Squirrely

I really enjoyed this episode not being Timmy-centric as much. It's nice to see the other brothers get separate stories. And Wendy is a winner in my book. Girlfriend drives a Karmann Ghia! :)

James really liked the bat soup on Survivor. They showed it in detail too. *gag* I'm enjoying the Vietnam flashbacks and Kevin's journey so far. I kind of hope Kevin finds out nothing and accepts it. Locating the woman in the picture in any way, especially after learning that necklace is a dime a dozen, is going to be going too far, even for this show. Which means nothing, I know! The roadtrip was odd. It's Rebecca's dream, yet she's willing to give it up because the first company she took her demo to didn't jump up and down and sign her immediately? Does she not know that nearly every great artist had to bust ass and pitch their demos to multiple agents and labels? Next week can we learn that Randall's political story was all a dream? Pretty please?

Meh. I feel like, as usual, too much time was focused on the wrong thing. It was that much worse knowing that poor Rufus was never going to be allowed to live. And come on! Jamie and Claire knew it in the book. Why are they so much dumber in the show? Jamie knew it right away in the book, and Claire fully understood the situation quickly as well. Moving him to the house, putting him through the whole hook removal, and then upstairs to their bed (really?) just prolonged his misery. The actress playing Jocasta is amazing. She's a Mackenzie all right! Also quite enjoyed the actor plying JQM, even though he's nothing like I imagined. His scene with Young Ian was the highlight of the episode for me. Lots of foreshadowing Ian's future there. Ulysses and Phaedra were also cast very well. This episode's character introductions helped make up for the baby faced kid playing Bonnet, that's for sure! Though I'm still really missing Duncan Innes.

What a terrifying idea. Teens need bodily autonomy and privacy. And think about the flip side. Most people who share the bolded notion do so because they don't think teens should be allowed to go on BC without their parents' knowledge and consent. Consequently, these tend to be the same people who think abstinence-only "education" is the way to go despite all evidence to the contrary. I'm so thankful I was able to go to Planned Parenthood when I was 17 without my parents being part of it, and they wouldn't have kicked me or anything like that. Plenty of other teens have real reason to fear in extremely conservative homes, and I'd much rather see them have the freedom to make those choices if at all possible than to allow others to force things on their teens.

In the book, he is even more reluctant to help, and he acknowledges that the British weren't always wrong in who they arrested and sentenced to death. But at the same time, you have to remember the lifelong pain and suffering his family has been dealt by England. It would have been very tough to be in his shoes at that moment.

I know in the book the aspect of Jamie being a Catholic is an important aspect, but I didnt hear it in the show. That's what I was asking. It seemed to be something about rents. I'll have to turn on the CC when I watch again.

Can someone help me out with what was said in the land conversion with Tryon? It's been awhile since I read Drums... I thought there was an issue with landowners being required to be Protestant, right? Were they just discussing rents in the show? I rewound it 3 times to try to understand what they were saying, but with the soft speaking and the accents, it was a struggle.

Anyone else catch Bonnet foreshadowing his own death with the nightmare talk? Stakit to droon! Maybe Bree won't mercy shoot him in the show. I never thought he deserved it.

I think calling adults by first names is definitely cultural/regional and alone is not indicative of whether a kid has manners. Everything else we see from Max and Diego makes it clear, though! I grew up in the Midwest in the 80s and always called friends' parents by their first names, as they did mine. And believe me, manners were the forefront of my upbringing, as they are my daughter's, who calls adults by their first names as well. I cannot stand to be called Mrs. Firstname or Mrs. Lastname and will ask anyone of any age to address me simply by my first name! It just feels very formal and fussy to me, and most everyone I know in this region.

Randall isn't going to lose, is he? That's the only outcome that could salvage this ridiculous plotline for me. Has no one involved in this show sold GS cookies? Lord! Cookie Booths are a serious business. If it's an official site, you're scheduled in advance. If it's not, you'd still need manager/company approval to just set up somewhere. Other than Randall's family, who used to be my absolute favorites, I'm enjoying this season. I think we all knew Kevin was going to end up in Vietnam. Even if it does end totally predictably, I've found it interesting. Kate and Toby have been an improvement as well. So I'm still holding out hope for this show!

