Next Episode

Family Ties & Corporate Lies: Running Point on Netflix

• Niq & Jess • Episode 26

Share episode

Money can buy a lot of things, but it can't fix a dysfunctional family. The Gordon siblings—Cam, Ness, Isla, and Sandy—are navigating their billionaire lifestyle and basketball empire when they discover something their late father kept hidden: they have another brother.

Jackie, young and Latino, worked as a popcorn vendor at their stadium without knowing he was serving the half-siblings he never knew existed. Unlike the privileged Gordons, Jackie grew up with limited means, raised by a single mother who recently passed away from cancer. When he enters their world, he's not after money but something his wealthy siblings take for granted—family.

While Isla and Ness make genuine attempts to welcome Jackie, the family dynamics reveal deep-seated issues. Sandy, despite being born from an affair himself, treats Jackie with shocking disdain. His racist and classist behavior goes unchecked, while his own insecurities about his sexuality and status manifest in cruel outbursts. Cam, the eldest and former team president, hovers silently but menacingly, clearly plotting to reclaim his position from Isla, who stepped up after his drug-fueled downfall.

The show brilliantly balances its rom-com elements with meaningful exploration of privilege, belonging, and the damage family trauma can inflict across generations. As Jackie struggles to adapt to a world of wealth and corporate politics, viewers witness both heartwarming moments of connection and uncomfortable revelations about how power and money shape human relationships.

Season two promises to intensify these dynamics, with Cam's villain arc taking shape and Jackie's journey toward finding his place continuing. Will the Gordons ever fully accept their newest sibling? Can Isla maintain her leadership despite her brothers' machinations? And will Jackie ever receive his rightful inheritance? These questions keep us eagerly awaiting the next chapter in this entertaining yet thought-provoking series.

Subscribe and join us for more discussions about Running Point and other shows that capture the complicated beauty of modern relationships, both romantic and familial!

Contact Niq & Jess

Niq:

Hi guys, welcome back to next episode with Nick and Jess. And today we're going to continue our discussion of the hit Netflix rom-com Running Point. Yes, I got it right. Yes, you did so. Today we're going to kind of dig deeper into the family dynamics. I think we did touch on it. You know a lot in the first episode, but I really want to dig even deeper.

Niq:

So when the show starts, the Gordon family consists of Cam, who's the oldest brother, then Ness, then Isla and then Sandy. Sandy, who has a different mother. Is that how you understand it? To me, yes, okay, good. So what we find out, I would say, fairly early in the show, is that the dad has an affair with a housekeeper and he has an illegitimate child who actually works at the stadium he's like a popcorn vendor but they don't know that that's their brother, and he also does not know that he has siblings. He thought that his dad died when he was very young. It wasn't until after his mom died from cancer that that he got his mom's will and she revealed um who his biological father was. Now, unfortunately, his biological father is already dead, so he didn't get a chance to know him and I'm like that's kind of sad. That sucks, yeah, but his dad knew who he was and he never made an attempt to get to know him, so I guess maybe him learning that earlier would have just probably made him feel like abandoned.

Jess:

Yeah, I guess. So I do feel bad for Jackie. Jackie's a little brother. Yeah, he lost his mom and it seems like fairly recently and never got a chance to know his dad and will never get that chance. But he's also super excited about having siblings because he comes from a small family.

Niq:

He does. And so what's interesting is the Gordons is a very typical white all-American family, rich family, yeah, rich family, and Jackie is like lower class and he's also Mexican, would you say.

Niq:

He's Latino, definitely, I can't remember he's definitely Latino, I think Mexican, but I could be wrong about that. But yeah, he's definitely Latino and so he has. I feel like he has that cultural, he has that culture with him and so I feel like he brings it. So he has, I feel like he has that cultural, he has a culture with him and so I feel like he brings it. He has a different kind of set of values than they have and so it's kind of hard because he's trying to integrate him into, he's trying to integrate himself into the family because, like, he doesn't have any more, he has very little family left. He really pretty much has a cousin because his parents are dead. He doesn't have any more. He has very little family left.

Niq:

He really pretty much has a cousin because his parents are dead. He doesn't have siblings, and so initially, when he finds out that he's a part of the family, his cousin, who's a lawyer, is just trying to convince him to take a settlement. You know, just take the money and move on with your life, and he's like looking for family. One of the things I would like to say is that he's 18, would you say 19? Very young, he's young.

Jess:

I don't think he's 21, but don't quote me on that. I don't know. He's young.

Niq:

He's very, very young. He is very ill prepared for life.

Niq:

Yeah, well, he's ill prepared for that life no, no, no, he is ill prepared for all of life. Okay, why do you say that before? Like okay, so before he finds out about the Gordons, he's like a popcorn vendor and I'm like, okay, like, he's been working that job since he was a teenager, which I'm like, okay, it's fine. I'm like, but what are you doing now? Because he's, at the very least, he's graduated high school and I'm like, okay, what is your plan? He's like when he meets the Gordons, he does. It's almost as if he doesn't know how to do anything like simple things that I feel like he should be able to do. Now, one thing that that did not make sense to me is that they decided to like make him like her assistant. Yeah, and I that didn't make it, but that's what I'm saying.

Niq:

Well, there's no training, no training. There was no. Okay, listen, you're gonna. You need to start taking classes. I'm gonna buddy you up with a long-time executive assistant. You're now a part of like a well-known family. You need media training, like they very much still left him like kind of to the wolves on his own.

Jess:

Yeah, so it bothered me so much that they did not. They got that job and they did not offer any training. I'm like her best friend. I'm like, even though they end up, the best friend agrees to help him. I'm like, but it should have been set up like that to begin with.

Jess:

One she's a former assistant of the former CEO, so she knows all that. She's a former assistant of the former CEO, so she knows all that stuff. She's part of the family. Well, she's not part of the family, but she's close to the family, so she'll keep any secrets or whatever. It just makes sense to intentionally pair them so that she can train him on how to be an assistant. But to think that he's going to go from popcorn vendor to executive assistant and just magically know how to do all that stuff is ridiculous. And I would say this I know you say like he doesn't know how to do basic stuff, but I've also worked at, like, large corporations. I'm like, when he's asking, how do I transfer a call, I'm like, no, I've worked for companies where you have to enter a nine digit code to transfer a call. It's not always that simple, you know what.

