Blister

The show ended and I thought my DVR recording was off, had missed a chunk of the program. Checked the guide and saw "no, that was the end" ... such an odd no-end-end ... maybe that's the point. Really, they should have played The Clash "Should I Stay or Should I Go?" (From 1982, so right era) I didn't miss Oleg's story. I've found it too slow to care about. But I was glad Martha was going to get to raise a child: she's a trooper! Am I the only one who thought the CIA pulled back on the defector family because they were looking at P+E more closely? When Eliz. did the slow scan of her closet, then the kitchen, the living room, etc., I thought "she sees something is off, like the place was gone over when they were away and she's noted things that have been moved." Count me in the camp that definitely thinks Renee is an agent. I'm not sure which side, but there's a plan going on. I wish P+E had her story of a flood checked out.

Nene sucks. She's over this show, but needs the money and the boost to other, more acceptable projects. Greg is just there for the food. Between being single and being married to Greg, I'd take being single. Cynthia was never a doormat, but she was deferential. She didn't need to win every argument. Now she needs to not lose -- which is slightly different. And Porsha, Phaedra, and Nene are used to dumping on her, so having it all thrown off, back at their feet is what they're protesting. She DID tell Kenya and Claudia about Mr. Chocolate and made it all that, which we don't know if it was all that, but I see that as a possible Producer-insists situation. I like Cynthia. I'm happy she outed Phaedra's poor track record in court. Kenya is my favorite. A lot of the drama is about crying over spilt milk and she is just pointing that out. But she doesn't even get to make her point before the others have to jump in and argue about anything they can to deflect her reasoning. They never let her speak. I think Phaedra intended to be someone else on this show. Her attitude about that guy with the huge penis was probably more the real Phae-Phae. But then Apollo got all up in her business and she found herself having to defend ground she thought she'd already won. That's what pissed her off. She knows he's low down and dirty, but she didn't think he'd be willing to be that on HER TV show. She though her purse strings would corral him and it didn't work, so she is just all kinds of irked. She doesn't even speak good English, so I'm not having any trouble believing Cynthia's allegations. She also miscalculated regarding Kandi and I thought she looked like she wanted to go back to how it was, but again, was so caught up in what the whole Apollo mess has branded her as, she couldn't crack an emotion. Unless it's fake tears, Phaedra is not going to spring a leak: she's bound up in her own fables. Porsha? Child, move on. You're done and no amount of Bravo cutting to you for reaction shots will bring you back. I like Claudia. I thought she came in as an honest person and tried to rise above and it didn't work, but I look at that as a function of her playmates. If the show gets worthy women, everyone will rise to the occasion, certainly Claudia will. Kandi is a fool and the smartest person there. She wouldn't have millions if she subsidizes wages of 30 people for no work. Let's see Phaedra do that with her money. I do think it was a big deal. Phaedra is overly concerned about her own reputation and good name, but allows no room for her BFF to feel the same. Kandi put herself out there -- and tied in her marriage by making Todd part of it -- and needed to prove her choices were smart to her mother most of all, but also to herself. When that show failed, it had to be a low, low moment. She doesn't need to ask "is anyone else having a worse time?" before she gets to feel it. But Kandi is a fool because she forgot that Phaedra is on a TV show. Unless she completely says out loud and proud in front of a camera "we're fine, I just said XX because YY" then there is more to the story. I think Kandi's been around long enough she should have known how the show works. She smelled the smoke, but didn't think there could be much of a fire as there was. As for the charity check -- no one seems to have pointed out the obvious flaw in Nene's position. She says "why would you go on social media and show it to the world?" … because everyone DOES THAT. Charity functions and the donations are not secret and no one expects them to be. It's more remarkable when someone gives a bunch of money and doesn't advertise it -- the charities themselves don't want it that way. They know that money brings in money. Someone making a PR splash of "I gave $20K to the Detroit Schools" makes anyone who hears that think "Oh, is that a charity? I should do that!" … there's a lot of value in PR and hiding their light under a NO-Social Media bushel doesn't help any charity. They want all the press they can get. Which Nene would know, if she was a charitable person. But I think she is not. Kenya, meanwhile, came up through the pageant system which is a lot about charity. She knows. Nene will learn.

Love this. I agree! Why anyone has any time to spend on Kyle if they've seen the show at all is beyond me. I don't like how the new women sometimes pretend they never saw the show. We hear it's so popular in Hollywood, all those guests on WWHL (a lot of them, anyway) say they watch it -- so someone like Eileen comes on the show and is so clueless? That's just stupid. But to come on the show and support Kyle when you must have watched all the shit she's pulled over and over in the past seasons? I just do not get it. She's awful. Ha ha … a friend had lunch at Villa Blanca a couple of years ago and Kyle was there with some friends. My friend watches the show, loves LisaV, so she recognized Kyle. My friend went to the restroom at one point and was primping in front of the mirror before leaving when Kyle came in. She says Kyle looked at her with a look that suggested "you know me, right? you want to compliment me or get my autograph?" … my friend didn't acknowledge the look and left quickly. I'm such a celebrity fan, so giddy, but have to admit -- I'd walk out, too. There's something about her that feels deep down rotten to me. As I've stated, I think she needs serious therapy, but even with that, she's just got ethics I question.

