I'm sorry.
Niq:Okay, I see what you're saying now yeah, and so I think I feel like stylistically they moved away from like okay. So even even like Adam Sandler movies, like they were movies that men enjoyed, but like he made like 50 first dates, he made the wedding singer, and so those are like firmly rom-com territories, even though they were made by a guy and I feel like there were movies that guys enjoyed too he still understood right, and so I just feel like Jude Apatow kind of came in and his name is Judd.
Niq:What is his name? Judd Judd? No, he's not. I feel like Judd Apatow came in and shook things up, and not in a good way, and we are like slowly now finding our way back, you know okay.
Jess:So I try to pull up slowly now, finding our way back, you know. Okay, so I tried to pull up his rom-coms and so they listed Knocked Up, which I did not care for, forgetting Sarah Marshall, which I did enjoy, but I also didn't see it as a rom-com. I realized that was supposed to be a rom-com and then this Is 40, I don't think. I remember seeing he did Bridesmaids also doesn't seem like a rom-com, but they're listing it as one.
Niq:I. I did not enjoy Bridesmaids as much, um. So what is her name? Melissa McCarthy, Melissa McCarthy. I loved Melissa McCarthy when she was on the Gilmore Girls In a new and special way, Like she was one of my favorite characters. But when she like, some of her comedy is too much for me and I feel like her and Bridesmaids. That was too much.
Jess:I feel like Bridesmaids would not be funny without her. I feel like she made Bridesmaids.
Niq:It probably wouldn't have been funny without her. I don't know that it was necessarily all that funny with her.
Jess:Oh, I love Bridesmaids Again. I don't think of Bridesmaids as a rom-com, though I just think of it as a comedy.
Niq:Like a what is the one where the guys get, they end up roofing themselves accidentally and they're in Las Vegas and they spend the movie looking for their lost.
Niq:I feel like it's the female equivalent to that movie agreed and I don't know which one came out first, but I think hangover came out first the hangover okay, which I enjoyed the first hangover, and then each one got worse and worse, progressively worse, worse and worse, and so bridesmaid is like hangover too, like it's not the worst movie ever, but it's. It's doing a little too much for me, so I another thing is, maybe I'm out of touch with who, like, the prime rom-com stars are right now.
Jess:So I would say one of the things I don't think there are like there are people who do rom-coms, of course, but like where we had like clear rom-com stars and that's what they did, that was their bread. But I don't think there's like people who just focus like that on their career.
Niq:Because my question is would I have even given this show a chance if it wasn't Kate Hudson, like if it wasn't someone from my era?
Jess:Yeah, no, it definitely. I definitely saw Kate Hudson. I was like, OK, yeah, we're about to do this.
Niq:Right, how to lose a guy in 10 days. Come on, come on, classic, classic. I'm like I would give her, I'm like I would just give it a try. Just off the strength of Kate Hudson yeah that is absolutely the reason why I watched.
Niq:It is Fabletics, so, and then I just enjoyed it. So you know, we go together real bad, like so, but who, like? I'm like I don't even know who would carry the mantle, like who. There were like some cute, like so we don't get rom-coms, but like we were getting like YA version of rom-coms. Like gosh, what are the names of the like the kissing booth? Did you see that there's like two of them and then there's another one? Oh, what is the name of the one with like the Asian girl and like to all the boys I loved before? Yes, did you see that one?
Jess:no, I also did not. Maybe that's it like it started to be like teenagers and I was like those are more YA.
Niq:Those are not like full rom-com featuring like younger teenagers.
Jess:Part of nobody wants this appeal was the fact that they were grown folks like they were, you know right, yes, that they were fully fledged adults.
Niq:But even if they were like in their early 20s, like I'm like, where are those? Because these, these, like.
Jess:I don't want to watch teenagers be inappropriate with each other I don't.
Niq:I will give those movies a chance because I am someone who, as a fully grown, grown grown woman, love YA fiction.
Jess:I will read YA fiction more than I will watch YA movies now, and this may be just trauma from euphoria. Even though I did not finish that, I don't think I got past the first episode. You're doing too much with teenagers. These are teenagers and I just need them to be teens and not like no.
Niq:Yeah, euphoria is a lot. It would be a lot if they were college kids, but the fact that they were college kids Like Grown-ish, first season, I couldn't do because I was like why are we so heavy into drugs?
Jess:And these are like 18, 19 year olds and so like. And I've had other people say, okay, college is different, drug use is a lot more common. Millennials, we are firmly their children. We listened, what was it? Mcgrath, the crime dog was at him. We listened to him hard. Our college years was not as filled with drugs. So, yeah, watching Grown-ish and all that stuff, and I'm like these are children doing this, I can't do it. But if it's a truly like, you know me, if it's like a tween show or something like that where it's going to like, I don't have an issue with teenagers having a storyline, I just need it to be a certain level of cleanliness with their kids.