Niq:

I mean, you didn't know how to turn on the computer.

Jess:

Okay, he didn't know how to turn on the computer, but like you know what I mean, like I know it sounds like ridiculous, but I'm like, no, I've definitely. When you get to companies that long, like sometimes, there's a code to make the fax machine work, to make the all the things I agree and like that kind of stuff. You have to be trained. You're not going to magically know how to do. I felt bad for him. He was definitely set up for failure. He doesn't fail, but he was set up for failure.

Niq:

Right, you hear a lot. You hear Isla make a lot of excuses about the way that her family acts. A lot of times I feel like she blames it on her dad for the way that they mistreat each other, or like the way when they behave unethical, and I'm like listen, I don't disagree that your dad sounds like a terrible person, but at what point are you not responsible for your own behavior? Like, if you recognize that, like you have issues within your family, why are you not in therapy? Why are you not, like talking to someone or trying to figure something out, get a mediator or something like? You can't just spend your entire life saying, well, you know, my dad was a this, my dad was that, and that's why we're this and that's why we're that. I just don't understand that because you have access to so many resources, yeah, I just feel like you can't use that as an excuse.

Niq:

Okay, I don't know. So, initially, like they didn't want to bring jackie into the family, but once they met jackie and he kind of like basically explained to them that he doesn't really care about money. He's looking for family like Ness and Isla like take him in, like, and they're excited to have him. Sandy is very, very, very resentful of him. Sandy treats him so terribly now. Sandy doesn't treat anybody well.

Niq:

No, he does not, but he treats him like the dirt under his shoe. Yes, him so terribly. Now, sandy doesn't treat anybody well? No, he does not, but he treats him like the dirt under his shoe. Yes, he's very dismissive, very rude. He does not treat him like a sibling at all. Cam basically ignores him.

Jess:

A human and Cam basically ignores him. But what also pisses me off about that situation is, like one treating Jackie like I don't care what Jackie or Jackie's lawyer asked for. Treating Jackie like he is like some kind of interloper and oh, he just wants money. He's entitled to that money. Just like in the same, the same way you all including Sandy, who's a child of an affair are entitled to that money. He's entitled to that money. That was his father too. So like no, you don't get to get an attitude about him wanting his cut of y'all's inheritance and it kind of pissed me off that he never got a cut. Like he's still working, you know, I mean, I don't have a problem with him having a job or being working, because he would want to do that anyway. But like no, like y'all still should have broken off some millions or have access to the inheritance. I don't like this whole thing where he's working for the company but he doesn't have any access to the inheritance that he is owed.

Niq:

Right. I feel like, honestly, he's owed more money than they are, because they at least got to grow up with their dad and have the benefits of, I'm quite sure, the best of everything the best education, the best connections, the best networking and all of these things that Jackie will never get, and his dad knew about him.

Jess:

That's what's happening. You couldn't even set her up. You couldn't even set like even let's say you want nothing to do with raising this child. You could have. He's a billion, these people are billionaires. You could have set her up so well and set him up so well, even though you never wanted to see him.

Niq:

He was actually going. The school that he went to was, like you know, it was a poor school, because he tells her that the school, like, gets like something donated, like was it the gym or something donated by the.

Jess:

Yeah, I think so Gym or basketball or something Right. Was it the gym or?

Niq:

something donated? Yeah, I think so. Gym or basketball or something Right. They receive a donation from the team to build something like one of their sports. You can tell he did not go to a fantasy school Just by the way that he speaks. You can tell he did not go to a fantasy school. He always sounds clueless. He does, that's what I'm saying. His mom did not prepare him for life.

Jess:

She did the best she could. She's also a single mother. She loves it.

Niq:

She's also a single mother with multiple jobs. He has where your survival instincts, where your problems are.

Jess:

Again, your dad kind of messed you up. They meet because she's a maid in one of his dad's vacation homes, it sounds like, and then they had like a summer fling, and right, he told him about him and he did absolutely nothing. So then she's got to completely fend for herself and raise this child right, but if you know, you're the only better for life.

Niq:

But like that's what I'm just saying, like I'm not saying she's a terrible person, I'm just saying she's a very lovely, sweet woman. The way that he talks about her, like you can very tell that she was an amazing mother.

Niq:

I don't, but I'm just saying like he was not prepared for life and you have to do that because, honestly, you like people die before their kids are grown. You got to start preparing and teaching them and giving them those life skills. I think had the circumstances not changed, he would have spent 30 years as a popcorn vendor. Probably you know what I'm saying.

Jess:

I still feel like he's still not prepared, because I'm like where's he's still not prepared? Because I'm like where's he going to go after being Atlas assistant? They're not giving him any training. Like the the the best thing is like her best friend, taking an interest in him and trying to help him out and become a better person. But where are you going? And at some point you need to portion of that inheritance.

Niq:

I agree, I definitely agree with that.

Jess:

I don't understand why this is an either-or thing you either get to be with your family or you get to get money. And $2 million for billionaires? Absolutely not.

Niq:

It's because they have terrible values. Like I said, I do think that the siblings love each other.

Jess:

They do.

Niq:

They have an interesting kind of complicated relationship, but their relationship dynamics are very, very weird. You have Sandy, who is a child of an affair but pretending that he's not, because I'm quite sure he has issues with that Sandy is also gay.

Jess:

That's what I think it is. My impression was he's a child in an affair, but the father left their mother to marry her, so eventually his family, I think his dad was married to her, but it started off in an affair.

Niq:

And he's also gay and he cares about that. But no one else does, Not one person in the family. Nobody in his family cares about the fact that he's gay, but he has like a relationship the dad did.

Jess:

That's the issue. The dad was super racist, super homophobic, all the isms there was to the point where he puts some of his racism and homophobia into the will. So the dad treated him like that all the time Because, remember he said the dad used to take him to strip clubs, used to all kinds of stuff, trying to get him interested in women. So that's right from your father, but you take it out on everybody else right.

Niq:

But like that, like the rest of it, like his siblings have never you could tell that they don't care, they've never cared, they've never been weird about it. He has had a boyfriend for over a year and they don't know. And they don't know. It's not like one of those things where it's like, oh, I don't want them, they won't accept my lifestyle. It's seriously, because his boyfriend is a dog groomer and he looks down his nose at his boyfriend and he feels like his siblings look down, it's him yeah, but like no, it's like no.

