gesundheit

I was jealous of these teenagers being able to jet off to Miami for a vacation. Also, one of the weirder Air BnB locations they've had -- unless it was really just her grandma's house in Queens (because it looked like every grandma's house in Queens). Not only wasn't it the apartment she skyped from, but it sure as hell wasn't Manhattan (where she said she lived) since, you know, a little yard and front gate. Weird that they wouldn't even try to make it look mildly credible.

Nev and Max love to pretend like they think it might be some older perv or an incarcerated person every time, and it's tedious to watch since obviously anyone in either category is NOT signing on to do this show.

Cierra's awesome. I'm glad she at least got her $400 for doing this (or however much it is), may she use that to take her own self on a date she is worthy of.

I feel bad criticizing someone who so obviously has some sort of disorder (even if the disorder is simply seeing attention -- she clearly needs it in some pathological way, so I still have pity), but I can't remember an episode where I was that uncomfortable. We can only hope "I'm going for a surgeon" meant "I'm going to school so I can look for a surgeon."

Also I agree with Tara that Tyler seemed like he could be somewhere on the spectrum (and am agreeing also as a total lay person who is just spitballing)

Eh. Seemed less obviously manufactured than last week's, but still pretty bland. Classy to swear on his mother's life on national television when it's a lie! This business with Nev's wife.... terrible. Obviously a producer told her the phone number thing was an option so they staged it as her idea. Just to pad the time. I'd rather spend more time with the subjects than watch a bunch of filler with Nev face-timing his wife.

Nicole's lucky, a teenage girl who won't date someone who isn't bilingual is NOT a good catch! Blessing in disguise. I liked the whole storyline a lot, though. And same with Louis's -- getting busted by his wife for NOT going to Hooter's but instead helping a child with a school project was hilarious, right down to the sequin as the "tell." And I like Honey's new softer 'do. Also Jessica telling the white Hooters hostess that she probably thinks Louis looks like Jessica in a wig was awesome.

I was pretty psyched to have 3 new episodes on the first night back! I don't care as much about their personal lives as they think I do, though. I enjoy their various partners being part of the show, I have no problem with that, but I don't really care much beyond that. Personal stories about the parolees? Yes. That's in the title! And I also wish they wouldn't do Christmas episodes. We all know those are filmed months before Christmas, and it's not like the audience is clamoring for that theme. I was just a little sad that we got three brand new episodes and not a single one of them had a dog getting a new home.

I'm so glad the recaps are back! They miiiiiight be the only reason I still watch. This one was even more contrived than usual, there's no way neither one of them knew. Also, I know Sheklia claimed to have had a "Kerry voice," but Terrence apparently didn't and she talked constantly on phone to him? Come on. I think we know which ex she planned to stalk when she set up that fake profile.

Yet another thing I don't like about this new final twist is that it seriously changes the momentum going into FTC. Watching the game's clearest underdog stay alive in a fire-making challenge gives them more rootability. Which is fine for the audience, but not for the jury. There's a reason they don't sit around Ponderosa watching videos of what's happening at camp and the challenges. The great thing about the idols being out of play at the final 4 is that that's IT. You can play them to your heart's content but there is ONE LAST TIME you absolutely have to just convince people to keep you in the game, no other strategy or strike of luck will work.

She's a lot of fun to watch but, yeah, it doesn't REALLY make sense in context that everyone keeps her as a friend or at least reluctant companion.

I really felt like all 3 storylines last night were this show firing on all cylinders. They got a little off track for a while last season, I thought, but there's a lot of great comedy again this year.

They definitely have to get the rights and pay royalties to do shows at schools. And anywhere else. Plenty don't bother because they don't care and figure they'll be under the radar, but it is copyright law. Some estates or writers will waive royalties but that's up to them.

Just stopping by to say that the Rent knockoff in this episode was comic gold, especially the bumper at the end.

What is even happening with this show? I thought this was it, but now it's just a mid-season break and more next year?? I'm so confused.

At least the new Noah is more of a sentient being.

Abby is so insufferable. Usually I just hate-watch her, but I do find her sympathetic in the situation with her dad. Hard to watch those scenes -- my dad has Alzheimer's and they're really nailing early symptoms (I'm assuming we're beyond stroke here), with all the forgetting and then trying to play it off when corrected ("Oh ha ha, I totally knew that, just been a bit scattered lately" when that's utterly untrue). My dad used to say "gotcha!" whenever anyone had to correct him, pretending that he'd just been playing a fun trick. Anyway, that assisted living home was kind of ridiculous. It looked like a multi-million dollar facility for rich folks, and yet they had some dumb tap-dancing kid as the entertainment? I can speak from experience that there's no way an expensive L.A. facility wouldn't have top-notch guest performers. (Also, did I miss something? She was insisting he couldn't move in there and then the next scene with him looked like she was moving him into a facility -- did I miss a beat while getting coffee?) And it looks like they're going to wrap up Delia's story with her having a kid. Guess what, Hollywood writers, sometimes middle-aged women don't have children and are JUST FINE!

I found that pretty satisfying outside of the aforementioned gaping hole about the parents never bothering to look for Phoebe. When Cora started peeling off that wallpaper I thought Detective Bill Pullman might be climaxing right there on the spot! Oh, and one question because maybe I blinked and missed it: why DID the detective bring Cora to the parents' house, though? I felt like we saw him talking to Maddie and learning that JD got into the oxy trade after the "incident" and then he's going to the judge, and then they're at the house. What did I miss? What were his grounds for suspicion?

That was pretty low-impact. OBVIOUSLY Josh still loves Liza, that's not news. And it's not that much of an imposition that they asked her to lie for them -- she's still asking everyone to lie for her. (And with her fake IDs and tax forms, she's already lying to the government. She's a pretty good person to ask in such a situation.) Shrug. Not too interesting. Especially Charles continuing to be a dud. Oh and Maggie got some action finally and it's off-screen. Screw you, show!

You're not alone, lucindabelle. I think the show is quite good, and last night's episode was really exciting (even though I feel a bit dirty!). Very much looking forward to what happens next and what the mitigating factors would be if Cora gets away with killing Frankie. If this were the whole story, it's obviously not enough, but considering she blocked out months of her life afterwards and turned up at a rehab facility with track marks, who knows what kind of dissociation happened. I really liked how every flashback she had actually happened, but they were just sometimes other people or an innocent moment that seemed sinister if remembered in just a flash. Anyway. Don't do molly, kids, you'll make REALLY bad decisions!

This one was particularly illuminating -- it really does seem like a lot of Scientologists who find out real truths about the abuses can soothe themselves with "this is because Miscavige bastardized our beautiful religion!" This is why some people stay in it long past the point of reason, and also why some folks (like the couple from last week) continue to "practice" Scientology after formally leaving the organization. It's too hard for people to see that it's endemic and easily goes back to LRH. And I find that quite sympathetic.

Watched the first episode and a half this morning. So good! I absolutely LOVE Ms Felicia Hollingsworth, what a great new character.

I was bummed at the lack of a Jake appearance, too, but couldn't blame Adelstein. Or Jake, frankly. It's just amazing that Abby can call someone else self-involved and not get struck by lightning. Dear lord that eulogy.

And I know we've discussed this before, but HOW does Kelsey keep her job? She was just flat-out rolling her eyes at her bosses in their meeting. I would find all of it more sympathetic if she kept her composure and then privately talked later about how undervalued she felt, but she's just flat out disrespectful to the people who employ her. Who does that?

Charisse for sure, and also with TeeVee329 below on Amanda. They got so much better with having actors recur once they finished the high school years, but there were some gems before that.