Rockfish

My memory is Shauna pleaded with Jackie to eat a couple of times in this episode. That was probably for the audience’s benefit, so we’d understand right away that she didn’t eat the stew. And when Shauna handed her some hooch, she dumped that out, too. This means Jackie could not experience what everyone else experienced—running the gamut from a lovely buzz to scary, violent hallucinations. And this will further separate her from the group. Tripping together can create tight bonds between people. Also, they were tripping on some kind of mushrooms—not LSD. Two very different beasts. Plus, who knows what kind of mushrooms those were. Most likely they’re way different from the shrooms that some stoner guy called Dave was always sharing at parties way back in the day (I’m assuming everyone knew a Dave at one time or another). These may have stronger toxicity. Now some people have great experiences on mushrooms but bad ones on LSD, and vice versa. It depends on a lot of variables. The fact that everyone on the show was hungry, extremely stressed, and most likely sleep-deprived would heighten the effects. Add in the berry concoction and Lottie’s delusions, and you’ve got a great recipe for mass hysteria/psychosis. Anyway, that’s how I’m hand-waving everything, which is what I do when I’m enjoying a show like this. And I really loved this episode. 😊

My point was Wilson probably was probably also annoyed or frustrated with her story arc, but I didn’t express myself well.

Regarding hats: in addition to one with The End on it, Noah also grabbed one with an entwined C A, which I’m sure represented Cole and Alison and their unbreakable luv. I think it’s an Angels hat, but in this context it’s much more. The rattlesnake bite was too much, but since it reminded me of TV in the ‘70s, it was also kinda fun.

If it did go down this way (Logan manipulating Kendall without Kendall realizing it), then Kendall ends up looking strong and moral—good leadership qualities—because he made the difficult-but-right choice of exposing his father’s sins. This could mean a 180-degree change in public perception of Waystar and also puts the younger generations of Roys in a better spot; Kendall also is strengthened in the eyes of the shareholders. But I’m usually wrong in my predictions with this show (which makes it fun!), so maybe Kendall actually tried to become a big boy and betrayed his dad all on his on—to the dismay of Logan.

I just finished a delicious binge of both seasons and am jonesin’ for more. Reading through comments it feels as if I’m the only person not feeling sorry for Tom. Sure, he has feelings for Shiv and gets treated badly, but he’s a bully and is as cruel as the rest of them—he just doesn’t have as much power or wealth, so he holds back from necessity. JMO, not trying to sway anyone.

Back in the day, I heard that coke was often cut with some sort of laxative—don’t know if that’s actually true, but I thought that was part of the reason for him shifting the bed. About Marcia, I think she sensed Logan had demoted her somewhat. Whereas before she’d been his confidant and coconspirator, here she was just another member of the family meant to perform and follow his instructions; she resented not knowing about his earlier conversation with Shiv.

I like the way you think! If this were something families did normally, we’d have a healthier, better functioning society.

I’ve bitched about the casting of Joanie before, and it isn’t minor stuff because Joanie’s looks are what set in motion the whole Scotty-was-the-victim-of-a-hit-and-run-accident-no-it-was-murder! whodunnit plot point. (To recap: Scotty bumped into Alison and 10(?)-month-old Joanie in the city, and he was struck by how much Joanie looked like Cole (she had light eyes), which made him twirl his mustache because he knew he had blackmail power over Alison and could demand she cut him in on the lucrative restaurant deal. None of that would have happened if Scotty ran into a baby with brown eyes and dark hair.) But about last night, we discovered the Solloway offspring are not the most unpleasant humans ever. Who’d have guessed? The way Joanie is makes me wonder what Gabriel would have been like as an adult. Last thing, I think EJ mentioned he spent a couple of hours *every day* at that soggy police station. How is that possible? Does he not have a job, or is the future super awesome so that anyone can make a living doing whatever it is that interests them? Where does he live that he can spend a lot of time in ghost town Montauk?

Great post! Sasha was also intrigued with Helen because of her initial disinterest in him—plus, not only did she not fawn all over him, she was critical of the performances.

