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Perhaps she used the Bar card so they could speak in private. If she went as just a visitor, then wouldn't they be separated by glass and have to use the phone to hear each other?

I’m only halfway through the first episode (they are about to rewatch the blanket incident) and it is kind of amazing that most of them are still as unlikable as they were almost 30 years ago.

This was a tough episode for me. I was teary-eyed throughout. I had never heard of this tragedy before, even though I am a descendant of Welsh coal miners. In fact, my family was from a town less than 10 miles away from Aberfan. I can't even imagine what it was like for the residents to deal with. I found myself angry at the Queen for her...indifference? ...coldness? ...lack of empathy? about this community. The acting, of course, was superb. I need a break before I tackle the next episode. I found a recent article online. The Welsh charity commission gave approximately $645 to each family. According to the article, the commission advised that any additional money would ruin the lives of the working class people, who wouldn't be used to large sums of money. This link includes some photos: https://www.businessinsider.com/haunting-photos-tragic-aberfan-disaster-1966-2019-11#funerals-took-place-for-those-who-had-died-but-families-had-to-fight-for-money-from-the-fund-for-their-childrens-gravestones-25

Realistically, what young girl would want an Indy race-themed bedroom with a race car for a bed? Not many, I suspect. I knew at that moment that dad wasn't going to buy the house. He had a "WTF?" look on his face (as did I).

July 27th

I agree with you, but sometimes there is no compelling story to be told with an ancestor that close (or there isn't enough info to make a compelling story for television). For example, my 4X great grandfather was written about, especially an encounter he had with Indians as a scout in 1793 in Ohio. The story puts his life into a fuller context. With his son, my 3x GG, all I have is standard documentation -- census, birth, death, marriage records, etc. Although his life may have been as equally interesting, I haven't been able to unearth anything other than those records. For many of my ancestors, I don't have much more than names and dates. So I like the history, especially if I have ancestors who lived in the same area around the same time. It helps give some backstory to why they may have come to the US. I appreciated Jon's story because I found the history interesting, even though his ancestor was only a small part of it. For Laverne, it is difficult as a descendant of a slave because the records can be so hit or miss and generally don't go back much before the Civil War. The fact that they were not only able to connect Bolan to his slave owner, but that she willed him land for use during his lifetime, was an amazing discovery. Yes, it would be interesting to learn about more than one ancestor, but I think because of all the research that needs to be done before filming even starts, they have limit it due to time considerations/cost.

I told my husband last night that I'm not interested in the celebrities, but the history connected to their ancestors because it helps explain why certain migrations took place. And I can connect some of those experiences to my own family.

They are also on TLC's website: https://www.tlc.com/tv-shows/long-lost-family-what-happened-next/ Tiffany's was pretty awkward. I felt like (again) there were gaps in the story. I think Dee mentioned that one of her other daughters isn't receptive to meeting Tiffany. I'm sure that had something to do with it.

Hildi's room seemed like a mish-mash to me. I surprisingly liked the slats with color by the pool table and the bar. Everything else? Meh. In Clinton's room, the bar area and the shelving unit were cool. I liked the colors, but the stripes screamed 70s to me (and not in a good way). And a stripper pole and disco ball? Pass.

We installed grab bars (and use them as towel bars) in our bathroom. My elderly mother-in-law needed help getting in and out of the shower as well as getting on and off the toilet, and my husband (who had designed some ADA-compliant bathrooms in the past) strategically placed the grab bars both inside the shower and on the walls of the bathroom itself so it was easier for her to get around. I didn't even notice the towel bar/grab bar in the episode because I'm used it in my own home.

I thought, overall, Ty and Carter did a decent job (obviously better than Hildi, but that is setting the bar pretty low). Carter's room to me didn't seem cohesive. It felt like a bunch of stuff put in the room. The ombre was an interesting idea. The desk was small and I wasn't thrilled with the green. He could have tied it together better with some green pillows. HATED the dream catchers. And the doors on the closet looked like they had a coat of primer on them and never got the finish coat. I thought Ty's room was a little busy with all of the different shapes. I LOVED the accent wall before they added the orange and yellow. It was subtle but cool. I felt like it the colors were a bit too much with the wall and flooring and curtains. Maybe if he left the wall in the gray colors, and then the color tiles on the floor would have been better, IMO.

Never could stand Hildi (or her "designs"). But she was especially bitchy in this episode--the snarky comments about the homeowners not finishing their homework. And when she was discussing the murphy bed with Ty, he made a comment about her preference to use "high-end hardware" and she sneered, "Not on Trading Spaces." Honestly, if this show is so beneath you, then feel free to not participate. It's one thing to have a bad design, it is a whole other thing to actually damage people's homes, which between installing hay or feathers or silk flowers on walls or furniture on ceilings, Hildi does. I'm sure it costs those homeowners quite a bit of money to "fix" the damage she does (new drywall, for example). She likes to be outrageous for outrageous sake. I wouldn't miss her if she left the show.