Niq:But and then when I so I gave those shows a chance because I think they came from books. Now I didn't read those books because even though, like my ya, fiction tends to lean towards dystopic, novel or something like very supernatural, you know know, yeah, very fantasy, very supernatural. I would feel weird reading a book about teenage relationships. Yeah, unless I was co-reading. If my child wanted to read that book, I would read it with them so they know what they're consuming.
Niq:So I would co-read that book, but for my own enjoyment. My YA I have very specific YA taste.
Jess:Yeah, but I think that's safer. You're right, because I definitely was an adult when I read Twilight and I'm like, yeah, but it didn't get that.
Niq:It was very clean, it was very clean.
Jess:I could do that, I could do the fantasy, because I feel like it doesn't get that deep into the but like, if you yeah, if you don't no. I need a certain level of cleanliness if we're talking about actual children.
Niq:Right, yeah, I agree.
Jess:So that's probably why I haven't watched the rom-coms, because if they are skewing towards young, because, yeah, I saw all the promos for Girl. Now I'm going to start messing up names To All the Boys I Loved Before and to that other one you mentioned, and I was like no, but they were actually both very clean.
Niq:They were. I will say that.
Jess:No, no that I might be shell-shocked because I straight turned Euphoria off.
Niq:Euphoria is something Euphoria. I made it more episodes than you did, but I don't think I made it through the first season. It was way too much for me. It was one of the most graphic shows when it came to drug use and just like. It was entirely like. It was like my nightmare. I have kids well, at the time excuse me, old, not that the show came out like my, you know, I had a child in that age and I'm just like I can't. I can't watch, I can't watch, I can't do this.
Jess:But I told you even Grown-ish, which is probably Chase and Tame for most. I actually like it better when Junior became the focus than when girl I don't know her character's name, but first Yara Shahidi's character, zoe, was the lead. I watched the Junior years. I skipped over Zoe after I got uncomfortable and then I watched the junior years. The junior years were better to me but I couldn't handle her. Having taken Adderall, I was like you just got to college three days ago, why are you already on Addies?
Niq:Yeah, that's a lot for the first week of college. You haven't even gotten deep in the semester. You don't have to have a class enough to be taking Adderall baby. No, you don't Look at that. We used to pull all-nighters just on the street, just off of coffee.
Jess:Yeah, Remember there used to be 24-hour Starbucks. We used to pull all-nighters off coffee alone.
Niq:Yeah, these kids they're so weak. They're so weak, they're so weak.
Jess:Oh, my goodness, I have done all-nighters, taken a final written, a paper. All in the same 24-hour period, just off coffee. Right, I can't do that now though, girl. No, all in the same 24 hour period, just off coffee right, I can't do that now though girl. No, now. No, I need six to eight hours beauty rest and please don't schedule too many things.
Niq:I told you part of my activities got canceled this evening because we old and it's like, okay, it's the evening, yeah, we all tired, we ain't gonna make it right, no, like yesterday I asked my husband to bring me like a glass of water and he went downstairs and came back up and and I was asleep, and I was asleep so deeply that when he was like, here you go, like it it awakened me and like I screamed, like I was like, oh, he scared me. And he was like I just I bought you the water that you asked for. And I'm like, yes, you did.
Jess:I asked for that water Deeply deeply asleep, like you know.
Niq:Yeah, I can't, I don't have, I don't have the all nighters, I don't have the all nighters.
Jess:You know, I can't, I don't have the all-nighters, I don't have the all-nighters.
Niq:We did when we needed to, and that's what's important we did, do you remember? Never mind, we've got the all-nighters in different places.
Jess:Oh yeah, sorry about those all-nighters, all-nighters around the world.
Niq:But back to the show. I was really really excited, excited. I honestly I watched it straight through yeah, same same.
Jess:I thoroughly enjoyed it. I love the cast. I love all the people that they had in it. They were really good. Um, I enjoyed the storyline. So, basically, this is, um. So, just kind of give a brief synopsis. This is about the the Okay girl, why am I stuttering? I'm going to take all this out, okay? So this is about Isla Gordon, who is the daughter of a wealthy basketball team owner, and she is put in a position where she is going to have to suddenly take over the basketball team. It's loosely based on the story of Jeannie Buss, the daughter of same situation, the LA Lakers daughter, who took over in 2013. Not an exact replica, but it's loosely based on her story and just all the trials and tribulations she has as a female owner of a team dealing in a male-dominant field.
Niq:I had no idea. This was based on a real person.