Jess:

You are that snooty. You look down at this man who's a dog groomer.

Niq:

He looks down on everybody.

Jess:

But you don't think he's good enough. He does look down on everybody. Sandy looks down on everybody. To be honest, Sandy's the worst of all of them.

Niq:

I agree. No, sandy is the worst because he looks down his nose at Ness and he looks down his nose at Ness's wife. He goes to Ness's wife and basically says to her because she's like oh, you know what, you guys are taking away my time with my husband. I'm trying to spend time and enjoy time with my husband and you guys are getting involved. I need y'all to kind of take a space. Basketball can wait After 10 o'clock. I should be able to have time with my husband. And he looks at her and says well, you should know what you're getting yourself into when you marry into a rich family. Now, nessa's wife is Vietnamese or Filipino.

Jess:

I thought she was Filipino, but I am not sure she said Manila. Where's Manila?

Niq:

Manila is in the Philippines.

Jess:

Okay, so she's Filipino, and so he says that to her, which I Not only that he refers to prior to that, refers to her as a male older bride.

Niq:

Was he the one who referred to her as a male older bride?

Jess:

I feel like several characters referred to her as a male older bride.

Niq:

And so he says that I was so angry. Her response, though, I loved Me too. She politely let him know that her family has more money than his family ever could, and that she had three people whose only job it was to get her ready in the morning In Manila. Yes and so, and he didn't even know that, like you can tell that Ness has been married to that woman for a long time.

Jess:

They have kids. We don't see the kids, but we know they have kids.

Niq:

How is it that you did not know about her family? You don't care about anybody but yourself.

Jess:

Not just you don't care. You assigned a stereotype to this woman and firmly believed it and several people did honestly, because I like that there are so many sly little racist comments about Ness's wife, but like she is not what anybody thought that she was and she genuinely loves. Ness, and Ness is not the easiest person to love, even though he's nice right.

Niq:

Yeah, I agree, he's your brother's, not a prize. He gives creepo vibes to me, but no, she really. She does love him, she does love him she loves him like it's so like Sandy is so irritating he is yeah, I'm like no, you believe all that crap honestly, out of all of everybody's sin, mess actually has the best relationship he does he does, like he has the best relationship.

Niq:

His wife genuinely loves him. Like they get along great, like you know. Like they got. They fell out because like he wasn't giving her the time that she needed. You know what I'm saying. But they really love each other. You know that Cam is married and he has a family, but I can only imagine the drugs that he's using. I'm quite sure he's unfaithful to his wife. He looks like the kind of guy that's unfaithful.

Jess:

Well, no, they say it. They said that he takes the players out to get shippers and hookers. They were say that he takes, like the players out to get shippers and hookers, like you know. And they were like, oh no, cam likes hookers and drugs just like our dad did. Like no, it's yeah, he's unfaithful to his wife. His wife is a prop.

Niq:

That's why you never even see her no, you never see her or the kids. So Sandy's boyfriend like? So Sandy's trying everything for the boyfriend not to meet the family, including lying to him and saying that you know he's got work events when his family events and Ness accidentally meets the boyfriend and is so nice to him, yeah, and so warm to him, so friendly to him, so friendly to him. And even after Sandy finds out that they met, he still doesn't introduce the boyfriend To the rest of the family, even though he's like. I know you guys are going to say something bad about him or look down your nose at him. Literally, your brother met him and didn't do that, and so His boyfriend ends up leaving him Because of it. And the only thing I hate about that situation is that they get.

Jess:

They end up back together me too, because the boyfriend deserves better than sandy, because everybody deserves better see, I'm like oh, you can do you can do better. I was really hoping it didn't work out between him and that person with Trina, sandy's boyfriend, and the person with Trina.

Niq:

Yeah, I'm like you know what I understand. In rom-com land we have to wrap stuff up with a neat little bow and because, like Isla's love situation was not going to be wrapped up this season, they had to give us something. But I'm just like, no, sandy does not deserve that man, because that man was sweet, good to see, he had his own business, like it was all. I don't understand. I'm like, why are you dating that man If you don't think he's good enough for you? But you're dating him? Mm-hmm, how immature is that. You're a big age keeping somebody's secret right it? It doesn't make sense. So yeah, I feel like sandy is the problem. He's a troublemaker. Like he treats jackie the worst and I'm like, yes, I know that cam ignores him and that's terrible too. But like jackie continually tries to connect with sandy and he helps Sandy out and Sandy treats him like the butler.

Niq:

That just makes me angry and the way that he With him being Latino the way he talks and treats him.

Jess:

I'm like, oh, it's so uncomfortable for me, it's so uncomfortable. But that's who Sandy is.

Niq:

I feel like Sandy and Cam got the worst parts of the father. Yeah, I honestly feel like it, and I know that everybody uses the fact that the dad was a terrible person as a reason why they all have their issues, but I feel like Isla and Ness are good people who don't necessarily know how to have healthy relationships, and that's something that we need to grow.

Jess:

They're working through it yeah, right, they're trying.

Niq:

They're trying with Jackson. They're trying and they stumble and they stumble Right, exactly. They're not Like they're trying with Jackson. They're trying and they stumble and they stumble Right, exactly. They're not succeeding the way that I feel like they should, but they are very. They're actually trying. Sandy and Cam are not. They are terrible people.

Jess:

That's the difference. Like Ness and Isla are trying and having stumbles and some successes and it's just a very normal human. Of course I'm not gonna get this perfect kind of thing. Cam and Sandy are just bad people.

Niq:

They are they are. They're not trying to be good people. And even like the growth arc that they're trying to give Sandy, with him realizing that actually he had it good with his boyfriend and he should get him back, I don't think that's. It's not a real growth arc to me.

Jess:

No, because he's still the same person. There's no evidence that Sandy has changed. He understands that he lost a good person, but I don't feel like he's become better To deserve that person. I'm still the dog groomer when that personal trainer at sir. You can do better.

Niq:

Can I tell you the scene that I enjoyed, mm-hmm. When, like Ness tells Sandy, was it Ness that told Sandy he needs to get on the apps and just get a and just go on a date to like because he's heartbroken about his boyfriend leaving him. Yes, and so Ness is like, hey, you know, just basically get on Grindr, you just need to get a date. Like, shake it off, you make you feel better. So he gets on Grindr. He meets a guy. The guy comes over, he convinces him to like let's take a shower together. He locks him in the shower and he robs him. It could not happen to a nicer guy loved it every minute of it, every minute of that.

