Rooster Recap: Mentors and Mascots

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It feels like everyone at Ludlow is suddenly playing mentor as the semester winds down. I’ve been watching Sunny and Walt talk about her job offer in New York, and it’s so interesting – Walt really wants what’s best for her, but he knows he can’t make her choose. Then there’s Dylan, pushing Eva to keep writing poetry, and Greg trying to steer Tommy towards staying in school. It’s what college is all about, isn’t it? These experienced adults trying to guide us younger students. This time, Greg and Dylan really nailed it, but honestly, I think Walt failed to convince Sunny to make the sensible choice. I mean, she’s choosing Archie over a potentially amazing future! He tried, giving her some vague advice about life being a series of tests, but I just don’t agree with her decision. And, I’ll admit, I was also really hoping to see who they’d cast as Walt’s ex at Biotecha! I was secretly wishing it would be Christa Miller – she and McGinley were so good together! But, yeah, she’s probably way too busy for a cameo.

Honestly, I’m struggling with the Sunny and Archie storyline, but Robby Hoffman as Mo is saving it for me. She’s hilarious and just a fantastic presence on screen. But even her great performance isn’t enough to make me invested in this romance. I’m really frustrated with Sunny choosing Archie over what could be an amazing career – it feels like she’s throwing her passion away. Archie’s gestures feel so shallow; he went to one appointment and flipped through a photo album, but does he actually care about Sunny, or just the physical side of things? It’s painfully obvious it’s the latter. When Sunny shared her job offer, his first thought was how it impacted him – he didn’t even consider moving to support her. And Sunny knows he wouldn’t! Mo gets it too, which is why she’s desperately telling Sunny to take the job. I’m almost glad Sunny’s staying, though, because it means more screen time for Robby Hoffman, and that’s always a win.

Dylan noticed Eva’s talent as a poet and believes her poem, “Cherry Pop” – which details a personal experience with Eli – is strong enough for publication in the Ludlow Review. He encourages her to delve deeper and be more open in her writing. However, Eva reveals she’s giving up on poetry. Her father insists she pursue a practical, high-paying career, and she feels pressured to prioritize that instead. Dylan is surprised by this. While it seems unusual for a professor to seek out a student in their dorm (and possibly even illegal), the show operates with its own unique and often strange relationship dynamics.

When Dylan gets to Eva’s, she’s filling her room with smoke, wearing just a big T-shirt. I can see why Dylan wants to help her – Eva’s great. They have a really honest conversation at the diner, and Dylan points out that Eva is already creative. It doesn’t matter when you make art, just that you do! (Actually, even a few minutes of art a day can seriously boost your happiness.) So even if Eva ends up doing something totally different, like getting into cryptocurrency (yuck!), she can still follow her natural talents. Dylan shows Eva a preview of the Ludlow Review, opened to her poem. When Eva sees her work in print, her face lights up – it’s like she’s seeing magic! This just proves that there’s something special about actually holding a physical copy of something.

Greg is having some difficulties with his mentee, made worse by the clumsy interference of Officer Rory. When Cristle returns, she asks Greg to help Tommy, who is considering dropping out of school. Things quickly escalate when Greg returns Tommy’s latest story covered in edits. Despite only having a week left in the semester, Tommy’s decision is understandable, especially after an awkward encounter with Greg. The episode features a hilarious moment where Tommy reveals he’s been working with a psychology student to mentally picture Greg without his genitals, essentially seeing him as just a ‘Ken’ doll.

After Tommy decides to quit, Greg struggles to convince him otherwise. Surprisingly, Tommy has already thought things through – he plans to stay in town and become a police officer. Greg understands that college isn’t the right path for everyone – he even thinks trade schools are underrated – but he believes Tommy is gifted and wants him to continue his education. Greg also admits, at least to himself, that he’d miss having Tommy around. Katie points out that Greg seems to view Tommy as a son, and Greg readily agrees. It’s a touching moment – you can really see how much Greg cares for Tommy and wants him to thrive.

So, before I could even get Tommy to agree to stick around, things got pretty chaotic! He and Greg ended up on a ride-along with Officer Rory, but honestly, besides the missing mascot suit, nothing much was happening in town. Turns out, Officer Rory had lost his gun – which, knowing this show, felt totally predictable! He was searching everywhere for it. Eventually, Tommy actually found it, along with a whole dozen free glazed doughnuts, and handed it over. Officer Rory immediately dropped it, though! The running gag with the gun is always good for a laugh, and I was relieved they put it in a paper bag this time – we didn’t need to see it being waved around casually again!

Steve Carell has fantastic chemistry with the entire cast, but his scenes with Rory Scovel and Maximo Salas are especially enjoyable. One standout moment is a silent scene of the three of them happily eating doughnuts while on surveillance – it’s incredibly funny. The playful banter between Greg and Officer Rory, as Greg tries to convince Rory to talk Tommy into staying in college, is also a highlight. Scovel and Carell clearly have a lot of fun working together, and it shows. I still find their “cop hawk” conversation hilarious. A particularly clever bit is when Greg offers Rory the “Get Out of Jail Free” card from an earlier episode, jokingly calling it meaningless while asking for a favor. Eventually, Rory relents and shares some of the less admirable parts of his job, like repeatedly pulling over a high school bully just to feel something. The scene then takes a turn when the stolen Ludlow mascot appears, and Tommy and Greg give chase. The humor continues with Rory’s inability to start the car – it turns out the keys were in the ignition the whole time! While I often dislike seeing characters portrayed as incompetent, Scovel’s performance is so charming that I can’t help but laugh at his character’s silly mistakes.

The group discovers that J.D. – nicknamed “Pig Tits” – stole the mascot. Tommy lets him escape and manages to get the mascot head back. After calming down, Tommy and Greg have a serious conversation. Tommy admits he was most upset by the critical comments Greg made on his story. Greg then shares some of Tommy’s writing with him, which Tommy considers a huge compliment – like seeing his work published. Tommy is thrilled when Greg tells him he has real potential as a writer if he keeps practicing. The situation is resolved, and Tommy decides to stay at Ludlow.

The following day, Greg’s fake son, Tommy, unexpectedly meets his real daughter, Katie, and they have a nice conversation. It’s heartwarming to see them connect as if they were siblings, even though they aren’t related. Tommy tells Katie how great Greg is, and this gets her thinking. Greg has noticed Katie’s been upset, but she’s been avoiding telling him why, even pretending to be on a date at a hockey game (Hunter, the guy she’s with, handles her leaning on him surprisingly well!). However, Tommy’s kind words about their dad start to shift Katie’s perspective. By the end of the episode, she finally goes to Greg and begins to open up about what’s bothering her. The scene ends with Greg listening to his daughter with love and attention as she shares her feelings. The audio cuts out before we hear what she’s saying, which makes the moment even more touching. No matter what Katie tells him, Greg’s love for her will never waver, and he’ll always be there to listen and support her.

Office Hours

Tommy telling Katie his dad doesn’t care seems to be what finally motivates her to visit her own dad. However, it really feels like Katie’s mother is the one who’s emotionally unavailable. Where was Elizabeth on Thanksgiving, and did she even reach out to her daughter? I’m starting to dislike Elizabeth more and more, especially since we haven’t seen her for several episodes.

Katie bluntly questioned the treatment of Rudolph, pointing out Santa’s hypocrisy. She wondered why being different was a problem and challenged Santa’s self-image, calling him out for being overweight and questioning his supposed perfection.

• I adore that Spooner is still calling Greg “Grg.” It makes me laugh every single time.

• Oh, Greg and his hot chocolates. At least they’re in-season now!

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2026-04-27 05:55