So, I obviously haven’t been paying attention, but where is Whitney’s apartment and gallery? I assumed NY, but she was just in LA with her mom giving advice on art purchases for Helen’s client—if she’s so broke, how could she afford that? Sure, maybe her mom paid for her ticket, but would her demanding boss allow her the time off? Also, the idea that within one month Helen successfully decorated not just one posh LA dwelling—but two! (possibly more?)—is so ridiculous for a myriad of reasons. And definitely Sasha’s going to go after Eden; otherwise there’s no reason for her to be back, and he noticeably perked up when Helen shared her suspicions. And seriously, show? Cole’s Jeep, which has been sitting in a salty, humid environment for decades, doesn’t show any signs of rust? True, it didn’t start, but it did look pristine. These are just a few of the details I zeroed in on—I won’t even go into storyline problems.

Finished bingeing last night. Even though most of my favorite characters are no longer on, I loved it—flaws and all—it’s just such fun entertainment for me. I kept wanting to smack Will, though. As usual, he was a dummy.

I could relate (screwing up and getting so freaked out by the screwup, which kept her from dealing with it efficiently) to Tania and her blunder that I got so. very. stressed. out. watching that part.

I loved it for this reason, too. Anything that reminds me of the end of “The Four Horsemen” is good stuff.

Something that struck me as relatable (and cringe-worthy) as a woman was when Amelia was faced with the choice of comforting another human being who was damaged and hurting but instead chose to try to manipulate her to confide in Hays. You could almost see her calculating whether she should try it and what her odds of success would be, and while the ends may have justified the means had it worked—if Amelia’s words influenced Lucy into reaching out to Hays which would give him more information—she was partly doing it to make herself seem more attractive to him by showing her value as an intelligent, helpful partner. It reminded me of times when I was interested in someone romantically and would do or say something in the attempt of seeming like “the perfect woman for you!” rather than doing what was right. There was also a bit of classism in her assuming she was more clever than the uneducated, drunk white-trash woman. And Mamie Gummer’s acting? Breathtaking and heartbreaking.

Not only was the aged-men makeup done so well, but the portrayal of a troubled marriage is spot-on. I found myself feeling angry for Amelia having to deal with Wayne’s passive-aggressive, resentful comments and related to the overwhelming urge she had to call him out on one of his comments even though it definitely was not the correct time or place (they were at Roland’s house). Now, I loved season 1, but I’m enjoying this one just as much—it is quieter and less flashy; however, the realistic dialogue and texture created by the three different timelines has grabbed me hard.

IMO he probably saw a flicker of something—her posture or gait or a world-weary expression—that reminded him of her mom Lucy. Regardless, something made him know immediately that that was Julie, and even though he expected to see her, he wasn’t quite prepared.

I love this comment so much! I mentioned to my husband last night that this Ponderosa is probably the most fun one ever, except for the one with Coach and Courtney and their awesome band (whose name I’ve forgotten). I’m still catching up on comments, but I have to say the best thing ever was watching Angelina’s mad negotiating skillz, lol—didn’t know Harvard’s methodology entails offering basically everything up immediately (oops, I guess it’s Yale’s Theorem...sorry, Harvard!). All in all, I’ve been loving this season, and I almost chose to not watch because of how bad the last few have been. The level of gameplay’s better, the conversation amongst the castaways is more intelligent and fun, and the editing is much improved. Another thing I love watching is Jeff’s confused face after a completely understandable remark from Christian (and if that’s an editing trick, bravo to the editors!).

I agree with everything you’ve written, except the last bit about Dan: I can’t find him endearing at all because he seems like such a chauvinist. (Of course, I may be being led to think that by the editing, and he may actually be a good egg. He just seems to get so much more incensed at the females than he does at the dudes.) This is such an enjoyable season, so I’m glad I decided to watch, although the premiere was on my PVR for a couple of weeks. There are enough intelligent cast members so the level of discussion seems much more intelligent/interesting than in recent seasons—maybe there are some new editors onboard, too, who knows? Also, I’m a big fan of Mike’s, so his appearance was a fun surprise for me.