Jess:Loosely based.
Niq:Yeah, it probably is very loosely Because, like this character, isla, before she took over the team she was kind of known in the family as like the screw-up, like she said Party girl. Yeah, she didn't get the attention that she wanted from her dad. She didn't get the respect that she wanted from her dad.
Niq:She's had like a love love of basketball, but he would really never kind of let her participate and so she kind of right, because she was a girl, so she would act out and she did all the typical, like hollywood starlet socialite stuff yeah, marrying someone, quickie marriages, you know all of the stuff has a mad brian austin green.
Jess:Yeah, if you live long enough, you get to marry brian austin green. Marrying someone, quickie marriages, you know all of this stuff. Who hasn't married Brian Austin Green?
Niq:Yeah, If you live long enough, you get to marry Brian Austin Green for 20 days Exactly.
Jess:That's the price.
Niq:So basically her brother like kind of takes her to the side and he's like hey, you know you need to get your life together. And so he brings her into the family business and he lets her he to get your life together. And so he brings her into the family business and he lets her, he puts her in charge of charities. So she's in the family business but she's not really doing anything of consequence. She's kind of just like host events.
Jess:But I personally felt like she was doing a good job in charities she was doing a very good job in charities, but again, like her brother is like you got to get your life together. But then he also puts her in a field where he's like was very female dominated within the male dominated field, like it's like you should do charities. He didn't ask her what she was interested in. She is very knowledgeable about basketball, but none of her brothers ever even consider that she is right, or I think that they may know that she's knowledgeable.
Niq:They don't care that she's knowledgeable, they don't take her seriously at all.
Jess:Sandy does not know at all. That's funny to me because he constantly says that she's not. But he's not knowledgeable about basketball. He isn't. I'm not sure that he knows it's the oldest brother Cam.
Niq:Cam is the oldest. Cam knows that she's knowledgeable and doesn't care.
Jess:But Ness does not know and Sandy doesn't know. It's because they haven't gotten to know that part of their sister.
Niq:I don't know. I feel like Ness grew up in the house with her, because Sandy has a different mother. I think that Ness knows that she knows about basketball, but once again, I don't think that they care. I think that they don't take her seriously because she's a woman, because their dad didn't take her seriously and their dad didn't take women seriously. So even though they love her, like they love her there's no doubt they do love her, but they really look down on her because she's a woman. I wonder like, yes, I know that she had like that history of like acting out and doing all that wild stuff, but I wonder, even if she never did that stuff, I feel like they would have still treated her the same way.
Jess:I agree because it's an incredibly misogynistic family, including Sandy, because Sandy doesn't even try to find out and to me, sandy actually says some of the most sexist stuff to her sandy is the worst.
Niq:He's the worst, he, he's absolutely the worst, but we'll. But the funny thing is like she is so passionate about basketball, like the kind of person that I am. If I was her, like I would have went to college and I would have studied sports management or something like that, and I would have went to work for a different team.
Jess:Like rival company, absolutely.
Niq:That is exactly like I'm like, oh OK. Well, you know, I would have embarrassed you, but in a different way, have embarrassed you but in a different way, like I would have been like the best and you would have like literally begged me to come join the team, and I would have never do it.
Jess:No, I would absolutely be working for your arch nemesis Boston. Oh not, if I gotta live in Boston. Kate Hudson can live in Boston just fine you can't live in Boston, just fine, I cannot live in Boston that would be.
Niq:That's what my plan would have been like. I can show you better than I can tell you kind of plan, but that's not the route that she goes. And hey, everybody has their own way but that's true.
Jess:But she also doesn't have support from really anybody because even like their mothers, their mothers are kind of a mess too. Right, like yeah, you barely see them, but their mothers are a mess too. So like nobody was like get your life together, go, go do something. They were like you're rich and you're beautiful, that's all you gotta be.
Niq:I never saw. Did they show any of the moms?
Jess:on the show they showed her mom briefly as a child and her mom is like crying and shriveling and she's trying to Kate is well, kate or Isla is trying to reassure her mom that her father's coming back home and the mom is crying a puddle of mess and basically she's parenting her mom at like eight. Okay, yeah.
Niq:So basically, isla ends up taking over the team and when she gets the team, the team is in bad shape. They're like looking like they're not going to make it to the playoffs. Like they've got like a troublemaker on. The team is in bad shape. They're like looking like they're not going to make it to the playoffs. Like they've got like a troublemaker on the team. They've got like a legacy player who is like kind of mentally checked out when it comes to the team and like they're losing their sponsors. Like the team is, it is a mess and I feel like as soon as she gets the role, sandy, who is her younger brother, starts plotting against her and he ropes Ness in. He does, and I was kind of like Ness, out of all the siblings, is very emotional. He seems like very emotional and very caring. I was kind of surprised that he jumped on the bandwagon with Sandy so fast.
