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Recap
While Nina coerces Junior into a vow of celibacy, he lashes out a bit. Specifically, as we often see, he lashes out at Poppa about what did or didn’t happen in his childhood, and this episode focuses on Poppa never getting him a dog.
Poppa responds that Junior is allergic, to which Junior calls BS. So Poppa gets him a dog named Popcorn, who wreaks havoc in Nina and Junior’s home and causes Junior to have allergic reactions. To make matters worse, Ivy has cats who attack her with just the scent of Popcorn.
But, while Poppa didn’t get a dog originally due to Junior’s allergies, it is also because he had a dog named Rollo who was killed violently when he got ran over a fire engine, and that traumatized Poppa. However, with Nina and Junior’s kids loving the dog and Poppa slowly but surely healing, he decides to keep the dog so his grandkids can play with it, and so it is far enough from Junior that he doesn’t end up affected.
Review
Trajectory (77/100): Decline
It can be submitted that when it comes to Junior and Poppa’s relationship, the dynamic and storylines they can derive and how they can bring characters in are down pat. Ivy can present a deeper psychological take; based on her education and experience, we can see Nina be the maternal role Junior wants while holding him accountable, but while you can appreciate the supporting roles the women play, it can be frustrating that they often get stuck in that.
I mean, as much as I appreciate Nina talking about wanting to be celibate with Junior to work on their relationship and marriage and make it stronger, I feel like she doesn’t vocalize enough what is wrong from her end to come up with these ideas or give background on why she gets angry or does what she does. Too often, she seems to put up with Junior because they are married, but as the show makes clear, there are issues in their marriage, and while Junior takes baby steps, there remains this need to question: how much grace are we expected to believe she is willing to give him?
Then, with Ivy, I like that they didn’t play up her assumed crush on Poppa and allowed her to flex her background a bit. But, I feel like they are still working on that balance of not having her be the stick in the mud, explaining why this character or that character acts the way they do, while allowing her to play with everyone else.
But considering it took a while for Junior and Poppa to get going without issue, maybe by the end of the season, Ivy and Nina can be more than a love interest or potential love interest.
Highlights
- Continuing to Show How Trauma Has Influenced Poppa’s Parenting
On The Fence
- Nina and Junior’s Marriage
- Ivy
Episode Details
Episode Title: Puppy
Originally Aired: January 27, 2025
Network: CBS
Director(s): Phill Lewis
Writer(s): Chris Lorey
“Poppa’s House” Guide
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