American Housewife – “Highs and Lows”

Original Air Date: December 5, 2018
Directed by: Ken Whittingham

Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains spoilers for this episode!

Synopsis: Katie (Katy Mixon) longs for the spontaneity of young love while her mother Kathryn (Wendie Malick) hopes to ease Oliver’s heartbreak by looking up her high school boyfriend Dan (Gregory Harrison).

Featured Felines: Kathryn takes both Oliver (Daniel DiMaggio) and Taylor (Meg Donnelly) to her former beau’s home which is a large mansion. She hopes to show Oliver that life after a breakup can be good by showing her how well Dan has been doing. Dan opens the door and invites them in. They sit in a large living room and pretty soon a ginger tabby cat appears, jumping on the couch next to Dan. He introduces the cat as Mittens.

American Housewife - Highs and Lows - Dan Gregory Harrison sitting with ginger tabby cat Mittens
American Housewife - Highs and Lows - Dan Gregory Harrison sitting with ginger tabby cat Mittens

It is then they find out that this is Dan’s parents’ house and Dan has been living in the attic in exchange for scooping their cats’ litter boxes. Dan then realizes he forgot to do Mittens’ box and excuses himself.

American Housewife - Highs and Lows - Dan Gregory Harrison sitting with ginger tabby cat Mittens

When Dan returns he is carrying Mittens and a long-haired cream cat. He sits back down to resume the conversation.

American Housewife - Highs and Lows - Dan Gregory Harrison carrying ginger tabby cat Mittens and long haired cream cat
American Housewife - Highs and Lows - Dan Gregory Harrison sitting with ginger tabby cat Mittens and long haired cream cat

Cat Cattle Call: Kathryn remembers that she broke up with Dan but Dan is quick to point out that he actually broke up with her. During the course of their discussion more and more cats appear around Dan. Needless to say this does nothing to cheer Oliver.

American Housewife - Highs and Lows - Dan Gregory Harrison sitting with ginger tabby cat Mittens, long haired cream cat, brown tabby and long haired gray cat
American Housewife - Highs and Lows - Dan Gregory Harrison sitting with ginger tabby cat Mittens, long haired cream cat, brown tabby and long haired gray cat
American Housewife - Highs and Lows - Dan Gregory Harrison sitting with ginger tabby cat Mittens, long haired cream cat, brown tabby, long haired gray cat, short haired gray cat and tuxedo cat

In an interview with TV Insider, Gregory Harrison talks about playing Dan and working with the cats. “My character [has] cats and producers asked if I minded working with them. I said sure, I have some of my own. They said, ‘Good! We have six of them!’ An [associate director] once said to me ‘working with actors is like herding cats,’ but these ones were amazing.”

American Housewife - Highs and Lows - Dan Gregory Harrison sitting with ginger tabby cat Mittens
American Housewife - Highs and Lows - Dan Gregory Harrison sitting with ginger tabby cat Mittens, Kathryn Wendie Malick, Oliver Daniel DiMaggio and Taylor Meg Donnelly

Final Mewsings: What’s wrong with living with your parents and caring for their cats?

Many thanks to Fritz for letting us know about the cats in this episode!

Relevant Links:

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