Jess:Yeah, me too. Me too, I was not expecting that from him. And he just seems to genuinely care about each of his siblings, like genuinely. So I'm like why would you join a bandwagon with Sandy? And it's obvious, Sandy definitely knows nothing about basketball. Of the whole family, he knows the least. So why are you listening to him?
Niq:Yeah, I didn't understand that either. And so, like, as she's getting acclimated to the role, she makes some mistakes, but she also actually like, does some really cool stuff. Like they're telling her. You know, they come to her and they're like hey, you need to do X, Y, Z. They don't even come to her and say hey, we have this problem. How do you think it should be handled? What do you think we should do? A lot of times they come in, they're like we need you to sign this paper and this is what's going to happen. And so they're telling her what to do.
Jess:They're not asking.
Niq:Right, even though she's in charge. Right I love is that she's like, oh, okay, and then, instead of doing what they ask her to do, she goes and she actually learns about the situation and she tries to find, like, the best solution, which is not necessarily what they tell her to do, and most of the time it works.
Jess:Most of the time? Yeah, it doesn't always. Which also she's in a very new role. She went from charities to like the. What's her title?
Niq:President or CEO.
Jess:Yeah, she's the president and the CEO, so you get to learn and make mistakes in that position for most humans. That's how.
Niq:I.
Jess:Yeah, but only certain people get to make mistakes.
Niq:I felt like when she did good things, like they were just like, they were like whatever, it was very neutral. They weren't like, oh my god, that's really great. But when she did something, when she made mistakes, they were like, see, look at you, that's why you shouldn't be here right and like the way they were scheming behind her back was so that bothered me.
Niq:Yeah, I'm like you were her brothers, are you serious? It did. Now I'm gonna also say I don't really understand what her job is like. Oh, like she's the president of the team, but it just seems like she's she deals with like a lot of things that are like minutia that I feel like she shouldn't have to deal with. Like okay, so for a lot of things that are like minutiae that I feel like she shouldn't have to deal with, like what? Like okay. So, for example, like when she's like dealing with like Travis, who is like the player with the bad attitude, and then she's dealing with like the player that's mentally checked out. I'm like Ness, who is her middle brother, is the GM of the team. He should be doing that, but he's not checked out. I'm like Ness, who is her middle brother, is the GM of the team.
Jess:He should be doing that, but he's not competent enough.
Niq:You know. But I'm just like, why is she doing like to skip to the end of the show when she's taking Travis to rehab? I'm like you don't have an assistant coach. Where's the team doctor? Someone else should be able to take this man to rehab. Why didn't?
Jess:you. I'm like, honestly, you should just be having a driver drop his behind off at rehab. But at the most, jackie, who was her assistant, by this time her youngest, her illegitimate brother that they find out on the show I wouldn't trust Jackie to do that. I wouldn't trust Jackie just because I who becomes her sister. I wouldn't trust Jackie just because I think he's so young he could be talked into anything. But yeah, ness could have done that. I don't know if he would have. I think the issue is that she doesn't have people that she can trust.
Niq:Right, a legacy big NBA team, you should have support staff.
Jess:You should not be having to do every little thing, Little thing, and I think how she ends up doing that is she didn't have people she could trust. Because she starts intervening with Travis in the first place because he pisses off a sponsor that she worked her behind off to get and so getting sponsors getting like millions of dollars in the team. That makes sense that that would be her job. Now, I don't know what a basketball president does either. I don't feel like that should be her job.
Niq:I don't know we're talking about millions. What is the marketing department for? The marketing department should be funding sponsors.
Jess:I don't know If I'm giving your team millions and millions. I want to speak to the person in charge. They're giving like serious millions. They're not giving like you know no, I can.
Niq:I'm not saying she shouldn't be involved at all, but like I feel like she, like they should be finding her list of people they should be setting her up and then she just have the meeting. They should be like I got you they lost their sponsor because of something her older brother did and they're like well, we don't have a sponsor, what are we going to do? And she's out here making cold calls.
Jess:That's crazy. It is crazy, but it's again the mess that they left her in that she has to do all this and because she can't trust them At every moment they're trying to undermine her. And because she can't trust him, at every moment they're trying to undermine her. So I get to the point where you, I get, where she gets to the point where she's doing everything because I gotta make sure it gets done. So I gotta talk to this knucklehead player because y'all already want to trade him and I told you not to trade him and so your answer is going to if I give you not to do directly. So that's why. But she ends up having to do everything and, like I said, although I agree with you, somebody else should have been driving Travis to rehab. I'm like all them dudes would have drove him right back to that gang.