Niq:

That is also a really good scene and it is hilarious also did you, did you peep in that scene when so eventually he calls Isla or he texts he has Siri text her and Isla comes to rescue him and he says I tried five other people before I called you. Imagine you tried like five people and you could not get one person to come in and see about you, dang. But why did you need to tell her that? Because he's a nasty, nasty person, even if she's helping you out.

Jess:

You still throwing shade at her. You're the one who decided to meet a Grindr date at your house the first time you met them. You left them behind, couldn't figure out that you need to go to a hotel. You can afford one.

Niq:

They are so rich, though, that she was like don't call the police, because we don't need that in the media.

Jess:

Yeah, but you could have met this person at the Four Seasons and at least let him just rob the Four Seasons Right, exactly.

Niq:

Yeah, you don't need to let your house got robbed because you're stupid. Yeah, I thought that that was wild, but I thoroughly enjoyed that was wild, but I thoroughly enjoyed that scene because I'm like you know what. Yes, you are trash and more bad things need to happen to you because you didn't even deserve that year that you were with your boyfriend.

Jess:

He was too nice.

Niq:

So yeah, sandy is the worst. Cam is second runner up, for I Suck as a.

Jess:

Curse. I don't know what he's about to do to undermine Isla, but I know in this upcoming season he's about to undermine Isla.

Niq:

So we'll see. He's definitely going on a villain run in season two, but this is the thing. I feel like he's going to be looking at isla like she's his enemy, because he wants his spot back, which is wild, because you created the spot from her by by doing crack in your car.

Niq:

You know what I'm saying like you were tanking the team. You were like abusing drugs, cheating on your wife, like you were not even focused on business. She came in, put her, she put her relationship on the back burner. She did that like she put that she to put this team on her back. Like I just feel like why can't? Like there's got to be a way for you to come back where you don't have to destroy her career or your relationship with your sister? Just the look on his face.

Jess:

Yeah, he's so selfish.

Niq:

You can. Yes, yes, yes, yes. I'm like, if you really feel like you need to be president again, you need to come in with I'm creating a position for you. You did such an amazing job I'm putting you in charge of. Like, at least try.

Jess:

Like it's your sister, I get it but like I don't feel like he ever needs to work there again. I don't even know why. You know what I mean. Like from the board's perspective. I know why we're having this conversation. I don't know why we even have this conversation if I was the board. Like no, sir, you did drugs and in a very public way you hit a Dutch family with your car. You cannot come back here. You can't come back here. I don't know what you're going to do besides live off that inheritance.

Niq:

Good thing you a billionaire but he's a white man and, as you said, they tend to fail up. So what's higher than the president of you know like he may somehow get like a promotion out of this? I never understand boards exactly like I understand them, but I don't understand them in a sense that I'm like do you get paid for being on the board? I know like you have like for being on the board, I don't, I know you have. Does everybody on the board have stocks?

Jess:

Girl, I don't know, don't get me to lie to you.

Niq:

I don't know. I think that it's like a. I'm like is the board the same as a stockholders meeting? I should know that. I don't.

Jess:

I don't have a reason to have to know that it's been a while.

Niq:

I don't want to know bad enough to dust off those books. So I just think that it just once again like he is very selfish and I'm like okay, so in in season two, are you willing to throw away your relationship with your sister, the success and momentum that she's built for the team, you know, all these relationships that she's created with sponsors, all of this? Are you willing to throw all of this away just so you can be with yes, he is.

Jess:

He is that much of a selfish prick.

Niq:

Absolutely so. Who do you think the brothers would get behind? I feel like it's a given that Jackie would support Isla.

Jess:

Oh yeah, Jackie's probably going to be the only one supporting Isla. Everybody else is going to be supporting Cam Nessa's probably stuck in the middle for a while, but yeah, and Sandy is going to be supporting Cam Nessa's. Probably stuck in the middle for a while, but yeah, and Sandy is going to go towards the most terrible person in the room. You know so.

Niq:

Do you think that Sandy looks up to Cam?

Jess:

No, the crazy thing is that Sandy is incredibly misogynistic, incredibly Like, more so than the others to me. You think he's more misogynistic, incredibly like, more so than the others to me.

Niq:

You think he's more misogynistic than Cam yeah?

Jess:

He treats women like they are. Nothing Like the way that he initially talks to Nessa's wife like I'm, like, sir, you don't even think. And then the way he talks to Isla when she has more experience and more knowledge of this team and the sport than he does, but he immediately dismisses her like she's some idiot Because while she was a party girl she never gives stupid, she never gives idiot. You know, and that's your sister, you should know it. But like you think nothing of women, think nothing of women. And every time he's having a conversation with a woman it is like he is having a conversation with a brick, like you know, or just like some kind of object. I think he's. To me he's the most misogynistic in the whole thing. Cam knows enough to pretend.

Niq:

Good point, because Cam does have personality, sandy does not. Do you think that, like I understand that, his disdain for Jackie one is like a cultural, because he looks down on him, I feel like, because he's Latino. But do you think he also hates the fact that he's no longer the youngest?

Jess:

Yeah, because when they called about that he seemed really hurt about it. So yeah, he's the youngest, it's another child, and then all he hears about is money. So now you got to possibly split your inheritance again. But definitely there's some racial Like say he's racist, like I'm sorry, like there's no way out. I don't care what the reason that you thought Ness's wife married her, but to come out your mouth and say the stuff that you said to her.

Niq:

I feel like Ness is Filipino. I feel like Ness should have punched him in the face for that.

Jess:

Does he not even know that conversation happened? He wasn't standing there.

Niq:

I don't know.

Jess:

I mean if I was his wife. If I was his wife he would definitely know about it. But like, and you would have had to handle it, and that man need to say something before he graced my doorstep again. But I don't know if she's even said anything, because that's the other thing. It's like, like I said, he's not the only thing that says racist stuff. About what's the wife's name? Batoum? About Nessa's wife, I think her name is Batoune Batoune. She's probably been getting at his whole marriage and she just kind of seems unbothered because in her mind she's higher class than everybody, which she is. But still, you shouldn't have to deal with that.

