American Dreams Season 3 thread (1 Viewer)

[Terry H]

Speaking of which... I wish they would quit spoiling the next week in their previews. I guess they can't find anyone smart enough to create interest without giving everything away. Looks like I'll have to start actively avoiding the damn things.

 

[Marty M]

Another great episode. Last week I told my wife the baby would probably be a boy and they would name him Jack. They would call him JJJ.

 

[Rob P S]

Another solid show, and next week's episode will be commercial-free, I think.


Just like 24 and Lost, I switch off the TV immediately at the end of the show, and I don't watch NBC the rest of the week, so I fare better than most.

 

[Patrick Sun]

I think next week will be limited commercial interruptions (I forget who's the main sponsor for the episode, though). Either way, I think it's pretty cool that there are sponsors that believe in this show to go the extra mile in sponsoring it.

 

[Karl_Luph]

Another fine episode, especially touching for everyone who's experienced the joy of a new addition to the family.I think I saw where Ford is the sponsor for next week's episode.

 

[Marty M]

Yes, Ford is the sponsor of next week's episode. I just read in next week's TV Guide that the episode will be their Christmas show. Does that mean the show will be pre-empted for the next 4 or 6 weeks.

 

[Chris_Morris]

Marty, I know it will pre-empted in two weeks, they announced that this week. I'm assuming it has to do with it being the weekend after Thanksgiving and alot of people traveling.

This time of year is ripe for pre-emptions, and one reason why I'm glad they waited on 24.



Chris

 

[Rob P S]

Since next week's show is a Christmas episode, and NBC has holiday movies scheduled all through December, I'm guessing that we won't see the show again until January. I think they did that last year too.

 

[Patrick Sun]

11/21/04

Jack, being reminded of JJ's past football memories, goes to see the city championship after selling a box of radios to a college recruiter. Later, Jack tells Pete that he doesn't think JJ's coming home.

Henry learns that the lady he was interested in has moved on since he didn't further his advances towards her.

Henry takes this lesson and impresses upon Sam that if he cares for Melanie, he needs to communicate with her. Sam does so, and apologizes for keeping his family a far, and invites her to have Christmas dinner with his family. He does stand up for his relationship with Meg, so if she decided to give Sam a chance, Meg's part of the deal. Melanie does show up for Christmas dinner.

Chris drags Meg to make a statement on the war, and when she finds out it's about vandalizing a recruitment office, she takes a bus home. Chris, goaded by his "peaceful" buddies, throws a firebomb into the building and then they leave the scene. Pete confronts Meg about her whereabouts that night, and tells her that a janitor was caught in the fire. Meg lies, and also offers an alibi for Chris, telling Pete that they were all at Rox's apartment. Later, Meg confronts Chris about the fire, and backed into a corner, the little scumbag boyfriend tells her another lie, that he tries to stop his friend from burning the place down.

Luke doesn't quite break up with his west coast honey, Daniele, and she visits him for Christmas. Rox is besides herself, watching Luke's ineptitude in breaking up with Daniele. After much prodding, Luke does break up with Daniele, and Rox still gives him grief for the way he did it, and the timing of it. Luke is able to calm down Rox's fears of Luke breaking up with her.

We are treated to a very youthful Linda Ronstadt performance (played by Jojo, I believe). And Kelly Clarkson shows up as well, plus a band doing "Wild Thing".

Oh man, I found myself with moist eyes and the sniffles from Helen's "He's coming home." The homecoming brought tears to my eyes. Plus watching JJ not leave his new-found soldier cohort behind attests to his character under battle conditions. Helen is still apprehensive about JJ's state of mind after coming back from the war, but JJ will have to deal with the whole integrating back into society after going through the ordeal of war.

In a somewhat eyerolling bit of product placement (seeing as Ford was the main sponsor for this episode), Jack gives JJ a Ford Mustang (I guess it's a 1966), which pretty much blows JJ away. JJ and Beth reconnect.

And then afterwards, a more updated version of what we saw with JJ's return, a marine named Kyle returns home, years have passed, and his father returns from some errands in his Mustang (I guess it's a early 1970's model), and then the father surprises Kyle with a brand new Mustang, which blows Kyle away. Like I said, a little bit of eyerolling was in play for me with this parallel commercial storyline.

