Last Man Standing is at its absolute best when it’s dealing with real issues. Growing up by moving out of your parents’ house, or maintaining an optimistic view of the world is not necessarily a well-publicized issue, but it still exists. People go through this kind of thing every day, and I really appreciate Last Man Standing dealing with things like this.
This week on Last Man Standing: Eve quits her job at Outdoor Man so that she can volunteer building for the homeless, so Mike tries to teach her a lesson, which backfires. Mandy, temporarily, becomes the favorite child. Kyle attempts to get Mandy a car by trading items with people, starting with a laser pointer. Ed, worried that someone will take advantage of Kyle, tries to dissuade him from his trade up plan.
This episode was heartwarming in the best way. It was clear that all the tough love and arguments happening were coming from a place of love, and that’s special. Perhaps the best part of all that was Ed proving that he cares about Kyle. We all knew he did, but that never really came out in any way shape or form before now. Ed and Chuck’s back and forth about Kyle’s optimistic spirit versus his lack of realism was important. Last Man Standing always has something to teach us, and this week they teach us that it’s OK to be optimistic, and OK to be realistic, but maybe the best is a happy medium between the two. Don’t be Kyle, don’t be Ed, be both.
The story with Eve is something a lot of people write off as “white privilege”. While they’re not wrong, it’s not fair to assume that people in these situations don’t struggle, or don’t need the opportunity to figure things out for themselves. I lived with my parents after I graduated from college until I saved up enough money to move out on my own. Instead of figuring things out, I got myself into a precarious situation because I continually took better jobs to make money, even when they were not always the right fit for me. Eve decided instead to struggle through in a slightly different scenario, but it’s important for older audiences to empathize with Eve, as she represents more and more millennials at every turn. It’s also important for millennials (though probably not the target audience of this show) to understand that parents do things from a place of love.
Few other thoughts:
- I wish we could hear Eve sing again. Even if not, we can all agree that Kaitlyn Dever is great, yes?
- My new favorite fact about Eve is that she wept at Ronald Reagan’s birthplace at 6 years old. “Tickle down economics” indeed.
- “I think you’ll end up giving your bride a laser pointer”
- I may have laughed the hardest at Mandy temporarily being the favorite child.
- “Even though I never went to Ronald McReagan’s house?”
As important as these stories are, Last Man Standing is still good for a laugh, which makes it incredibly important in an ever expanding TV landscape. There’s something in here for every age, and it’s consistently funny.
What did you guys think? Did you enjoy the episode? Let us know!
Last Man Standing airs Fridays at 8/7c on ABC
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