Niq:But that's why you give like you is someone like the.
Jess:You get like the assistant her not the assistant, because her title is higher than that, but her best friend who works with her right.
Niq:I think she does like marketing maybe. I can't remember what her title was, I think she's head of the marketing department or something like that, because she used to be her dad's assistant and then she transitioned over to what she does now. But yeah, I just I'm like you. Then she transitioned over to what she does now. But yeah, I just, I'm like you. You can't effectively lead if you can't effectively delegate.
Jess:Yeah, but I also feel like it's not her fault fully that she can't delegate and she's not wrong and not trusting them. You know, maybe after, after being there for some time, she'll be able to build a team and they'll build some trust with her. But, like, I think that's the the hard part of being either a woman or minority in any position is that everything your existence gets questioned every single second, even when you're making sense, and that's what's happening to her.
Niq:So she's like, dang it, I'll just do it myself so like you see her like kind of excel in this job and enjoys this job, but you also see, like it's kind of draining her, like she's losing herself, she's losing her work-life balance. It takes a toll on her relationship. Now I'm going to say this when it comes to her relationship, so as we're watching the show, before we even ever learn that she's in a relationship, she has a scene with the head coach, who's played by jay ellison, and as soon as, like they start the scene, I said, oh sorry, jay ellis. As soon as they start this scene, I'm like, oh, wow, the chemistry is popping off so long. I'm like, oh, there's a love interest and he is, and he is. But then, my shock, you then find out that she has a fiance. I don't remember his name, I'm going to call him Schmidt from New Girl girl because, like, if he ain't Schmidt, I don't remember his name.
Jess:I'm going to call him.
Niq:Schmidt, I don't either Girl.
Jess:If he ain't Schmidt, I don't know who he is. What is it, lev? It's so freaking easy.
Niq:His name is Lev. Her fiance is played by Lev, who is so sweet and so adorable and so likable. He's so sweet to her, he's adorable. There is literally no chemistry there. There's no, I was gonna say I don't feel like they're a good fit.
Jess:I like him. I like him. He's a nice guy, but I don't feel like he's a good and for the most part he does everything right he does, but they're just not.
Niq:There's no. What I enjoy is sometimes people make it seem like rom-coms because they, like the topics are lighter, that there's no skill in creating a rom-com. But for kate hudson to be able to have like this intense chemistry that is popping off with jay ellis and then get to love and make it completely no, chemistry is actually a skilling of itself.
Jess:Yeah, it is because I will say this, the guy who plays love Max Greenfield. I feel like he look kind of cute in this movie.
Niq:He's so cute. He's always been so adorable. He has like an adorableness. He's not to me like, oh, he's a sexy guy.
Jess:There's one time I was like oh, max, I've never seen you like that before he's handsome, he's sweet, he's very sweet.
Niq:He plays a good guy and you could like see how in another show he would be the guy that the woman was falling like in love with. But like the way that it's just like they are almost like roommate, like BFFs, it just does not give up.
Jess:They feel more like BFFs.
Niq:They do they do, they do. And that's why I was like, oh, how is? I'm like, how are we breaking this up? It's like, from the first thing you know, like the countdown to they break up right, and so then, like you watching, like okay, so you like you find out they're engaged and you're like, really, and then, like you like find out, like they're throwing their engagement party and she's like talking about converting to judaism, which I thought was very interesting because how is it that, like the two major rom-coms, both involve women, like considering? And it's interesting because in this show it was a throwaway kind of situation compared to Nobody Wants this, where it was like one of the main focuses. He was like, oh, you remember, you told me you would convert to Judaism. She was like, oh, I did. She was like I said that.
Niq:She was like, I mean, I guess you know, she didn't give it like it was like no thought. I'm like do you even know what you're signing up for? Whereas, like in the other show, like you really see, like the other character like really spend time in the community, like start really kind of learning and understanding what it means to be Jewish, what it means to have that faith, and like you see, it's actually something that she needs for herself, like without the connection to like her boyfriend, like you see her develop this relationship with Judaism and this show it was just like it was like a plot point, but it was like such a like not major plot point, because then, like he's like a plot point, but it was like such a like not major plot point, because then, like he's like you don't even have to do it. She's like, oh, okay right.
Jess:I'm like it was harder for her to decide whether she was going to convert when she realized she was going to lose her inheritance.
Niq:I feel like that. She really was like I'm going to lose my inheritance, you know that'll be fine, and I'm just like we would have to talk about that. I'd be like, hey, lev, sit down. Sit down, baby girl. How much money does your family have because we got to make? If it don't make dollars, it don't make sense.