I can't think of any lie Brandi has told. I think she too often tells the bald truth and the other parties must rush to paint their own golden glow over plain facts. I do believe Kyle told her Lisa and Ken had declared a bankruptcy. Maybe she put it in terms she could retract, but Brandi didn't pull that out of her ass. And I do believe her about the magazines, too. It's why I have so much continuing grief with Lisa. It was a small stupid thing, if Lisa had owned it and apologized. Instead she started WWIII and pinned it all on Brandi. I don't see Brandi as someone who likes to stir up arguments between cast members. She just insists on truth; not PR. Kyle has lived her whole life in LA and is used to spin that saves face. Talk crap behind their back, be sweet in their face. We see it constantly with her where she's nice in person and says shit in the THs. What strikes me about Brandi's back and forth is in their face she says the bald facts, in her THs she insists it's true. She will make snarky comments, sure -- they all do, but I find the more mean-spirited comments come from Kyle and LisaV. LisaR's comments are funny, Eileen's are vague and self-righteous, and Kim's are drifting in and out from Ego-town. "It's all about me!" -- "Stop talking about me, allow me privacy!"

Keep forgetting to add that the US spent $2B per year at one time (not sure if it's still true) in clearing vitamin capsules from sewage systems -- because they just go through the body and don't even get used. Found this. Now, when I got vitamin recommendations from someone who knows what she's talking about, she stressed certain companies because their stuff was chelated (prepared to be better absorbed by the body) … given how serious Yo is about her regimen, I suspect she's looked into the brands thoroughly. It would be such a shame if they're just passing through her system unused.

I look back at all their interactions and judge them to be unhappy people -- and I admit to only being able to do that, since I don't know someone who knows someone who knew the Richard Sisters growing up. And by the way, knowing someone in person can tell you a lot, if you're close to them. But you still know nothing they don't want to admit to, flat out. I don't think, from my armchair psychology, that this is the kind of thing that manifests itself right away. It's the repetition of patterns that's doing the damage now. When they're starting out, and just after she died, they're fresh -- new pain, new lives without Mom, children to raise, basically changing scenery. But now they're in the part of the rinse/repeat cycle and all that banging against the things they never worked out is worse. They're quicker to jump to imagined slights. They're quicker to discount each others complaints. They have developed short-hand for getting through life on the same terms. I'm suggesting rewriting the terms. And for all of us, no matter who our parents were, it's our upbringing. At least, on some level. Now here are the Richard girls with a single-ish/remarrying mama with quite the reputation, whether embellished or not, but yes, a huge childhood in Hollywood, working for Disney for one and traipsing behind picking up the leftovers for the other. To misquote Gertrude Stein "There is there there." I'm in that group that thinks everyone could benefit from therapy. But heck, the concept of al-anon is already out there, I didn't invent that. Families with addicts suffer, too, and need help, too. Someone like Kyle, who has stayed close to Kim, worried about her and used her (to get on this show; I don't think they'd have cast Kyle as easily without her offering Kim up), there is damage. For the love of God, for the sake of her children, for the sake of her marriage, FOR ME, DAMN IT! LOL … she needs therapy. Three times a week. And it will be quicker if they don't sugar-coat their mother's role -- however imperfect we all are, it's recognizing and forgiving those imperfections that help us move forward to our own disasters.

Need is something only the person themselves can decide. To me, I can see that they would both benefit from individual therapy AND joint therapy. No way can their issues be solved without some work together, because they experienced it together, even if differently. "It's about time to stop blaming Big Kathy" … uh, where was I? I don't recall long conversations or anything saying Big Kathy is wholly to blame or even mostly to blame and never in conjunction with Paris. You surprise me. I've never heard Kim nor Kyle say "Mom screwed us up" -- so whatever chatter is out there in the ether or not, they haven't come to that. THEY still revere her and cry because she's dead. Meanwhile, they are both seriously fucked up people and SO unhappy. That's the heartbreak. No matter what they have, they are depressed and unhappy people. I think Yo is basically a happy person -- driven, but happy. I think Lisa V is mostly happy. I think Lisa R and Eileen have had therapy of worked through whatever impeded them, if anything, and are also mostly happy people. But Brandi? Kim? Kyle? All three are cautionary tales -- "planes and yachts are nice, but my happiness comes from … something I haven't found yet."

If only Kim and Kyle weren't enjoying the attention … and on a certain level, they're loving it. I think Kyle is one of those gals who keeps charts on how often she appears or how many minutes of an episode are devoted to her life. And Kim just looks at it as more of the life's work she must do, under the invisible lash of Big Kathy. Yeah, I think it would be the wake up call of the century were Kim to be fired. Just don't see it happening because Bravo is not a caring organization (about them personally or their mental health) and Kim and Kyle will do anything to stay.