When my dad passed, my mom gave away a lot of his clothes to other family members and the rest were donated. The one thing I wouldn't let her give away was my dad's Member's Only jacket (yes, I'm dating myself here). My dad died a couple of weeks before the start of my sophomore year of high school, and I wore the jacket every single day that year, no matter what the weather. It was comforting to me. I didn't care if any of my classmates thought it was weird. As I worked through my grief, I stopped wearing it. Everyone reacts and deals with grief differently. The fact that Randall was wearing the watch doesn't bother or surprise me at all.

Exactly. A "widow maker" is what my dad died from (and my husband almost died from). It is not caused that quickly due to smoke inhalation. I realize the term "widow maker" was used for dramatic effect, but still. What I couldn't understand is why Jack wasn't taken to the hospital via ambulance. IT WAS THERE. If he inhaled that much smoke how was he not forced to go to the hospital by the EMT? I was in a car accident and bumped my head. They strapped me down to a backboard and made me to go the hospital to get checked out. I know this isn't a medical show, but the writers seem to play fast and loose with medical stuff. Despite the unbelievable parts of the story above, the gut punch for me was when Rebecca said she had to ruin her kids lives by telling them their father died. I then realized what it must have been like for my mom when she had to tell me about my dad's passing. My reaction was far more dramatic than Kate and Randall's reaction (looking back, I'm embarrassed by the way I reacted because I know it made it harder for my mom, but I was devastated). Their lives weren't "ruined," but it was altered forever.

Audio is too freaking adorable. I wanted to scoop him up and shower him with kisses. The conversation between Randall and Kevin about Jack being gone longer than they had him -- gah! That was a huge thing for me after my father's death (he died when I was 15). And then again when I turned 39 (my dad died when he was 38). And so on... I watched the end of the episode, but couldn't stomach watching the preview. For the most part, this show doesn't make me overly emotional, but Jack's death may be the one thing that does, only because of my experience of losing a parent at a young age. I feel like the writers have done a somewhat decent job with how the kids deal with it. It is hard to explain to someone who hasn't experienced it.

Sad to say, I'm out with this show. I didn't even finish watching this episode. Honestly, I was bored and my mind was wondering so much I missed a bunch of scenes and didn't realize it at first. I just don't care about these characters or what happens to them. And I agree with some of the other folks that the plot seems convoluted. Too bad because I'm a fan of Jason Ritter, but he can't even save this show for me. :(

I'm glad I'm not the only one feeling this way. I love Jason Ritter, but it feels like premise was hastily put together, so the plot doesn't appear to be well-thought-out. I guess I don't understand how breaking up a marriage is going to help him find the other 35 righteous souls. I'm not sure how much longer I can hang in (despite how much I enjoy Ritter's work).

My grandmother was pregnant with my mom when all of the kids got it. To this day, my mom (in her mid-70s) still has never had the chicken pox. I avoided it when almost my entire kindergarten class got it. I finally succumbed at age 29, most likely after being on the same flight as someone who had the virus (but possibly didn't have the full-blown spots yet). I thought Beth did a lovely job with Deja about her hair. I was expecting Deja to say that she was pulling her hair out as a reaction to all that was going on in her life. And way to make it about you, Randall! I'm "meh" on Kate's pregnancy. I had read a spoiler that it was coming, so I wasn't shocked.

Absolutely. Assuming Jack died in the fire, no one may have been home when the fire started, Jack got the call, went home, tried to rescue the dog, and died in the process. That's one theory. We can probably come up with 10 more. And I'm sure they will all be wrong. :)

That is very healthy way of dealing with those issues. Perhaps I was just projecting myself onto the Big 3 and how I think I would have reacted if I were in that situation.

That was what my initial thought was about the timeline of events. My gut reaction is that I don't think alcohol played a role in Jack's death. They set it up to make you think that (his revelation right before the house fire scene), but we know how they like to put twists in. The other reason is that none of Big 3 or even Rebecca seem to have a "problem" with alcohol, in terms of being averse to it. I'd think if my parent/spouse was an alcoholic, I wouldn't be casual about drinking it. Particularly Kate, if she feels "responsible" for Jack's death, and if it was in some way alcohol-related. I'd think she would shy away from drinking, then.

Season 5 will be the last one for Fixer Upper. https://magnoliamarket.com/our-last-season/

Season 5 will be the last season of Fixer Upper. https://magnoliamarket.com/our-last-season/

So many loose ends created by this episode. I can't imagine how they can tie them all up before the end.

I alternated between "WTF?!" and "I'm so confused." I'm hoping the final episode provides some clarity.