Niq:

No no. And your husband does not correct these people enough because that's just like. That's the thing. Like my, my husband would lost his mind if somebody would have said something like that, if somebody would have came at me like that, he does not, he does not play, he does not play about me. And the fact is like he felt comfortable. I'm like no, you need to be punched in the face he absolutely needs to be punched in the face.

Jess:

He absolutely like you know y'all can get back together later because you yeah, Batun is the name of the wife but y'all can actually come back together later because you're brothers or whatever, but don't you ever talk to my wife like that. And that's the thing. Ness and I think this is the character flaw in Ness it doesn't necessarily come from a bad place, but it's still a flaw he so cares about the relationship, so much he's always your number connection that when he needs to check people he doesn't. And every time somebody refers to your wife as a male or a bride, you need to check out of them. Every time somebody says something crazy because your wife is Filipino, you need to say something to them.

Niq:

I agree.

Jess:

I agree Because, like what other relationship is more important? But that's part of the weirdness in their family dynamic. You know it's weird. It's like they're very close and they're not.

Niq:

At the same time they spend all their time talking to each other, texting each other, but at the same time they do really treacherous stuff towards each other. Yes, it's like um now, I didn't watch this show so but I'm gonna say it reminds me of succession in a sense that, like they're, they're family and they share, like this business, and so like, yes, they're family, but they're because there's business involved, there's a certain amount of like distrust and trying to like jockey for power and like all of like that stuff. That kind of complicates families, complicated enough, but then you add business and like large sums of money, things are going to get even more sticky, yeah. So, yes, I think that like ness wants family and he gets family business, you know, yeah, I love.

Niq:

Like isla wants respect and she gets misogyny. You know, I don't know what sandy wants. I, you know, I don't know what Sandy wants. I can't, I don't know what he wants, because I don't feel like they treat him poorly because he's an affair child. They don't. They don't treat him poorly because of his lifestyle they treat him like a sibling.

Jess:

They treat him like he's an equal sibling right a lot of. Sandy's chip is his daddy, but it's like again go work through that stuff.

Niq:

I feel like Sandy puts the space in between them and himself and then complains that the space is there, because this is the thing. Let's say that they were the type to look down at their nose at other people. Obviously, ness does not care. That did not stop ness from like marrying bethune even though they did not know how wealthy she was.

Jess:

You know he never even made it.

Niq:

He never even told them like hey how wealthy she is.

Niq:

Yeah right, like they're calling her a mail or a broad and he knows like her family is wealthy. He doesn't he's like whatever you know, like even though like Isla is married, like married, like engaged to, like Lev who is a doctor, he's not like cool in the way that, like Sam, like Cam is you know what I mean, so I can see them like kind of like making jokes about him. But once again, like Ava doesn't care about that, like only Sandy cares what other people think, and I think it's because he's constantly judging other people yeah, he is.

Niq:

He is incredibly judgmental and it's so weird because I'm like you. You would think that he would have like, grown up and felt, judged and felt all of these things, but it just doesn't seem like it was that way.

Jess:

Maybe they'll dive deeper and we'll understand well again only by his father, who was very outright judgmental and disdainful of who he was, but he was like that with everybody, like you know what I'm saying like it wasn't, just like it wasn't like, oh, he treated sandy bad.

Niq:

He had a child out there that he completely ignored. He basically treated isla like trash just because she had a vagina. You know, I'm quite sure he put an incredible amount of pressure, you know, on cam and on ness. Like you know, like ness did went through all of that stuff to just like to play professional ball trying to get his dad'sess. Like you know, like Ness did, went through all of that stuff to just like to play professional ball trying to get his dad's approval. And you know, like it, like he, they all had issues with their father, but only Sandy seems to weaponize it, like Cam, you can see, like Cam has his issues also, yeah, but he but it doesn't affect him as socially as it does Sandy yeah.

Jess:

Well, and then we don't know anything about the moms, we don't. So maybe that's part of that. Like I said, we get that one scene with Isla's mom when she's younger. But you don't remember that scene. That's how short it was.

Niq:

Like when you described it, I literally closed my eyes and I'm like there's nothing there. You can't see it. There's nothing there.

Jess:

It's young Isla and her mom, as the mom is realizing that the dad is leaving her for Sandy's mom.

Niq:

Now I have to go back and find the scene, because yeah, I missed that completely. Oh, the engagement party. Go back and find the scene, because, yeah, I missed that completely. Oh, the engagement party they cut up so bad at her engagement party.

Jess:

I don't know why that was so funny to me. Like them, fighting in the pool was hilarious to me it's so selfish.

Niq:

Like y'all couldn pool was hilarious to me. That is so selfish Like y'all couldn't hold it together for one night. Like we've been waiting on this party for seven years, seven years and y'all could not hold it together in front of this man's family. You know what I mean. Like yes, you guys all know that y'all are toxic and yada, yada, yada, but Lev's family may not necessarily know and understand that. Like y'all are. So it was.

Jess:

I am, oh, I would have been so angry. It was horribly selfish, but it was so funny.

Niq:

It was entertaining to watch it was. But I'm just like can you imagine, like what if like Lev is like okay, you know what?

Jess:

I would have still got married. This shit I was about to convert for no reason.

Niq:

She would have still got married that that her converting for no like, converting with no information, like is wild, is wild that's when you just turn it into a destination wedding for the two of you. I told you they could have been married. If they really wanted to, they could have been married. And so I hope Lev goes to Minnesota and find the Midwest girl of his dream, because he has Midwest energy.

Jess:

I was about to say girl, I couldn't get it out of my mouth. Yeah, he feels Midwestern anyway, so I really feel like that's the move for him I agree.

Niq:

I agree I was happy that isla made it to her friends like ceremony me too, because I was a little worried about that and I'm like I was like please come through for this girl please come right.

Jess:

So yeah, I was very happy that she showed up for some reason I was super happy when the baby chose the money. I don't know what that says about me as a person, but I was also yelling get the money. I don't. I don't understand what the ceremony is, but I was like I love the money.

Niq:

I've seen them before. So they put things in front of the baby and they symbolize different careers, so like if there's like a little stethoscope, they could become a doctor. Money usually means they're in business. Maybe a book could symbolize they're a teacher Different stuff like that and they put it in front of the baby and the one that it touches is what they are supposed to do. I've seen them before. I love watching them.

