grayson

This episode was so much fun with the "Thelma and Louise" road trip and the gentlemen's line dance at the saloon! Tiny Arthur was so cute in his cowboy hat. I have loved this show from the first season and hope it is renewed.

Auntie Mame notes, Wise observation. Benjamin is amused by Midge's quirkiness, but she is always "on stage" for him with incessant sarcasm and irreverence . Have we seen any conversations where she expresses vulnerability or neediness with him? Midge told her mother that she was disconcerted by Benjamin's unexpected appearance at the park while she was with Ethan, because she was "not in the right frame of mind" to deal with him. Did she mean that she was not prepared to be in "performance" mode? Midge has more emotional intimacy with Joel and Lenny.

Baltimore Betty writes, Midge and Joel's shared history and children have created a space where she feels safe to be vulnerable and even needy. When Midge is with Dr. BF, she is always "on", constantly performing. He likes her ceaseless stream of irreverence and sarcasm; Midge and her mother like his wealth and medical degree. Have we seen any conversations between them that indicated emotional intimacy from transparent self-disclosure?

Auntie Mame notes: Auntie Mame makes a key point that bullies of women (bold added) are often intimidated when another man confronts them. qtpye writes: With all due respect, the night club manager who refused to pay Midge was not twice as large as Joel-they looked approximately equal in size. In episode 10, Joel wears a sleeveless tank style undershirt and looks impressively athletic and fit with strong shoulders, substantial pectorals, and muscular arms--definitely not a "Pee Wee Herman physique".

qtpye writes: Joel is somehow appealing to me, so his rehabilitation is welcome. He projects a sort of wiry athleticism. I am baffled by my own reaction to the Joel character, because small men are repulsive to me in my actual life.

Thank you, Pallas and Shapeshifter, for your insights.

In one episode, Abe and Moisha agreed to jointly own the apartment where Joel and Midge lived before he left. In a later episode, Midge and the children moved into her parents' apartment. Did I miss an explanation for this apparent change of plans?

I respect your views, biakbiak. I am protective of Joel--I do not want to believe that Midge's ascendancy requires his emasculation.

Biakbiak notes: Midge (to me) is definitely the performer of the pair. Joel is quick-witted in conversation (which Midge appreciates), but his clever quips may not translate to a career as a standup comedian. I loved that Joel beamed with pride and appreciation for her comedy during her wedding "toast"--he was not threatened or resentful that she was "the funny one" in the relationship. Funny Joel moments: When he pursued Midge at the frat party, his quips to and about Palmer were witty and flawlessly timed (although, somewhat mean-spirited). At Midge's parents' home after the birthday party, his jokes about his father's sleeping habits were amusing. As Midge was pushing him out of her bedroom window, he teased her that he had left his wallet in the kitchen. I confess that Joel is sexy and appealing to me--which is extremely surprising because I am definitely not attracted to smaller men in general. Maybe I feel protective of him because he is struggling and, unlike Midge, he does not have the support of his father, who disparaged his intelligence and ability.

Joel was actually funny and sexy in the scenes at Midge's parent's apartment. Joel and Midge had a cute rapport that reflected earlier scenes when they were enjoying their relationship. By contrast, I am not enthralled by the Suzy character. In my ideal second season, Joel would realize that the standup career is Midge's dream--not his. In the last show, he told the booker that he would return until he got a slot on stage "because Midge wants me to be a comedian". Because he is actually witty, he will write material for her act and be a supportive husband.

Imjgain writes: During the reunion, Alex claimed that she confronted LuAnn at Ramona's request. Ramona contradicted Alex by noting that Alex volunteered to speak with LuAnn. Although Kelly's behavior sometimes appeared erratic, her observation about Alex's "defense" of Ramona in the henna salon was highly insightful. Kelly noted that Alex's self-appointed role as Ramona's avenger/wingman was superfluous because Ramona has "a big enough mouth" to speak for herself. To conclude on a positive note, Alex and Simon report that they are very happy in Australia. I hope all is indeed well with them.

Ramona also claimed that she did not remember when she tried to hit Kristin with a canoe paddle after the splashing incident. She clearly swatted the wooden paddle at Kristin, but fortunately did not make contact. It was disturbing.