I feel the same. The mom was MUCH better in the episode. A little more subtle, and she seemed to at least like her kids a little bit. Every part of that god-awful salad was comedy gold! That poor boy slurping it down as his late night snack... my stomach hurt from laughing. Really hope this show keeps it up.

I got a The Wonder Years meets Malcolm in the Middle vibe, but the actress playing the mom is no Jane Kaczmarek. I really do hope she softens up some as I found her to be a real downer. The children's theater sandwiched between a strip joint and massage parlor cracked me up. And I did love that the mom and older brother left 2 kids aged 12 and younger to find their way back home after dark from the sketchy "Hollyweird." Definitely a throwback to a time when helicopter parenting was not the norm! I was born in 1980 so this is a little before my time, but I still can relate. I recognized the Hi-C can with 2 holes right away, didn't wear seatbelts much until the 90s, and I remember our first TV with a remote! My parents were not hip with the times when it came to technology and their house is very 80s-90s to this day.

He ate a cashew and smirked. Totally disgraceful. I am a firm believer in logical consequences. If that were my child at that age, she would have (never acted that way, but) washed out that dish and we would have bought those people a new package of cashews. And my child would have worked off the cost with extra chores at home. You don't have to be big and scary as a parent to pull that off, either. They're not doing themselves or the kids any favors by letting them run amok. There are just no excuses, and I don't buy that it's just when they're filming. Jen would have something to offer the situations other than pointless counting and idiotic giggling by now!

I'll join you at the lonely table! My absolute favorite parenting quote is, "You can spoil a child with presents, not presence." If Riley were having a tantrum in a store over a toy and Adam swooped in to buy it, that's one thing. But comforting an absolutely exhausted toddler who has no control left and no comprehension as to why she's so absolutely fucking miserable? That's good parenting in my book. Riley is a spitfire, no doubt. But I see every other quint throw fits and steal toys from others, and smack and kick. Riley just has no other way to get the individual attention she clearly craves. If they showered her with positive reinforcement more often it would curb some of that (not all, and she will have to learn that she can't always be the center of attention in her household). Look at how she absolutely glowed during the sharing exercise with the cookies. And she could not have been any more freaking adorable at Hazel's appointment, trying to feed her sis the answers. How many 3 year-olds are clever enough to mouth the answers like she did? (I wanted to slap the shit out of her parents for teasing her about a shot.) Heck, maybe the kid is bored to tears at home and needs some more challenging activities. Kids will act up in school when they're beyond what their peers are doing. Ugh, my apologies for sounding too much like the rabid Hazel fans on SM. My heart just goes out to Riley for the reputation she has and how she's going to feel when she watches these episodes in the coming years.

They lose me on this as well. Yeah, Mimi seems a bit flakey. But she clearly did something right as a single mom! Ashley owns and runs her own salon and has a lovely family. I don't know what Crystal did before having kids, but she seems to be an amazing mom, has a lovely family, and is probably the biggest supporter Danielle has. Her aunt duties are not for the weak! And Danielle, like her or not, has an amazing strength I could only dream of having. She's not afraid of hard work! Kids learn by example. Someone sure set an amazing one for those 3 women.

That doctor was indeed creepy. But his comment about the nurses reminded me of my time as a phlebotomist at the local hospital. My shift started at 5am for those fun early blood draws every patient loves. One morning I had the post-partum floor and I interrupted a teen couple getting it on. And yes, the female half of that couple was the one who'd just given birth the day before. So it does happen! Not that it excuses that doctor in the least. I'm ready for everything Lexus to be left on the cutting room floor. I just do not care! And I find it wildly inappropriate that we're still hearing all about the girl she was with. Not that same sex relationships are happening, but every little thing about what she's doing now, and all this imagined drama that may happen at the prom. This other girl is not in her life. Why keep talking about her and referring to her by name? Leave it be and move the frick on, or save it for when the cameras are off and respect the privacy of a teenager. These people are all ridiculous and I have no idea why I'm still watching this mess.