Even with the uneven writing and plot holes, this show is one I really enjoy. Linney’s and Bateman’s acting is great, seems effortless. I was naive, though, before I got to the last couple of episodes—based on the title of this one, I thought, “Yay, they’re going to make their escape to the Gold Coast!” Um, nope. I enjoyed seeing Wendy become more and more pragmatic and ruthless while Marty started making emotional-and-not-always-the-best decisions, also liked the interaction between Wendy and the lawyer. Someone better rescue that baby!

No worries—I was being bossy in a jokey way :)

That drives me batshit nuts! It’s such an Emporer’s New Clothes phenomen, especially with The Walking Dead. I’m glad you brought it up, lol. I, too, loved Junebug and Amy Adam’s performance in it. I should give it a rewatch because I’ve forgotten a lot; I do remember the characters ended up being quite different than who they seemed to be initially. For me, Gone Girl the movie didn’t work, but I often don’t like film adaptations because I get too caught up in the minutia of book details, and a movie can never match what’s in my head. I didn’t like Affleck in that role, nor Rosamund Pike—even though I like them fine in other stuff. For me, Gillian Flynn’s books are perfect summertime reading. And I think she’s great at creating compelling, completely fucked up female characters. I do think she has trouble wrapping up stories, though, at least to my satisfaction. About Milk—I’ve been reading that people think Camille will cover for Amma or that the ending was somehow lighthearted with the whole “Don’t tell mama” dialogue. Now, while I thInk those words were a mistake, I never got the idea that Camille wouldn’t want to do what’s right; we saw simply saw her at the point of her discovery, and naturally she’d be in a shocked fog of incomprehensible horror for a minute or two, before the cut to black. I, too, missed the murders that happened after the credits rolled, so while that annoyed me (what if I hadn’t read this forum? I might never have known!), I actually did like the method of the quick-cut scenes that explained the how. Thanks everyone for the intelligent comments throughout the series’ run! (Oh, and spankydoll? I am scarred forever. That needed to be buried under a spoiler tag or something—eek!)

Thanks—I completely forgot she told anyone else besides Vik. Cole running with the urn was funny, but once again I ended up thinking he’s a selfish prick. Basically abandoning his young daughter for hours on the day of her mom’s funeral (not to mention how confusing that stunt would have been to her) = not cool at all. YMMV, of course. I feel like the only poster who doesn’t love Cole. I just want to add how much I’ve enjoyed everyone’s insights and opinions, even those I disagree with. Lots of smart people here.

And the beauty of this is Sierra won’t just take it, she’ll get under Vik’s mom’s skin in a way that Helen never could. Just think of all the retreats she’ll invite Priya to and all the new agey advice she’ll give her—hell, Sierra might even share with her the ancient practice of yoga! It’s win-win. See, I thought Ben showed a menacing side to him when Cole ran into him outside of Alison’s apartment a few episodes ago. It was striking because it was such an abrupt change from the humble “I’m just trying to be a better human” side he’d shown at AA in the same episode. And I’ve complained about Joanie not looking like Cole before. It bothers me because that was a pivotal plot point—Scotty noticed her strong resemblance to Cole when he ran into Alison and the baby, so he threatened Alison that he’d tell. (Yes, babies’ eyes change color, but she was beyond the age when this happens, IME. I’ll admit I’m irritationally annoyed at this casting choice.)

I love that even as a vampire Hoover immediately went back to work, lol.

With a hook like this, how could I resist watching what would obviously be a kick-ass, awesome season? I’m in! I also like Luisa and would like to see her POV. Both versions of this latest episode made me sad. In the first, I found Ben creepy and just wanted Alison to make a clean break, but instead she let him fix her faucet and then felt obligated to let him and his b.s. stay over. (It’s this version where he talked about tying his wife up so he didn’t have to look at her, right? And Alison still hooked up with him? That’s nuts!) In version 2, I ended up feeling like a jerk because I was victim-shaming: I kept yelling at the TV for her to pretend she had to go get Joanie or to just walk outside. Alison’s demise felt demoralizing to me, in a surprisingly strong way. I guess I’m getting old.