Jess:Like we need to figure this out, it don't matter and you went a completely different way, because I would have went to a lawyer and be like is this a clause, I can fight, and if it's not a clause, I can fight. Sir, I'm not converting.
Niq:I just feel like her reasons for converting were like weird. Anyway, I, I, I just think you don't, you didn't even take the time to like learn about the religion, learn about the culture, like you're just like okay. So if you would do that, like you would convert to anything. She doesn't feel strongly about it.
Jess:Yeah it was. It was more about she, like her boyfriend love, made a lot of sacrifices for her, which he did. He was a good guy, he, you know, and she felt like she never made any for him. So this was going to be the thing that she, that she gave up for him. But it wasn't about her and I'm saying that because that's kind of a weird reason Like, yes, if they were going to stay in a relationship, you do need to focus on him more, like you do need to make him more a part of your life, because she just kind of lives kind of parallel to him.
Jess:But that's not the thing.
Niq:But that's not the thing, that's not the thing, even if it is, take it seriously, give it the respect enough to learn what you are like signing up for so that you can do it wholeheartedly. Because, like, what? Like you're the way that she was so nonchalant about the situation oh yeah, sure I'll do it. Like, are you really going to like be involved? Are you just going to be like, okay, yeah, I've converted and then like, not actually carry on the traditions and get involved in the community and understand the culture so you can pass it on to your kids? You know what I mean. Like the way she so half heartedly agreed, I just feel like it was almost disrespectful. That's how I felt.
Niq:But, like I said, it was a small plot point, kind of thrown away like immediately, just as soon as she said she would do it, he was like, oh, you don't have to do it, and she jumped out at the chance to like not get involved. I was very surprised. So, like, they end up like she misses like a very important event of his and they end up breaking up as they should, because she really does not respect their relationship, give their relationship the respect they deserve. She doesn't give him the love and attention that he needs and he. I feel like he blames it on her having the new job, but I feel like that dynamic was already in place.
Jess:That dynamic was definitely already in place. He does like the only thing. That's what I'm saying. For the most part, he does most things right.
Jess:The one issue I had with him in particularly where I felt like I didn't, I didn't like his take on, it was when okay, so it is after. I want to say it's when she is in the news, because people are saying that she slept with Travis because they went out to dinner, right, and so he's like you know. Basically he's like, oh, I know nothing would happen between you and Travis. And then she's like something I don't know if his office found out or everybody finds out something he was like I just didn't know that this was going to be a part of your new job and I was like you don't understand, because you don't know what it's like for a woman to do stuff. You know what I mean. Like her father can take players out to dinner and it's nothing, but she takes it out in isolation and she's literally just taking out a player to dinner to have a difficult conversation with him. You know, to almost like you know, cuss him out a little bit and say, hey, get your stuff together.
Jess:But because she's a woman and that I'm like, I don't know, I felt some kind of way about that because I'm like I know there's no way for him to understand that because he's a man, but I'm like, but that's the part of the job that's not her fault.
Jess:Her like not showing up to your stuff, her not taking your work as seriously, you know her not taking you as seriously, which cause that started before the job. Right, yeah, that's stuff that you need to call her on, but stuff that just literally only happens because she's a woman and she has no control over, she has no control over people. Writing a story about her sitting at dinner with one of her players she had no control over the player kissing her, right, right, you know what I mean. Cause, like what happens? She takes the player out to dinner. It is a romantic restaurant, but again she had her assistant set up the dinner, which you should be able to do as a person at her level, and he sets it at this super romantic restaurant, and so the player gets the wrong idea. Again, you would have tried to kiss her, daddy, I don't care what restaurant he took you to.
Jess:I don't understand how he got there. No, she was giving him no signals. But again, we shouldn't even have to have this conversation because I'm your boss, right, you know? Yeah, the issue is he doesn't respect her being the boss. The people want to make a salacious story because she's a woman that can, and so that's the one part where I'm like I wish somebody could call him on that, because it's like you didn't think it was going to be a part of it, because you never had to live this world as a woman.
Niq:Right. So yeah, I was very happy when they broke up. What I was surprised was that she went and chased after him, went to his office and begged him not to move and stuff, and I'm like but you didn't even really like him for real, like what are we doing?
Jess:I think she liked the idea of getting married. She didn't seem that jazzed about him ever. She didn't dislike him. I mean, he's perfectly likable.
Niq:But they were engaged for like seven years and then she's like, oh, there was COVID. And then she's like, oh, there was COVID, and then his mom got a facelift, and then my mom got a facelift. Do you know how many people during the COVID time just went and got married and then they're like, oh, I'll do a wedding later. If you really wanted to be married to that man, y'all would be married you could.