Jess:

Girl. All I know is I was rooting for it. It really was a game. I was like go get the money. Get the money you can do it.

Niq:

Yes, are you like? Do you ever like watch the videos of the baby races and like you're cheering on? Oh, definitely.

Jess:

I'm always going to pick a baby. Yeah, I'm always going to pick a baby that I'm cheering on to win. Yeah, you know, it don't matter If you say it's a competition. You know who I am as a person.

Niq:

I was going to say I love niche races. I've literally watched multiple videos of tortoises versus hares.

Jess:

I was like did you see the real life, tortoise and the hare, the one I saw, the tortoise one. Still, I did too.

Niq:

Yes, I also watched the videos where people racing, popping like balloons and gathering bottles like I don't know anything that's slightly competitive, like now do I feel like some of those videos are a little bit unethical? I do, and I'm going to tell you why I feel like they're unethical. Because a lot of times these games in races and stuff you can tell very much is in an undeveloped country, underdeveloped country, they're playing these games and they're getting food for winning the games. I don't think I should be watching this, so I make sure.

Jess:

I don't, I saw. I saw the charges in the air. I've been seeing baby races in America.

Niq:

I ain't got that deep into. I built my FYP brick by brick. Sometimes, like you ever like get a video and it is so weird or just scandalous that you're like wait a minute, what do you see in me? How did I get here that you think this is for me, this?

Jess:

is not for me, only if I look at Nutter Butter's TikTok. Don't do it. Thank you for the money. The candy, it is their official for coming. The candy, like the candy, it is their official. It is the candy maker Nutter Butter. It is so weird, it's unnerving weird.

Niq:

Okay, I've seen some unnerving food videos also. I hate those honestly Like overly sexual chefs are honestly Like overly sexual chefs are weird.

Jess:

Yeah, they can be weird, but it's. I don't feel like I can describe what Net-A-Butt is things like on here, but it's weird.

Niq:

I don't, I believe you. I believe you Because some of these social media, like some of these corporate social media accounts, are wild.

Jess:

I just need some. Whoever runs it, has anybody done a welfare check? There's a line it's not okay.

Niq:

There's a line like there's like where you're like fun and like a little racy, but then they like there's a line where you're just like this is not appropriate and it what like? What are you trying to do?

Jess:

it doesn't make me want to eat another butter, right?

Niq:

it makes me afraid of you, as you can hear in my voice the way you make it sound like they have like a peanut autopsy video, like I'm gonna describe it to you when we get offline, because I don't want to say these words on camera she's like I don't want these words like recorded so that someone from all time can hear me say these things understandable.

Niq:

Yeah, so let's talk about season two. So, as of right now, it has been renewed for a second season. Yes, so in your mind, what do you think is going to happen next season, or what do you want to see?

Jess:

okay. So, first of all, there's going to be whatever happy accident happens so that Jay Brown does not actually go to Boston because no to Boston. So either his ex-wife is going to I think she's going to get like a brand deal or something to where it just makes more sense for her to stay in LA and he's not going to move and he's going to stay. So that's one whatever excuse or reason that they're going to give for Jay Brown to stay, because that was too much sizzle, or he's going to go to Boston and not like it and come back. But either way, boston is not going to be a long-term part of anybody's reality, as it should not. And so that's one. Two I want to see.

Jess:

I want to see them get closer to Jackie. I want to see Jackie get his money. There's so much potential there for character development in Jackie because he does have such a long way to grow. So I just want to see his character development, how he grows, how he's learning to navigate this super rich world that he's just been dropped into, how he grows, how he's learning to navigate this super rich world that he's just been dropped into, how he grows as a person, and how they grow together as siblings. I'm expecting Cam to come back full asshole and just undermine his sister and try to get her out of that position. And then I want to see Ness and Batouin rekindle, get their relationship back together and Ness to learn some boundaries with his family so I would love if we get more backstory like more.

Niq:

I want us to meet the moms. I want to see vignettes from when they were kids, like I want to really understand what Isla's dream is, because I know that she wanted to be a part of it, because she felt like her dad was leaving her out, and I know she has a love for basketball Is being the president of the team. Is that her ultimate dream? Is that her ultimate goal? I would love for her to like figure out what she wants her life to be and then create it, if that's still.

Niq:

President of the team that's great things happen to her and I want her to kind of like take control and make stuff happen.

Jess:

Yes, yes, because when she makes stuff happen for the team, it's so good. It's so good. Even though it hurt my feelings that Hoopley's deal got messed up. I still loved seeing the process of her just wheeling and dealing with them old men and just running circles around them.

Niq:

It was fun. Yes, I do love like those are some of my favorite scenes when she's like negotiating and like the business. Honestly, like that business side I really, really enjoy and I would love to see more of that Like how can she, if she gets to stay, how is she going to take the team to the next level? Like what more can she? Do you know what I'm saying? Like so that I think that would be like really, really interesting. I would like to see Jackie get his life together like I want them to be taking him to college. Why do you have him as the executive assistant? Like send that boy to school. I can understand if you want to give him like an I think an internship was the when she said, give him an internship, that made perfect sense.

Jess:

I don't know why not as a finish, but you also still need to run that boy his money right.

Niq:

I feel like I want to see him get well taken care of and like I really want to see them like groom him into the like the man that he should be, because I feel like he has the base values but he needs, like, the education and like the right. Yes, yes, I don't want him to change.

Jess:

Oh, I can't wait at his school, oh like, and we're going to get to see him develop his relationship with the girl who's on the dance team.

Niq:

Yes, who is so gorgeous, gorgeous? That girl is just. I'm like man. You really were impatient. I feel like if you would have just stayed strong, y'all would have been together.

Jess:

Yes, I also wasn't mad at him either, because I'm like he's young, they're not in a relationship, you know. So I kind of get it. This is the first chance you've got to really sow those oats and it just wasn't wise. And again, you don't know that because you haven't lived enough life to do it so close to her. And I also think like all those girls came on to him and so he was like oh no, I'm desirable. Now, like I don't think he also realized that that just translates in the world now because of who you're connected to, so you could have went outside of the stadium and been just as popular, but because he doesn't know enough about that world and how those things work, he didn't know to do that. So I don't know. I got a little grace with him on that. But yeah, if you had waited just a few weeks, man.

