vibeology

As someone who doesn't like the retcon, I've always said that Sheldon can be biased and wrong about subjective things but making him wrong about objective things is a poor move. Sheldon thinking that his father is a drunk because he has a beer every night is fine with me because Sheldon thinks any alcohol consumption is too much consumption. Sheldon interpreting adult fights as worse than they are because he is uncomfortable with his parents fighting at all makes sense. Suggesting his siblings are drooling idiots when they are in fact totally normal people just because they aren't as smart as him is in character for Sheldon. Sheldon being wrong about subjective things is in character for Sheldon. Sheldon knowing that his father had a girlfriend who he can describe physically and can provide details of interactions with isn't something that can be passed off as Sheldon has a bias. George shooting the TV because he was upset with a football score isn't something that can be passed off as a bias. George getting into a fight with Mary and skeet shooting her plates isn't something that can be passed off as a bias. Those aren't opinions Sheldon has; they are events he experienced. And he may not describe every single detail right but I don't believe he invented events and people whole cloth. I think Sheldon, who doesn't like to lie, did interact with a girlfriend who tried to buy his love. I don't believe he invented two separate instances of George shooting property. That is not accurate to the character that has been around for over 15 years. So the retcon of the affair here, I can buy Sheldon being wrong based on how they set it up but I don't like it because I think it portends other changes to things that Sheldon witnessed in an effort to soften the George character. The show is saving George at the expense of Sheldon and I personally care way more about Sheldon and the integrity of his character than I do George.

It's also very possible that when they wrote the finale last year they did intend to have a major character leave. But with Flower needing time off for parental leave, they didn't want to be two ghosts down and they didn't want to fire a woman for being pregnant so they changed plans. I would rather they change plans and their statements in the past be a "lie" than fire a pregnant woman. Actors should be able to take parental leave without losing their jobs.

There's also the fact that someone does the math on lawsuits vs the cost to implement a fix and if the lawsuits are theoretically cheaper, they will let people die to save money.

The one that was secretly gay? I googled. Colton Underwood. That would explain why there was no bride on the top of his cake.

The way they hyped up Rita Ora is ridiculous. She's fine and all but they acted like she's some A-lister when she's barely had a hit here. I know she's much bigger in the UK. I liked everyone tonight. The weakest was Kevin Hart doing a bit. Starfish is the one who would have gone home in a regular episode. I have very solid guesses for Goldfish and Starfish but am less confident with Ugly Sweater and Lovebird. Has there ever been a Bachelor who was a football player? Because Lovebird is giving Bachelor clues with football player thighs. I think it was a decent start with even the weakest performance being okay until the Kevin Hart schtick. What a waste of a great looking costume for one. And the whole thing was too long and not funny enough. I did laugh when Kevin stomped off in the book shoes. As a visual gag, that worked. But ten minutes for one laugh is not worth it to me.

My biggest issue with JoJo was the way she played favourites last year. Maybe not being around for the auditions will slow that this time around. I hated Roman's outfit for his audition. I found it so distracting. I do think he has some real potential. I always want the ballroom contestants to succeed on this show. It has always been so skewed towards contemporary cross-trained dancers that I root for the ones with a different background. The way multiple contemporary auditions started with back bends was so annoying. I guess it's the new tilt.

The only thing I could think is because Frank was still alive and he saw her that she didn't want him to be found before he died and go to the police saying she was there. But even then, she played it totally wrong. She should have called 911 and said that the two men got into a fight and because of her condition she couldn't intervene in time. Frank Sinatra may contradict her but with Joey Bishop dead it would be hard to prove that she set the whole thing up. A pregnant, injured, white lady would probably get away with it.

I hate Josh so much. He goes on about how Max worked hard to rebuild the crime lab's reputation and how damaging his actions "could have been." He broke into the morgue and stole evidence, did a kidnapping, used his credentials to access a location he had no business being in and committed assault. Could have been? How can he work any case going forward? How can any evidence he collects be trusted? How can he go into court and testify? He has completely damaged the credibility of the lab. If the show wanted to keep Josh around, they should not have written the plot they wrote. They prioritized a cliff hanger over logic and now I hate Josh, and Aly and Penny because they were all so out of line in how they reacted. Even Max didn't come out totally clean. Putting her neck out for someone with so little self-control is such a bad decision.

