Children Ruin Everything (2022)

While waiting on the results of an evaluation for Viv, Astrid and James feel the pressure of figuring out how to best help their possibly neurodivergent child. But when Viv’s new doctor, guest star Emma Hunter, rubs Astrid the wrong way, Astrid tries coming up with her own strategies for Viv. Meanwhile, at Gero’s Grocery, the enlistment of Fintekoäly – a tech company hired to automate checkouts at Gero’s – makes Marla uneasy.

With free box seat tickets to a Raptor’s game from Fintekölay in hand, Astrid and James are hesitant to discipline Felix and Viv when they slack on their chores. Punishing the kids would mean missing the game and that’s something they want to avoid at all costs. But after the kids get caught in an escalating lie, Astrid and James realize that maybe their discipline style can use a little work.

After the site of the future World Cup Village is closed due to goose poop contamination, Astrid is in charge of bringing the issue to the World Cup Committee. But after a disastrous meeting with Councillor Flynn, head of the committee, and an embarrassing practice round with her family, Astrid’s confidence takes a nosedive. Meanwhile, James is determined to teach Viv how to ride a bike in one afternoon.

Astrid and James struggle to find something to talk about other than their kids while having dinner at a fancy restaurant. Feeling the pressure of keeping up with the exciting lives of their family and co-workers, Astrid and James regale each other with exaggerated stories from their week.

When Felix shrinks all his clothes doing laundry for the first time, Astrid and James are forced to buy him a new wardrobe. But shopping for clothes isn’t so easy now that Felix is developing his own style. On top of everything, Astrid and James wrestle with societal norms when Viv wants to start wearing crop tops. At Gero’s Grocery, Marla is working on a plan to start a fast fashion line.

Astrid and James plan a night out to celebrate Astrid's recent win at work. With help from Dawn, they're able to book the highly sought-after neighborhood babysitter, Jeffrey. Everything is going perfectly– the kids love Jeffrey; he's getting them to clean the house and even teaching them French. But when Viv's crush on Jeffrey threatens to ruin everything, Astrid and James struggle to take control of the situation while also taking Viv's big feelings into account.

When Astrid hears about Dawn's spontaneous trip to South America, she is determined to find a little spontaneity in her own life. With Astrid's convincing, she and James play hooky from work and buy tickets to a weekday matinee performance of Jagged Little Pill, the musical. But their plans are up in the air after getting a phone call from Viv's school saying she’s sick and needs to be sent home.

When Astrid and James wake up hungover, all they want to do is lie down in a quiet dark room. To have the day to themselves, they decide to let Felix and Viv go on their screens all day. There’s only one problem. The internet is down. And the kids are bored. Adding to their pounding headaches, their chaotic neighbor Rachel and her kids come over, requiring even more energy from Astrid and James. Rachel is having marital problems and refuses to leave. Or stop talking.

Astrid wonders if she's responsible for passing neurodivergent genes on to her daughter, Viv. So, when Astrid and James are consistently late for Viv's early morning meetings with the school counselor, Astrid is determined to get Viv to school on time in order for Viv to get the support she needs. As a family, they come up with a time management plan to get out of the house on time, but something always takes them off track. At Gero's Grocery, James gets hit with some unexpected news.

After an unexpected change at Gero’s, James tries to busy himself with fixing a broken toilet. Astrid thinks she’s due for a raise.