Niq:

So on that. But, yeah, if you had waited just a few weeks, man. So, yeah, that sounds like. Yeah, I really. As far as Jay Brown, honestly I would not be mad if he goes to Boston and they bring in somebody new as a love interest for her, like I would not. If it doesn't happen, I'm okay because, like I said, they do have good chemistry, but I'm just like you know what. You've been with Lev for seven years.

Jess:

Like let's date around ooh, also did we get dating scenes of her dating different dudes. So then, and that functions over him being in Boston. You know, I just hate for a black person to be in Boston, but like, but yeah, I get that. So then that gives her some time to really date and I mean, I guess he could date too um right, because I do think that she needs to learn work-life balance.

Niq:

Like it can't be all or nothing, like since she's like took over the team presidency, like she's like let her personal life slide and she's got to learn how to balance it out.

Jess:

He does have to learn how to balance it and also, honestly, it just may not be a good time for her to be in a relationship. Honestly, like you know what I mean, there's some times where you've got to put that much work in your career, especially when you have a big career like that, where but most people get to do that a little bit earlier in their life, right? So, like having that, that, that that kind of relationship is not as important then. So, yeah, let's get a season of her dating just different people While she is still solidifying her place in this team, and then maybe season three they can come back.

Niq:

Maybe I can see that. So, yeah, I think that there are places that they can go, there are characters that they can develop, but I hope that they keep the magic, like I don't want it to get too serious.

Jess:

I don't think it will. I'm not worried about it getting too serious this is not a show.

Niq:

This show is cotton candy and it needs to remain cotton candy.

Jess:

When I need cotton candy, this is a good we need cotton candy right now.

Niq:

Keep it low stakes, keep it fun, keep it light. You know what I mean. Let's keep it. We need kind of TV right now. Keep it low stakes, keep it fun, keep it light. You know what I mean.

Jess:

Like let's keep it. So we're just battling love and light misogyny. That's fine Right.

Niq:

Exactly, but once again, like this show, I think, because even though, as a woman, yes, I have dealt with misogyny and like being doubted in the workplace I've dealt with all of these things and being dowdy in the workplace, I've dealt with all of these things I don't take the stuff that she goes through as personally as I did when we were watching how to Dialogue. I was just way too locked in with that character and saw myself so deeply. Everything that she did it was like we were doing it. I don't feel like that.

Jess:

I don't over-identify with it. That's true. This character is also so different that we cannot really identify with her. It's fun to watch her and you're still in the fantasy of it because we're not identifying with her.

Niq:

She's got champagne problems.

Jess:

Champagne problems, super rich, billionaire problems, but it's fun to watch and see how this develops. But she's a very likable character. She is and we both apparently have a strong nostalgia connection to Kate Hudson we do.

Niq:

We do like. I enjoy her listen. I have been supporting Kate Hudson for years now. Like half of my closet is Fabletics. You know what I'm saying. Yeah, like that's her company supporting Kate Hudson for years now. Half of my closet is Fabletics. You know what I'm saying? Yeah, that's her company. At least she's the face of it. Yeah, she's the face. She started the company. I'm quite sure she's got backers and other people, but yeah, that's her company, me and her. We've been locked in for years.

Jess:

She gets my money monthly.

Niq:

I'm a fan. She's not K monthly, so I'm a fan. She's not Kirsten Bell, but nobody can be. No one is. Who is you know? Yeah, Nobody is. But you know I like her, I do I do too.

Jess:

I do too. Like I said, when I saw her face, I think, when I saw her face on the promo in Netflix, I was like, oh, I'm like, and I didn't even. I think. When I saw her face on the promo and Netflix, I was like, oh, I'm watching this. I didn't know if it was a movie or theory.

Niq:

I also thought it was a movie, me too.

Jess:

I'm like, but I'm like can't answer. Yes, let's do this.

Niq:

It is so funny when you're like you think you're watching a movie and it's a show. Okay, I'm going to keep watching. That's happened. I think it happened. I think that happened with Nobody Wants this. Also, I thought it was a movie and it turned out to be a show, a series. Yeah, because I'm very much like oh, I'm going to watch this.

Jess:

Is rom-coms, a series, instead of movies?

Niq:

I'm liking that.

Jess:

I'm like yeah, I'm liking that trend yes, yes, I do.

Niq:

I like it because it gives more time for things to develop in in a better time span, like a lot of times like that 90 minutes we meet, we fall deeply in love and all of this stuff. Like even like with like this show, like her getting this job and figuring things out because we had so many episodes, she had time to do a good job. She had time to do a bad job.

Jess:

Yeah, you know what I mean.

Niq:

Like she had time to like work on stuff with her relationship and let things fall apart without it feeling so rushed. Yeah, so yes, I am all for rom-com series, so maybe that's the next generation.

Jess:

That's what we get now. We're getting rom-com series and I would love more of them.

Niq:

I hope so. Yes, netflix, if you're listening, hey, you know, listen.

Jess:

Why doesn't Netflix listen to their actual audience? If they did, we would have one or two seasons of most shows, but you know that's very true, like they have.

Niq:

I think there may be something in their clause that if you hit like season three you get a pay bump, because I will never like. I'm still upset about them canceling Shadow and Bone.

Jess:

I'm still upset about Julie and the Phantoms.

Niq:

That was so good.

Jess:

I'm like genuinely, and then I'll rewatch the first season, you know, just periodically. And they get pissed off all over again Because Julie and the Phantoms was amazing. It was supposed to be this generation's Taina. You can't tell me no different.

Niq:

And then they just didn't get it. No, they didn't. They've canceled so many honestly good shows. I can't remember the name of the show, but it was like about like kids who were like hunting ghosts kind of.

Jess:

Oh, I didn't even get to watch that the Ghost Detective show.

Niq:

Yeah, no, no, you're talking about, like the Dead Boy Detective. I haven't watched that one either. This is older than that. I'm not doing a good job of telling the premise because I think I'm like the spirits. Which one?

Jess:

No, I saw that one.

Niq:

I saw that one. I think that one may be coming back though. Oh, it is okay, I think so. High school spirits, or school spirits, something like that no this was a different show, like it was like did the girl have special powers or something? Maybe certain kids have special powers in order to like hunt poltergeist. I have to find the show again. I think it only had one season.