She's a child. She's literally one of two children in that home. When she started to run the household her parent should have stepped in and stopped that right away. She is the one who can "pitch in" with some stuff when she has the time. Because it's age appropriate to help but it's not right for her to be the one in charge. George should be the parent and take care of more. But George is a lazy man who is so used to Mary carrying the largest burden of running the household that he did not step up when it was his turn.

It's wild that Josh will somehow keep his job. He kidnapped and assaulted someone. There is video evidence that shows part of it. How can the crime lab have any credibility if he's investigating any crime? The bar should be higher than not doing a murder. I liked that they actually filmed so many exteriors in Vegas. The show looked better during the Trey and Serena car chase than it maybe ever has.

It would explain how Seven lived in a cargo bay for years instead of quarters with a bathroom.

It's not great but the first time these kids heard that didn't come from Christine; Kody said it in front of the cameras. Christine probably felt like she owed them an explanation of why she stayed and then why she left. She absolutely parentified those kids and is sharing more that she should but once you agree to put your life on TV those boundaries become way harder to maintain. They already know; they've already seen it. Some of those kids watch the show for money at this point.

I think its a bit of both. I think Robyn wanted to be the legal wife. She knows, having gone through a legal divorce, the protections that gives her and I do think she figured out that Meri and Kody had a very weak relationship during the courtship and figured that she could maneuver her way into the legal marriage. I don't think she had a plan to push all the other wives out completely and be the only wife. I do think that anyone who grew up in polygamy probably has some damage and her childhood damage came from not being the number one family for her father. It's why she wants the legal marriage and why she wants Kody around her family all the time. She doesn't want to have Christmas on hold for weeks until the man finally shows up. She wants to know that he has other places he can go, but he puts her and her kids first. And I don't know how much of that is conscious on her part and how much of that just comes from the damage from her childhood.

I wanted to see them explore the lodge more. I wish that had been the kid plot instead of making a Belcher sign. The funicular and the creepy décor was a good start but I wanted more. I was so frustrated with Linda when she kept trying to get the tree on her own over and over. Go back to the lodge, get Bob and try with a second person. Besides, how was Linda ever going to secure that tree to the top of her car on her own.

I hate Ed but those new bonuses are shit and it's nice that after years, he's finally remembered he's the boss of all the underground people who get treated like shit. So Ed the labour organizer can live a little longer in my eyes. Can't wait until the Helios executive team shows up. Should be fun. Margot and Aleida's reunion was emotional. I was wondering if Aleida was even a bit suspicious when Svetlana said "work the problem." I still think Margot played the whole thing wrong but Svetlana was right that Margot cared about holding on to power. I don't think Margot would have ended up in jail. But she would have been forced out of NASA and that was the real fear. Now, she has power from the other side.

He's lived a hard 72 years and who even knows what aging would look like if you spent as much time in space, on the moon and then on Mars like Ed has.

MacKenzie Scott? She donated $2.1b in 2023 and $16.5b total since her divorce from Bezos. She wants to stop being a billionaire. That's her actual goal and I think maybe that's the only way to do it.

One thing I'll say is that John Oates is 75! He looks great! He was my favourite all season but I knew from the way the show was shaping the storylines that he was going home and not even getting a chance in the showdown. I don't think Donut is good. He's fine. He's clearly an actor who can carry a tune, not a singer. But his story is compelling. Hard to kick off the man singing for his recently deceased wife. Plus, when Tiki went home and Sea Queen went through, I figured to keep a nice gender balance, Candelabra would go home this week and Donut would make it.

