Aja

This show is AWESOME. I, too, am mystified that there seems to be almost no promotion. I had a health issue last year that meant I couldn't work for five months, and I basically watched EVERYTHING. That's how I just sort of ran into season 1, which blew my mind. I seemed to be the only one on the planet who was watching, though. Nobody I knew had even heard of it. I was SO EXCITED when season 2 came out! I really hope this amazing show and amazing actors start getting some serious kudos. One of the things I find the most fascinating is the storytelling. There is so much left out, so much to infer. I think that maybe, for me, the lack of a "good guy" to "root for" is way more than made up for by the more-questions-than-answers narrative style--I'm just endlessly intrigued. What is Shiv's attachment to Tom? Don't know, but it's clearly real, and it's clearly strong, as we saw on the beach. What exactly is Logan and Marcia's story? And where is she now? Did Logan and Rhea ever actually *have* an affair? What were the Roy kids' childhoods like? Where is Connor's mother? How sick is Logan, exactly? How much of his behavior is stroke-related? How savvy *is* Greg, exactly? I got the impression that he probably told Kendall about the documents sometime after the ride back in the helicopter. Kendall said something like "you can go to the bathroom, I'm not going to jump out the window." It didn't seem like they were plotting anything together right then. But who knows, really? Whatever Gerri and Roman's connection is, I absolutely love it. I love that she's his total Domme, I love that Roman got genuinely bristly at the thought of Logan having sex with her, I love that they stick up for each other in front of Logan, I love Roman's psychotic marriage proposal to her, I love the two of them plotting together--while perhaps not the "good guys" to "root for", at least it's something real and genuine amongst all the backstabbing and disloyalty. All of the Roy kids are giant pricks, but they're also all severely damaged in ways that we can only imagine. We get glimpses--the smack on the mouth, the endless emotional manipulation by their father, the three younger siblings' cold, unfeeling mother--but my guess is all of that is just the tip of the iceberg. They all do and say things that make them extremely hard to like--and then you see how broken they are. So it's nice to see at least one of them experiencing genuine connection and trust. I hope we don't have to wait until next summer for season 3!!

AGREE. Boy, Mum is a piece of work too. Kendall wanted to confess to her and she just bailed on him. I understand the instinct to want to come clean to Mother, but in the end I'm sort of glad he didn't. Something tells me she wouldn't exactly have been a beacon of loving support. I don't know how much more Kendall can take. At least he has a little affection from Naomi. Rhea is pretty shameless. Did she just essentially tell Shiv she's screwing Logan while simultaneously setting Shiv up? Damn. Looks like Marcia's about to get a few more scenes!

Yeah, I thought the same -- backstage it was "we want to condemn and move on!", but in front of the people, it's "the last thing we want to do is condemn and move on..." These are not scrupulous people. :) I really want to know Marcia's deal. She was so pissed at Logan all throughout Tern Haven, but now she seems back to her old self. I do think there is a strong bond between Logan and Marcia, though--during the last episode, when Nan called the after-breakfast meeting with everyone and Marcia didn't show up, Nan asked where she was and Logan said "Oh, she's taking a walk" and Nan said "She is a credit. You know, most men of your station go for women of a certain...type." Translation: You could be nailing a 20 year-old supermodel if you wanted to, but you actually have an age-appropriate wife, what a credit to your character. Logan looked like he was about to get up and storm out right then and there. And this episode, he seemed relieved when she promised to stick by him. Logan really seems like he's losing it. Chasing down Nan's car at the end was really desperate. How sick is he, exactly?

I have to digest more, but I, too, was struck the most this episode by Kendall's immediate and strong reaction to Roman getting hit. I also noticed how Roman repeatedly turned down Mr. Moneybag's coke offer in the bathroom. Also: lol to syphilis being the Myspace of STDs. And I was howling at the whole Tom/Greg "We're listening" conversation on the nature trail. I'm already impatient for next week!