 

[Glenn Overholt]

Wow! Was that heavy! (taken right from the '60's!)
On the more rational side, they did say that it was Dec. 23, 1966. A time jump? It was last March when Beth went to Hawaii for JJ's R & R, and iI am pretty sure that it looks like they have skipped a year.

The ending song, Simon & Garfunkel's 'Scarborough Fair/Canticle' was ok, but they could have really done better by playing '7 O'Clock News/Silent Night' instead, from the same album, which did come out in Dec. of '66.

I will never forget the first time that I heard that. I just stared at the radio, wondering how 2 stations could cross frequencies so I could hear a Christmas song and the news at the same time. Of course, it wasn't 7 o'clock.
While they sang 'Silent Night', another voice read this like a news broadcast, at the same time.

"This is the early evening edition of the news.
The recent fight in the House of Representatives was over the open housing section of the Civil Rights Bill. Brought traditional enemies together but it left the defenders of the measure without the votes of their strongest supporters.
President Johnson originally proposed an outright ban covering discrimination by everyone for every type of housing but it had no chance from the start and everyone in Congress knew it. A compromise was painfully worked out in the House Judiciary Committee.
In Los Angeles today comedian Lenny Bruce died of what was believed to be an overdoes of narcotics. Bruce was 42 years old.
Dr. Martin Luther King says he does not intend to cancel plans for an open housing march Sunday into the Chicago suburb of Cicero. Cook County Sheriff Richard Ogleby asked King to call off the march and the police in Cicero said they would ask the National Guard to be called out if it is held. King, now in Atlanta, Georgia, plans to return to Chicago Tuesday.
In Chicago Richard Speck, accused murderer of nine student nurses, was brought before a grand jury today for indictment. The nurses were found stabbed and strangled in their Chicago apartment.
In Washington the atmosphere was tense today as a special subcommittee of the House Committee on Un-American activities continued its probe into anti-Vietnam war protests. Demonstrators were forcibly evicted from the hearings when they began chanting anti-war slogans.
Former Vice-President Richard Nixon says that unless there is a substantial increase in the present war effort in Viet nam, the U.S. should look forward to five more years of war.
In a speech before the Convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars in New York, Nixon also said opposition to the war in this country is the greatest single weapon working against the U.S.
That's the 7 o'clock edition of the news, Goodnight."

It sends a chill up my spine everytime I play it.

 

[Marty M]

This was definitely Christmas 1965. They mentioned that on the American Bandstand episode. I agree that the 7:00 News/Silent Night would have been more appriate, but I don't know if people would have caught the news broadcast since it starts out very quietly.

 

[SarahG]

this was such a powerful episode. I don't always tune in but did last night and totally had chills. my gawd...

 

[Karl_Luph]

Maybe I'm reading into this more than I should, but did anyone notice the guy being interviewed by the tv crew at the beginning who said he had bought an alarm clock for Christmas because his boss had fired a bunch of people recently at his office. He made these hand gestures saying you're fired,you're fired,you're fired. Made me think of Donald Trump,lol!

 

[Jack Fanning]

Nice catch...that was Nick from the first Apprentice!

 

[RobertW]

i gotta admit, i got a little weepy when JJ walked in the door.

 

[Karl_Luph]

Dittos RobertW, I think it hit me when JJ's Mom got to hug her son who left a boy and came home from war , a man. This episode had to be heartwrenching to parents who have sons and daughters serving our country overseas. Hats off to Ford for sponsoring this episode and for it's quality commercial at the end. Thank you.

 

[JohnBierboy]

IT's back! Tomorrow night with a new episode.

 

[Patrick Sun]

Tomorrow is Saturday, it would appear that John's a little excited, but the new episode will appear on Sunday night in its usual timeslot.

 

[JohnBierboy]

Ack.....you're right (hard to remember what day it is during the holidays!). Sorry, but I WAS excited! Sunday it is!

 

[Glenn Overholt]

That's ok. A great way to start out 2005!

Glenn