She was absolutely trying to pick a fight. Janelle and Christine were splitting the rental and some of their kids were going to have a second Christmas once Christine came to town. Because of Robyn, they were not invited to Meri's for Christmas Eve and were not welcome at Robyn's house unless they were willing to "have a conversation." Everything from here on out is my best guess based on the comments we've gotten: I think the original plan was to mail or deliver gifts to anyone not attending Rental House Christmas (because of covid rules, work, being with in-laws etc) and those kids would open their gifts whenever and the Rental House kids would do their gifts on their second Christmas. Robyn didn't like that there was going to be Rental House second Christmas and that she couldn't use the holiday as a way of forcing the apology that she claims she doesn't want. If there was no Christmas except for the one she hosted, those kids would have to come groveling to her or be left out. So instead of letting the kids do their best to connect at Christmas, she stuck her nose into the whole situation. She knew that a zoom call with 20+ people would be near impossible to organize but she wanted to cause a fight and ruin the kids gift exchange to punish the kids who refused to apologize to her. If Gwen's comment really was the one that kicked off the fight, she was looking to be offended because it wasn't that bad. She thought she could use Gabe and Garrison's (and probably some of the other kids) desire to get together with their family and enjoy the holiday as a way to force their hands and when Janelle and Christine rented a house to circumvent her, she lashed out.

She's just wild. The insistence that they have to have a face to face off-camera conversation is just wild. Christine and Janelle have set boundaries. (I don't know about Meri.) They have both said that if Robyn is at a family event they will be cordial but they are not seeking out a relationship with her and will not choose to interact with her. It's the same sort of boundary Garrison said he (and likely some of the other kids) were setting at that dinner where they discussed the text chain. Robyn says they're mean and awful so by cutting off interaction that won't be a problem anymore. Only, Robyn loves the drama and the opportunity to play victim. Cutting her off was the worst thing that could happen to her. How can she be oppressed and bullied if no one is talking to her? So she's moved the goalposts and wants to make it so that Christine and Janelle (and likely the kids) have to speak with her without a record of what was said so that she can twist the event and get her victim status back. They won't talk to her so she's trying to create a situation where either that fact alone makes her the victim or she manipulates them into giving her the attention and victim status that she craves. It's genuinely sick.

That colour really makes her eyes pop.

Right. I should have remembered that. Robyn hates him for his reactions as a child. She's just awful.

That's because Kody, who sticks his nose in everything, stayed out of the Christmas exchange drama completely. I think that its because he knows Robyn was in the wrong and can't defend her but won't say so on camera. It was 9pm eastern. And they had to open nearly 20 gifts. That would have been hours. Way too big of an ask of adults with their own families and commitments. Even at a different time, who has two or more hours to sit on a zoom call at the holidays? Of course, Robyn took that reasonable pushback as an attack and rejection of her as an authority figure (because she cares about that way more than she cares about mother) and of her place in the family. So she said "my little ones don't even know who you are anymore" to try to manipulate and guilt them into doing what she wants and Garrison shot back with "One zoom call won't fix that" and the fight was on. I imagine Garrison's comment got many of those thumbs up or ha ha reactions like was described and every one of those was taken as a personal slight. I would love to see the text thread but I feel like we've gotten enough hints to piece most of it together. And she clearly sent her adult kids to fight for her the same way she put Aurora and Brianna on the couch this season to defend her. She is an awful mother. I'm fine saying it. All the parents failed because they wanted and needed the money that would come from the show. They're never going to say it on the show, but Robyn joining the family was clearly the hook that got TLC to sign a contract with them in the first place. They were not doing well financially before the show money started to come in. Janelle's car was held together with duct tape. Janelle and Christine were shopping in bulk to try to make their budget stretch far enough to feed their kids. Christine was watching the kids all day and working a job at night while pregnant just to survive. They'd been through multiple bankruptcies. And on Robyn's end we know about the debt that was building up. They didn't consider the kids because they needed the money. They probably believed that any emotional turmoil was still better than the kids starving or losing a home. Plus, for all their bluster about everyone being equal, Kody was the head of the family and he wanted Robyn. Nothing Janelle, Christine or Meri could have said would have stopped him.

The thing that Xochitl had that appeals to the dedicated fanbase of this show is Val. He is likely the most popular pro and being paired with him is probably a huge boon in votes. As a team, they spanned the whole demo of potential voters which probably was the reason she won since the dancing was pretty equal across the top four for most of the season.

I also think Meri's leaving timed out with her mom passing. I think Meri felt a lot of family pressure to stay in the marriage. With her mom gone, Meri felt there was one less obstacle to leaving.