Jess:

I was so irritated was it on Netflix or was it on a different?

Niq:

network. I think it was on Netflix. I'm gonna find it and I'll tell you what it is. But yeah, like they upset me when they canceled that show, I'm like I'm tired. I even liked the show. That was like the I'm going to mess up the title because the title is long. It's something crazy like the half bastard son of the devil himself or something like that.

Jess:

I didn't see it, but I know what show you're talking about. Yeah, like that one was actually good too, I got scared that that was going to be like the remake of Sabrina and I can't handle it. I got a thing with scary shows. I can only handle so much. So I was like I think that's going to be like the Sabrina remake and it's going to be too much for me. No, it's not.

Niq:

It's not like the Sabrina remake, and you never have like a show where they talk about like the big bad, but like you, really, you barely barely see him. It's like that. It's like it's almost like Harry Potter, in the sense that they spend all of those movies talking about Voldemort. Oh my God, he's so terrible, he's so terrible, he's so terrible. And then when you get him, you're like and that's how it is. It's like everybody's like oh, your dad is the worst, your dad's the devil, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And then it's like it's not that bad. But yeah, they didn't have to, they didn't have to cancel that show after one season. You know, just call it a limited series, then, okay, something.

Jess:

Actually, yes, netflix, I know you're not listening, but start doing limited series and then, if it's a hit, then expand it into a show, because you keep getting our hopes up.

Niq:

I get frustrated. We might quit you. It makes me, honestly, sometimes it makes me hesitant to watch a show where I'm late watching shows, because I'm like I'm going to let it build up, let me even see what they're going to do. You know what I mean. I will let stuff build up. I miss, like the initial excitement and the initial bandwagon because I'm waiting to see what's going on, because I get irritated. So, like, please do better. Yeah, you keep raising the prices. I'm gonna need you to raise the standards.

Jess:

Okay, you keep raising the prices right, but we ain't getting no more shows. We ain't getting no more shows. We ain't getting no more seasons.

Niq:

Do you remember when Netflix started and we were getting DVDs through the mail?

Jess:

I was about to say we are OG Netflix subscribers because, yes, we were subscribing to Netflix when they used to mail us DVDs. You created a list of all the shows you wanted to watch. They would mail you a DVD and then, once you watched it, you put it back in the mail and that triggered them to send out the next DVD. That's how long we've been in this thing with Netflix.

Niq:

Right, I think I was like three DVDs at a time.

Jess:

so I could have up to three.

Niq:

Yeah, like that sounds like a hassle.

Jess:

Redbox came. We might fool with Redbox but Netflix was our main.

Niq:

I'm just saying I know that was a hassle but honestly it was good Back in the day. They had all the best shows.

Jess:

I don't know why it was not a hassle waiting on those DVDs it wasn't, it wasn't, and then, when you got it in the mail, you were excited yeah, like, honestly, they had better emotional payoff when they had, when I was sending DVDs in the mail, than now where I can watch anything at one time.

Niq:

Right, you know, the world has moved on. Things are so different now. Our desire, we expect a dopamine hit faster and more often. I think yeah that's true.

Jess:

Yeah, I can't see that working today, but it was fun. It was Well streaming, didn't?

Niq:

exist, then yeah, no, it didn't, that wasn't an option.

Niq:

That was like like it was. We went to the library, uh, like a few weeks ago, like the Cobb County Library were doing they were doing like a book sale, um, and so like they were like you could buy like books for like 50 cents I think the most expensive book was like a dollar 50. So we're like, oh, let's go and get the baby some books. So we got there, like it started at like nine. We got there like 10, 10, 30, like oh, I'm like you know it's pretty early. I saw people coming out with wagons full of books. Not like the children's book section was almost gone. Like I just grabbed like a few like little thin, thin books for the baby, but they had like tons and tons and tons of dvds. And like this guy, he's like he, he told us he's like, yeah, last year I was here and I got fifteen hundred dollars worth of dvds for like five dollars. And I like turned to my husband and I said, who has a DVD player?

Jess:

I saw this thing literally last night and I still don't know how it works. So I may be describing it wrong, but I saw this thing on no. Somebody on TikTok was talking about it, but then I think I looked it up on Amazon where you can like load your DVDs onto this thing. That looks like those computer rooms that have all the little cell blocks I can't think of the names A computer room. If you go to a company, their server, it looks like a server room.

Niq:

Oh, a server room.

Jess:

One individual server is what it looks like. It's the actual object. You put your DVDs in there and it uploads them, I guess, to a cloud like thing, but then you can share all your dvds with your family like everybody else, can just log in and watch the stuff that's on there. How many dvds do you have? I have zero, but I'm saying I thought the idea was cool, like if you, if you just want to get 1500 dvds from the library, what else you're gonna do with them? I know you personally didn't do it, but I'm saying then I would get the little machine load them into the cloud.

Niq:

That would be the only way that that would make sense, but it's also like anything, that any of those DVDs you could probably find it online you know what I'm saying?

Jess:

I'm not gonna actually invest in it.

Niq:

I'm gonna tell you where why it could be cool if you had like home movies on DVDs, like if you already had a huge collection. You know what I'm saying. Like I would, I could see, like that would be like very cool, like a cool way to store and make sure everybody has access to all the family memories, right, because I'm like, and then it's like for mine if I'm understanding this thing, how this thing works correctly.

Jess:

It's not like you still don't have your DVDs if you have them, but it's just another way to back it up to me, because one of the things and, mind you, I'm referencing the TikTok that I saw and then the item I then went to look up but the point of the person was making was like they had bought Disney movies from various streaming services, like bought them, and then, once Disney pulled their stuff off of the particular streaming services, they lost stuff that they had purchased.

Niq:

You know what I mean. Oh, no, yeah, no, I can see that that would be irritating.

Jess:

For them it was like oh, this is a way to back up something I have purchased and I will always have it. You can't take it from me.

Niq:

Yeah, no, no, no, that makes sense, that makes sense, but yeah.

Jess:

I don't fully understand, but I thought it was cool.

Niq:

Yeah, so I guess that's our comment. We kind of got off topic, but thank you guys so much for joining us and, through all the twists and turns, like we are friends for real and I hope that you see and understand that in our conversations, like we will have to be having these conversations anyway, we just happened to bring you guys in because we thought you would enjoy it. But thank you so much for hanging out with us.