The "message from Bethenny" is another example of the passive-aggressive behavior that Alex and Simon exhibited, AndySmith. Alex expressed her own annoyance with Jill under the guise of protective behavior for Bethenny. Alex admitted, "Over the years, I’ve become more and more frustrated by Jill’s behavior, to me specifically and to others in general"; however, she portrayed herself as Bethenny's valiant champion rather than own and articulate her feelings. In the Morocco episode, Alex claimed that Ramona asked her to be Ramona's "wing man" before she galumphed in her "Hermann Munster shoes" into the salon where LuAnn and some other housewives were gathered for henna applications. In the reunion, Ramona contradicted Alex by noting that Alex volunteered to confront LuAnn. Again, Alex cloaked her own hostility as the heroic defense of another housewife. Kelly's intelligence and awareness are often maligned (frequently by Alex), but Kelly made the trenchant observation that "Ramona has a big enough mouth" to speak for herself. I hope Alex and Simon are happy and thriving in Australia, because their passive-aggressive conduct in New York was painful to see.

AndySmith writes: Bethenny actually disavowed Alex's claim that Bethenny asked her to deliver "a message" to Jill. Bethenny wrote: "I never intended for Alex to put a hit out on Jill. I think she had so much to say to Jill and I gave her a great excuse to attempt to unleash. . . By no means was Alex's message delivered how I intended. I basically told Alex that I was done with Jill and didn't care if she told Jill to her face." As for Jill's reaction, she was caught unaware when Alex interrupted her conversation to announce she had "a message" from Bethenny. Alex was blotched with hives and babbling while she attempted to convey "a message" purportedly from Bethenny. Her "message" was muddled to incoherence by her awkward delivery. Even the extremely defensive Alex, who usually insisted that her frequent sputtering inarticulateness was an illusion created by unfriendly editors, later admitted the confrontation that she initiated "was not my smoothest hour".

Please refresh my memory, Scoobiedoobs, by citing some instances when "Alex offered up intelligence". I remember her painful pseudo-intellectual pose in the Season 1 reunion when she paraphrased Ayn Rand's observation: "Whenever you think you are facing a contradiction, check your premises." Alex did not cite Rand by name (perhaps because she did not know how to pronounce Ayne--rhymes with "mine"), but referred to the novelist as "a very wise woman". In her blog, Alex concluded her reference to Rand was too intellectual for the other housewives to appreciate. Interestingly, at that time, Alex did not have any college degree. While in Australia, she has completed a Bachelor's in Psychology.

Chick Binewski - Simon and Alex were actually disturbingly passive-aggressive at times. Simon referred to LuAnn as "the countess without the 'o'" which may not be cruel, but is certainly puerile and crude. Alex made slanderous references to Kelley's mental state and intelligence for years following the island misadventure and after both of them were fired. Alex had insisted with high dudgeon that Jill's comment to the NY Post about Simon's excessive alcohol consumption was potentially damaging to his career, but she had no concern for Kelley's reputation when she told Us magazine that Bensimon was "was much more [crazy] in real life" on the island. Their comments were not made directly to LuAnn or Kelley, which was ironic when Simon later took umbrage because Bethenny's remark about his excessive drinking was not made "to his face".

The last four-five episodes have been enjoyable. The scripts utilize the supporting cast (Kyle, Chale) in quality "B" stories.

I am sympathetic to Whitney (which I know is not the trending opinion on this thread). She is showing the challenges faced by the super morbidly obese that are not always understand by individuals in the normal weight ranges. However, I am alarmed by Whitney's attempt at horseback riding, because her size risks an injury to the horse. At nearly 400 pounds, she would require a horse who weighs 2,000 pounds to spare the poor beast from injury. For perspective: today, the massive Clydesdale horses who are the iconic symbol of Budweiser are 16 to 18 hands (64 to 72 inches, 163 to 183 cm) high and weighs 1,800 to 2,000 pounds (820 to 910 kg). Some mature males are larger, standing taller than 18 hands and weighing up to 2,200 pounds (1,000 kg).

Sunny Be Be writes: Absolutely.

His portrayal of Dr. K was really the first time that I noticed Gerald McRaney. Now I am a huge fan. He is a powerful performer. I welcome every opportunity to watch this venerable actor command any scene.

Happy that Doctor K (Gerald McRaney) survived his operation. His character brings a reassuring gravitas to the series.

In my favorite image of Alex, she contorts her face into an uncanny resemblance to Edvard Munch's "The Scream". This photo is not from the show. It is from a video when Alex yelped in affected dismay as Simon exposed her pasty posterior for the camera operator at TMZ by yanking up her skirt.

The recent episode about Christmas was a huge improvement from the rocky pilot. Although I liked "King of Queens" and Leigh Remini, I appreciate the role of the new wife is less caustic than Carrie's character.

On the positive side, Bethanny is an animal activist who recently rescued two dogs. She has plenty of money to adopt a pedigree status symbol, but she chose two fur waifs. I appreciate her for that action and example.