Jess:You also are insanely rich, so you can pull off a wedding in like two days right she, I don't know like it was.
Niq:So their relationship was so dry, like every scene with her. And the basketball coach's name is Lawrence Luke. What's his name, girl, I don't know, I don't want, what's his?
Jess:name Girl? I don't know. I don't want to call his name from Insecure. I'm like he was Lawrence in Insecure. I see Lawrence in here also. Jay, what? His name is? Jay Brown. His real name is Jay Ellis. His name on this show is Jay Brown.
Niq:I thought you said his name was Lawrence before. His name was Lawrence show is Jay Brown.
Jess:I thought you told me his name was Lawrence before. His name was Lawrence on Insecure.
Niq:Why I'm so terrible remembering character names. I am. It's just like it's my kryptonite. Just keep going, I'll correct you. Thank you. Every scene with him is like sizzling. They have such good chemistry. Although I feel like he had his shirt off a lot in this. I'm like you're the basketball coach. Why are you keeping it up shirtless? That's not normal. But yeah, so I towards the end of the show. They kind of have a romantic link. But the issue is is that he's leaving? He's going to you. Don't think he's going to Boston like you think he would stay, okay, but listen, his kids are going to be in Boston. Like would you respect him if he stays in LA when his kids are going to Boston and he has a job in Boston?
Jess:no, but I feel like something's gonna if he stays in LA when his kids are going to Boston and he has a job in Boston. No, but I feel like something's going to happen. His ex-wife is going to get some kind of brand deal. His you know what I mean, her new man is going to get a job. Something's going to happen to where them kids and him stay in LA. He's not going to Boston.
Niq:I don't believe it. At least we agree that if he doesn't go to Boston to be with his kids, we don't respect him.
Jess:Or they're going to go to Boston and realize they're Black and then come back.
Niq:The wife in her, the ex-wife in her new man are not Black, but the kids are. I don't think they're going to care, so we'll see what happens. We'll see what happens next season, I don't know. I kind of the season ends in sort of a cliffhanger because the brother gives her control of the team so that he can go to rehab, and so he pays. He bribes his therapist so that he can get out of rehab early, and I feel like he only does that on the strength that, like I, was actually doing a good job with the team.
Jess:All of it. He also pointed the story that Marcus, Marcus Now I'm forgetting the name no Marcus was leaving or they were going to trade Marcus Cause, remember that was a big thing.
Jess:Yeah, the checked out player, so, and he, he is the one who planted that story with the podcaster, so he does a little. Yeah, he, I think he always planned on coming back and taking that, but, like, I think he's like, oh, he's coming back early and so he's trying to set her up for a fall because he wants to come back early, because she's doing such a good job so do you think that he's trying to come back early because he's scared that if he waits too long they won't give him back the job?
Jess:yes, which I. Honestly. I'm like I don't know why you thought she was getting this job back anyway. Because, no matter what, if I was on that board, you're not getting this job back, you wouldn't already lost millions of dollars in a sponsor because of you.
Niq:Like I don't care, like I hope you do get clean, but you're not getting your job back but here's the thing why I think that they would give him his job back, one like he was actually really good at the job of being president. Yes, he was. The team was in a mess when he left. The team was, but they didn't lose the sponsor until his little drug incident.
Jess:Yeah, but that's part of your job is keeping up your appearances. The team did have issues.
Niq:But when I say he was good at his job, he was well-liked and well-known to be a good president. He had a good relationship with the board. He had a good relationship with the team. He even had a good relationship with Marcus, the checked out player. You know what I mean. So the team itself was not having a good season, but I don't think that they were blaming it on the brother being president. The way that they blame every single problem on the sister being president, way that they blame every single problem on the sister being president, Is that fair? It's not.
Jess:Agreed, but they should have been that's what I was about to say because the team was also $2 million over their salary cap. The team wasn't a free fall and you weren't doing anything about it, marcus, you're taking these players out to strip clubs and to do drugs and they like you, but they're not performing well.
Niq:So, no, you're not good at your job, you're just likable, but I think that he was seen to be good at his job, which is why I think that when he came, like because he's a male and he's like the head of that family- You're a male and you are a male that's's like in a black family.
Jess:You're a male and you are a male that's allowed to fail up.
Niq:Right. I think that they would have given him his job back, I think. So I think he started getting, I don't know. He started getting scared because, like Isla was like an undeniable success. Yeah, she was really like making waves, like an undeniable success. Yeah, like she, she was really like making waves, like going and getting a new sponsor when he was the reason why the sponsor left. You know what I'm saying. Like getting Travis in line, bringing in that guy from like the D league and actually making him like a good player you know what I mean which is really saving the money because he's a good player. You know what I mean, which is really saving them money because he's getting paid dust. You know what I mean and that's the thing.