COUSIN! LARRY!! APPLETON!!! I'm only a few minutes in, but that just made me audibly squee! ETA: Another stellar episode! I could still be on a Mark Linn-Baker giddy high, though. Gosh it was great to see him! I really, REALLY wish we could have seen Connor getting drunk and offering him the state department on camera, but alas. Yeah, the Pierces suck. Nan's little "have a drink with us, Rosa! Aw, she never treats herself!", I'm-besties-with-the-help song and dance was condescending and shitty, and re-emphasized when she took the applause for the roast at dinner. But it set the tone right away. I think the Roys appeared uncharacteristically uncomfortable because they were. It probably isn't very often that they run into people who are their financial equals, and in this case, holding something that they want/need and can't necessarily get with a snap of their fingers. I will admit, my heart started beating a million miles a minute when Kendall started up the helicopter. Well done, show. I also gasped when Shiv let it all out at dinner--holy crap, that was one of the most uncomfortable moments of television I have ever seen. I did laugh at Tom afterward, though -- "That was the most Roy thing I have ever seen! It's like I got a quart of Roy injected into my eyeball!" Of all the loathsome people on the show, I loathe Gerri the least. She's sort of becoming my hero. Logan's right-hand woman and Roman's domme--maybe she really will walk away with the whole thing!

It has been so long since I loved a show this much. There is SO MUCH GOING ON ALL THE TIME. Thank goodness for these forums. I definitely noticed the difference in the height of the glass wall at the end, but I didn't even think of the significance! I have no idea what anyone's motives are. It's so fascinating. I'm not even sure about Greg anymore. He seemed pretty happy to readily accept a cushy job at the network he had such a moral problem with up until that point. Was that his whole aim in the first place? Was that what he was saving that document leverage for all along? Greg and Tom are quite a pair. I have to confess, I was glad to see them "make up" at the end, even though it was twisted. They're much better together. "I accept your blackmail!" HAW! This was the first time in a while that I've seen Kendall express anything. He was so heartbreaking with Shiv. He's been so cold and zombie-like, especially in the Vaulter episode. He's really broken inside. What the hell is Logan's motive there? Payback? It seems so cruel. Roman must have a thing for older women. He said something about wanting to nail Marcia in the last season. So he only gets off on humiliation? I REALLY want to know what their childhoods were like. I am SO ON BOARD for Connor's presidential run. Yes, I do believe they're going there. I'M ALL IN. That is all.

Just jumping in here because I'm currently watching this whole series on Amazon Prime. It was one of those shows that, while it was airing, I thought it was hilarious, but I never actively sought to watch it for some reason. I hereby revise my opinion: this show was BRILLIANT. GENIUS. GOLD. MUST-SEE. I haven't caught this many belly laughs from a traditional sitcom since Fawlty Towers, I don't think! What they do with Sally's character is particularly amazing, I agree. (From the pilot: "That brings up a very good question. Why am I the woman?" Dick: "Because you lost.") There was an ep I watched recently where Sally gets mistaken for trans and doesn't realize it until the guy sees her naked at the end and is shocked that she's a woman. I know the 90s wasn't exactly the 50s or anything, but that was still pretty edgy! Kristen Johnston was pure magic in that role, with her effortless fluidity from hardcore warrior and weapons expert to being obsessed with shoes and staring at the phone waiting for a man to call her.

Holy WOW, MRS.P! Thank you so much for sharing this. I am so sorry you're going through all this, and I am SO glad you got your mammogram when you did. A friend of mine--younger than I am--is going through the exact same thing. She's an artist and did a really great piece for Wildfire, an online magazine. Have you seen Wildfire? It was a great place for me through my diagnosis and treatment (a link to my friend's article): https://www.wildfirecommunity.org/hot-flashes/2018/11/28/clever-costumes-for-bald-people I got super lucky with my diagnosis--SUPER lucky. I hadn't had a mammogram in probably two years (COMPLETELY irresponsible considering my family history.) I had zero symptoms, felt no lumps, nothing. I was in pissed-off-from-being-fired, zany-job-interview-montage mode. But it was already in my lymph nodes. I'm so happy to hear about everyone going to get their mammograms! Yay, sisters!!! I was completely blown away by how friggin' COMMON it is. Once I was diagnosed, I got on the phone with my recruiter to tell her to call off the job search for now, and she said "Oh, I had it three years ago, you'll be fine, don't worry." I told my landlord (who is this young whippersnapper baby property mogul type dude) that I got this diagnosis and didn't know what was going to happen and he was like "Oh, my mom had it last year, you'll be fine." My very first day of radiation, I went into the waiting room and my neighbor's girlfriend was sitting there. "Oh hi! You too?" I live in Minneapolis, y'all, not Mayberry. But the good news is, I was also pretty blown away by what they are able to do these days with early detection. Thank you so much for all your messages! I so look forward to getting back to normal, starting a new job that I can grow to both resent and become weirdly co-dependent about, and re-joining the Duggar eyeroll festivities here! @MRS.P, thank you again for sharing, and I'm sending all the love and healing vibes to you!!!!

