Speechless – L-O-N-London: Part 1

By starrymag | October 11, 2018

By: Taylor Gates

 

 

The DiMeos are sleeping on the lawn, having been evicted from their home. Since all of their stuff is outside, people are assuming someone is having a yard sale. Kenneth (Cedric Yarbrough) offers to let them stay with him. Maya (Minnie Driver) thinks it could be fun like a quirky 80s sitcom and takes him up on his offer.

 

Fast-forward one month and the DiMeos are still crashing at Kenneth’s. Maya and Jimmy (John Ross Bowie) apologize–they just can’t seem to find a place that works in their price range. Although Kenneth tells them they’re welcome to stay as long as they want, he gently suggests they ask Maya’s dad for help. The problem: she hasn’t talked to him or his awful wife in years.

 

Dylan (Kyla Kenedy) says that her friend from track’s parents offered to let her stay with them. It would be easy for JJ (Micah Fowler) to continue staying with Kenneth, and Jimmy says he could get some hotel vouchers for himself, Maya, and Ray (Mason Cook). Ray insists his buddy would like him to stay at his house, but everyone is skeptical his friend is actually real.

 

On the way to drive Dylan to her friend’s place, the DiMeos see that their house is for sale again. They are informed by the realtor (Ben Savage) that the buyer pulled out. Maya exclaims that they’d like to buy it back, and the DiMeos and Kenneth are off to London to ask her father Martin (John Cleese) for the cash.

 

The kids aren’t too excited to be going to London just to see Maya’s dad who doesn’t even like them. Ray hopes they get time to experience some culture, having disdain for the lack of it in California. However, he quickly changes his tune when a pretty British girl on the plane comments on how hot she finds his accent.

 

Maya panics when they start their descent to the ground but vows not to enjoy a single moment of London until she gets the money. This lasts all of two seconds, though, as she swoons over the city on the double-decker bus. Ray is also enjoying his newfound popularity with the ladies by playing up his Californian status.

 

Jimmy tries to cheer JJ up by telling him he’ll take him to a place with a great view of the city so he can get a great shot for a film. Unfortunately, the guidebook states there’s no wheelchair access to the observation deck, crushing JJ’s dreams.

 

Dylan overhears Kenneth telling the flight attendant about how he’s obsessed with all things royal, and all the DiMeos laugh at his interest. However, Kenneth spies Dylan looking longingly at Buckingham Palace and identifies her as a royal lover, too. She makes him promise not to out her to anyone since her brand is everything.

 

Maya’s father looks out his window and begins yelling at the double-decker bus. Since he has to hear the spiel every day, he’s perfected a way to incorporate rude comments into the tour guide’s speech. Maya stands up and tells him to shut up, and the two begin trading insults.

 

The family makes a plan to send the kids in first to butter him up before Maya and Jimmy come in with the big ask. Martin and his wife Francis (Liz Robertson) quickly get along with the kids, but there is still tension between Maya and her father due to Maya crashing his wedding and ruining the entire ceremony.

 

During tea, Martin asks Maya to apologize for the wedding and for leaving for America and never contacting him. Maya thinks he should apologize for shutting her out for twenty years. They both realized they missed each other and hug, making amends. Maya updates Martin about her life, owning the fact that she’s a surprisingly great mother. Plus, being a special needs mom lets her channel her fire into something meaningful. At Maya’s encouragement, Martin is going to add the fact that his grandson is in a wheelchair to every complaint from now on.

 

JJ wants to go back to the hotel and recharge his wheelchair battery, but Jimmy spies an outlet by a bench. Not only that, but he has even brought an adaptor. Unfortunately, the voltage is different and it doesn’t give it any power. JJ frustratedly says this is why he doesn’t like to travel, telling Jimmy he’s jealous it’s all fun for him. Jimmy yells that he’s not happy–they’re only here because he couldn’t save the house. He wants to help JJ get up to the observation deck so it’s a win for both of them. Humbled, JJ allows him to carry him up. When they get to the deck, they see the London Eye and realize they could have gotten a much better view with far less effort.

 

Kenneth tells Dylan she shouldn’t be ashamed of loving something just because she’s afraid people will judge her. While they’re carrying JJ up the stairs, he gets an alert that a royal far down in the line of succession is getting frozen yogurt, Jimmy tells Kenneth to abandon the mission to help JJ and go meet her, as he’s tired of hearing him talk about it.

 

More girls come up to Ray, intrigued by his fake accent. However, he’s tired of the attention and starts talking in his real voice, admitting he’s been putting on an act. Dylan admits her royals obsession, inspired by his honesty. She goes to greet Kenneth, who has bought her a plastic crown as a present. She and a mob of people lean over a barricade to catch a glimpse of the royal family member.

 

Maya’s father asks where they live in California. Maya begins telling him about their dilemma with the house, but before she can get to it, he tells her that he’s so happy she came to visit him without wanting anything in return. Feeling stuck, Maya chickens out about asking for money.