Jess:She traded another player and that's how she got the two million dollar that they were over. She got them under and she brought in more money with the sponsors. So they're even.
Niq:They were even in a much better position she's doing an awesome job and I think that scared him, because I think that he thought that she could just place hold. Yes, I think she, her job was just to keep the seat warm and if the season turned out bad it was, they could blame it on her being there, you know what I mean. And when she actually took like that little pile of trash they gave her and turned it into like treasure, he's like, oh, I gotta get out of rehab now, and so I think he's gonna try to get his job back. I think that's what the second season's gonna be about him trying to get his job back and it's gonna be very, very interesting, because what do you have to stand on?
Jess:Nothing, but so okay, have you ever heard of the term the glass?
Niq:cliff? No, I've only heard the glass ceiling. So okay.
Jess:The glass cliff is when a company hires a woman a female CEO right before when they're about. They already know they're going to go into a major decline. A female CEO right before when they're about they already know they're going to go into a major decline, and that's what she was.
Jess:Yeah, that's interesting, it's been studied, it's been researched. Like they'll hire, like if you see a company that's never had a CEO, a female CEO, and all of a sudden they get a CEO, female CEO, and then they fall off. They were already going in that that decline before they hired her.
Niq:Wow, yeah, I mean, I think that's why he did it. In thinking like that, with that piece of information, it makes sense why he didn't promote one of his brothers in that spot, even though I feel like they, like he, may not have known that they were less qualified. I don't think that they have like the problem solving skills that she has. I don't think they have the strategy that she has, you know. So I do think out of all the siblings, she was the best person for the job, but I don't think Cam promoted her, thinking that she was the best person for the job.
Jess:Agreed. Agreed, like if he had promoted Ness or Sandy. He probably thought they'll just be his lucky. They would have went to him for everything they would have had to, and so they would. The team would have continued to run exactly how he ran it. But, like I said, I think it already looked like it was going to go into decline. We just need to keep somebody's family seat long enough so that it doesn't go outside the family, and then he can pick it back up when it comes back.
Niq:She ended up doing a good job.
Jess:Did she ever go?
Niq:to camp. I don't think Did she ever go to camp for anything Because the guys. I don't think did she ever go to camp for anything Because the guys. They went to camp and visited him in rehab and was trying to get them to help. I don't think she ever did that.
Jess:No, not that I remember, that's interesting.
Jess:Mm-hmm, yeah. And then I'm like and Sandy, I'm like Sandy doesn't know what a basketball is so like if you thought he could run. And Sandy, I'm like Sandy doesn't know what a basketball is so like if you thought he could run the team. I don't know why he thought he could run the team. I think that's what really pissed me off with Sandy, because I'm like, sir, you don't even know how to dribble, like what was you going to do? You literally think that penis makes you better at work.
Niq:That penis makes you better at work. The funny thing is is that his solution was to get rid of Isla and then he and Ness co-run the team and I'm like, okay if Isla's running the team by herself and Cam was running the team by himself. If it takes the two of you to run the team, that means you guys are half as good If that, if that.
Niq:If that Sandy's good with numbers, but he has no humanity at all. Nor does he understand the game of basketball you don't even know the game. But he also has no humanity. Ness is all humanity, with no work ethic. I feel like no common sense. I don't know, I can't tell what his job is.
Jess:I don't understand what his job is, Girl I don't know, I don't really know, he's just kind of sitting in that office.
Niq:That's how I feel he's just in the. That's why I'm saying some of sit in that office. That's how I feel he's, he's just in the. That's why I'm saying, like some of the stuff that she's doing, I'm like shouldn't that be the job of the gm?
Jess:yeah, but I think, but again, them being men and allowed to just kind of fail and do whatever they want to do, like they're just yeah, you literally are just sitting in there warming that office, you are not doing anything of consequence, but you think you can run the team well, here's the thing Ness did not want to run the team, but he was willing to overthrow his sister.
Niq:I know he was led by Sandy. When Sandy came to him he was willing to join forces with Sandy but he was not like I want to be the boss, but he's always looking for connection, and so I feel like it was more about Sandy coming and wanting to do something with him. You know he's like oh yeah, sure we can team up, we can spend more time together, we can talk. That's why I feel like Ness joined forces with Sandy. I don't think that Ness desires to be the president at all, true, so I don't know. They it's an interesting like. The family dynamics are very interesting and I honestly want to get into them more and on a deeper level. So I think that would be the best place to start our next episode. How does that sound? Sounds really good. All right, guys. Thank you so much for tuning. In our next episode we're going to dive deeper into the family dynamics of the Gordon family from running point.