I normally find Austin insufferable, but I just can't blame him over the fondue rules. One, his family runs that camp. I imagine (or hope!) that a lot of caution and cleanliness is used when preparing meals for campers. Two, he's been exposed to the Duggars' disgusting eating habits. Homemade Alfredo is so easy to make with fresh ingredients! I have no problem with jarred tomato based sauces, but not Alfredo. And if you're going to make it, why not take a little time to make it delicious? It does not take long to mince some fresh garlic and shred some fresh cheeses. It really doesn't. And it freezes really well so you can make a huge batch and have plenty for future meals. I was gagging at that "recipe."

Am I the only one who thought all of the dresses were ugly? Though I'm guessing this was like an episode of House Hunters. Lauren had already closed the deal on her dress and was touring others for a storyline. All those lace dresses were their version of formica counter tops and white appliances. Why have her try them otherwise?

I'm glad I'm not alone in this thought. I thought the whole point was "until death do us part," so what's to renew? Have an anniversary party to celebrate those vows still holding! I could possibly see it for a long-time couple that separated and got back together. Or if my neighbors, who will celebrate their 60th (!) year of marriage soon, wanted to celebrate that way, I guess I could see it (that's so not their thing, though). But 5 years of fundie marriage where splitting isn't even an option?

The prices at Goodwill have gone up a LOT. I can go buy new clothes at some stores or on clearance at comparable prices anymore, even with the 10% off with the handy Goodwill card. I used to drive an hour plus to hit the locations in wealthy suburbs of Indianapolis for almost all of my daughter's clothes, but it's just not worth it anymore. I still get some good deals there on occasion, but not like I used to. I wasn't surprised at all at the $20 budget.

Oh, god. I didn't even entertain the idea of Courtney winning until reading this thread. I love that music era, but all I hear is a little girl damaging her vocal cords by screaming nonstop. She'd be better suited working the haunted houses next month and doing voice overs for horror flicks. I don't really love anyone enough to hope they win (I'm just not wowed by Shin Lim, nor do I see him as eye candy to enjoy. There, I said it.), but I'd rather see one of the not remotely funny comedians take it over her.

Jeez, the oldest marriage in that group is 3 years and they make it sound about as fun as a chain gang. That's what happens when you have zero privacy or real intimacy before saying "I do." And I don't mean sex (though I personally found it important beforehand). I loved that Jinger was obsessing over wearing unwashed thrift store clothes. I'm right there with you, Jing. I love to thrift, but it all goes straight to the washing machine when I get home with it! The thrift store date night thing was big on SM for awhile. Some members of my husband's family wanted us to do it with them. Yeah, that didn't happen. Poor Kendra. Everyone else was dressed up and she looked like she was going to spend the night binge watching something on Netflix (if that were allowed). But she was sweet about it. Her pregnancy probably made it more difficult. She and Joe are pretty adorable, I'll give them that. For now.

So...a Catholic church you've never attended actually expects you to be practicing the religion to hold a baptism for you?? How unreasonable! Said no one ever, other than Mariah's idiotic family.

She'd look better, which I think is the point you're making? If you watch Survivor you'll know exactly what I mean. I'm always floored when I watch the reunion shows and it takes a minute to recognize some of the women with their TV makeup troweled on. I'll admit I'm totally jealous of the dog DNA test. I've wanted to do them for my 2 rescues who I can only make educated guesses about. It's interesting, just like the human DNA tests (which I have done)! Bobby and Danielle were both really sweet and thoughtful in their gifts to each other.

I cringed at this too! I'm not a huge germaphobe, but I'm pretty structured and obsessive about food prep. That package could have been sneezed on, stepped on, dropped on the floor of the warehouse and/or store, etc. Clean the counter and use it, or use a clean plate or tray.