THE ITCHING IS UNHOLY. Can confirm. But yes, it sounds like your great aunt's situation is very similar to mine--which means she's going to be just fine! ❤️ ❤️

Thank you so much, everyone! ❤️ Check out what happened. I got fired from my job in October and received a month's severance, so I thought I'd be a responsible adult and get my health checks done before my insurance expired. Dental cleaning, full physical, mammogram. And then, while frantically trying to find another job and with exactly three days of health insurance coverage left, they called me and said "Yeah, so there was a problem with your mammogram." I said "Please explain to the problem on my mammogram that my income is currently $00,000.00 annually, and I have three days of health insurance left." The problem on my mammogram didn't care. And then life became this weird prism. At first, I was in total shock. I sat for a few hours just letting it sink in. "I have no income. I have no health insurance. I have no spouse, no children, no family. And I have cancer. Okay. I understand one cannot be lucky all the time, but....really? Alllllll righty then. Super. This is just super." I was horrified. All my friends were horrified for me. Even my doctors were slightly horrified because I'm only 43 (but it may be worth mentioning that breast cancer is so prevalent in my family that most of the women were like "oh, it's only in one boob? Lucky!") And then the prism turned slightly. Turns out I was at stage 1, but like JUST BARELY. I was straddling the edge of stage 2, and it wasn't until after my first surgery that they definitively decided it was stage 1. What if I hadn't gotten fired? Would I have gotten a mammogram? I doubt it, you guys. Who knows when I would have finally found the time. And then the prism turned slightly again. I live in Minnesota, and in Minnesota, if you have zero income, zero health insurance, and breast cancer, by some raging Euro hippie miracle, the state will cover all of it. Everything. If I'd still had my job with its "great" health insurance, how many thousands of dollars would I have had to pay? Who knows. More prism turns. Because of the early detection, I did not have to do chemotherapy. That was scaring me more than anything, because I'm pretty scrappy and figured out how to support myself for six months via unemployment insurance and the draining of a retirement account, but chemo would have put me out of the running for a year, and no amount of scrappiness would have been able to save my apartment, my car, everything. Over the Christmas holiday, I was waiting for a test result that would determine whether or not I needed it. If you get an 18 or higher, you need it. YOU GUYS, I GOT A 17. A month and a half of radiation commenced. Radiation is no picnic, but it's nowhere near the devastating effects of chemo. I re-started the interview process during radiation, and a week and a half after radiation finished--last Friday--I got a job offer. So you see, Friends, what appeared at first to be one of the worst logistical situations one could find oneself in actually was the vehicle that saved my life. I almost feel like I should play the lotto? Sisters, get your mammograms. Don't be scared. Make the time. And if anybody here has any questions about it or is nervous or maybe you find yourself in a situation that makes you think "Hey, that Aja chick from the Small Talk thread has been through this, I wonder if she would offer support and advice if I DMed her." Yes, Aja would. 100%. ❤️

Thank you so much for the welcomes backs! ❤️ I missed this forum! Part of the reason I was gone was because I came down with a case of the breast cancer & had to deal with a bunch of kee-rap. But I'm okay now! Get your mammograms, sisters! ❤️ ❤️

Hi Small Talk thread! I've been away so long, and I missed you guys! Just wanted to drop in and say that! Guess who *still* gets e-mail notifications from North Love Baptist Church when their services go live? *this gal*

I've been away for months and I come back to...OMG...WAIT FOR IT....long birthday messages written in Evangelicalese. Joshua. I am disappointed.

Really, I held it together until that final "Dammit." Then I cried.

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!