When thinking over the episode on Thursday,I thought that Steven was actually condescending when he said, " to every season...turn, turn, turn". He could have given concrete ways to help. Alex, on the other hand, given his penchant for not doing things that don't better himself, and not doing things that are demeaning, showed his support for his mother's plight by carrying his placard and protesting. Mallory is never taken seriously because she is always doing things that are "out of the box." She marches to a different drummer. Elise is driven and somewhat neurotic, for even though she loves her children, her first love seems to be architecture. Also, she doesn't mind making a fool of herself, even at the expense of perhaps losing the owner's respect for her work. Case in point, the second option she presents to the owner:a floating mini-mall. Totally ridiculous! Who would take her seriously after that? But it's a sitcom, right?