I'm reminded of THE PRINCE OF TIDES. Nick Nolte was the brother who managed to appear normal, even while hiding a deep, dark, horrifying secret that was torturing him and torturing his sister, who tried to commit suicide a few times. IIRC, the other brother had died and the mother wasn't talking, but they'd been through a horrible event many years before and because no one would say it out loud, it continued to fuck with them. I think we're on a ride with Kyle and Kim and Kathy and the other women get pulled into the Triple-K vortex and spun out again, damaged or slightly mauled; either smarter for it or thinking they somehow didn't do it right and ready to fall in again. We've heard from many sources and history with other Hollywood kids, that Kim was the breadwinner for her sometimes single mother of three. She supported her family and I don't care how together a kid is, they're still a kid and that has long-lasting repercussions. So many of them don't survive at all. That Kim has an addiction problem? Part and parcel of Hollywood's legacy for child stars. But Kyle is also in that realm, though not as focused on. She lived a tangential life, with Kim the star, Kim the focus, Kim the "wanted" one. She talks up her own career, which doesn't have support if you look at her imdb listing, but over all of that, IMO she is just as fucked up as Kim. She's not some savior on the outside, she's another victim. Where I have a problem with her is when she puts on the behavior of Big Kathy and uses Kim. And she does USE Kim. The first overt example of this, that shocked a lot of us, I think, was in the back of the limo end of S1. Saying Kyle is only there for Kim when they're shooting the show is just more of the same BK manner. Kyle is probably getting whiplash going back and forth between "mothering" Kim and being her sister … imagine Faye Dunaway in CHINATOWN … "My daughter … my sister … my daughter." Kyle is in need of therapy; don't know if she's gotten any, just as much as Kim. Kathy did what she could and escaped as soon as she was able. But she's part of it. She's the one who knows the truth but "proves" it doesn't need to affect them, because damn! look at her life! Look at her success! Kyle probably feels she's not part of the damage because she has those times with her family and Mauricio. Until one or all of them are willing to own up to Big Kathy's affect for what it really was and get therapy, they will never recover in a meaningful way. Right now I don't even see evidence that they want to recover. Kyle clings to the idea that she's normal and nursing an addict sister as some sort of weight around her neck, instead of seeing that they are all mutually fucked up and perpetuating the cycle. Kim might be closest to saying it out loud to a therapist, because she's the one who earned all that money that was used and stolen from her just as her childhood was. I don't blame Brandi for being pulled into the Richard Sisters Twisted Hell. Brandi comes from a different fucked up reality: a scorned wife. For all that the other women constantly use her name as an adjective, she is the only single woman besides Kim -- and Kim never could have been successfully married because her SO was always her mother -- and so Brandi has a different reality. Every other woman can come home to someone who 100% supports them and loves them regardless, who will stick when the show is over. Brandi did something really brave when she recognized that she was Lisa's pawn and called it quits. But she got fucked over because this is not real life, after all, it's a TV show. All Lisa had to do is what someone up thread said, continue to say the sky was purple until the other women caved and joined in "the sky is purple" and tagged on "and Brandi was the bitch who tried to destroy you" … it's not true. But Lisa knows sticking to the narrative will gain her a "win" … She's wrong, though, I think, because I see the backlash against her growing. I think Bravo paid PUMP money to use the restaurant for Lisa's shoot, at least some costs, and Ken is a business man before almost all else. So they added in "if we're gonna pay for all this, you have to include Brandi." I do think she had reason to be insulted because his delivery was bald. If I wanted to tell someone to behave, I wouldn't put it so plainly. I'd say "please try to not let anyone make you upset. I want the focus to be Lisa. I know that there's history between all of you and issues at the moment, but if we could set those aside just for the party, I'd appreciate it" … there. Grace. No insult. But he wasn't in the mood, IMO because Bravo forced his hand. And given that Ken invited her, I thought it was crass 100% for Kyle or even Lisa to say out loud "why is Brandi here?" and for Kyle to compound it by saying it in a TH interview. But no one in this group is classy. If Lisa doesn't say it to their face, she says it OFTEN and clearly in her TH interviews. Yolanda is the classiest, but even she can err in her interviews. Lisa Lips Rinna is probably the one of the two new girls who will continue on, because she is so entertaining. Eileen is a boring version of Brandi. Thinking she has something useful to offer to FIX problems, willing to speak up when all that will get her is TH backlash, and sometimes just south of the borderline towards revealing too much. If she was a drinker, she could be Brandi. But Eileen has wealth, a job she can count on (or two or three), an Emmy, and most importantly: a husband who has name recognition, too.

I'm thinking that was a fake office for the HW scenes -- like the real offices couldn't be used, so he whipped up some mock office so Kenya and Demetria can shoot their scenes. Is she a new HW or a "friend" this season? I am not unhappy with Cynthia's comment about Phaedra because Phaedra has made many a comment about all the women. She doesn't hold it in during Talking Heads, so why should the other ladies when it comes to her situation? And she has been sanctimonious about her marriage and "respect my marriage" etc. so now she's spinning on a dime with her husband -- who at this point is still her husband -- and someone notices and says "your slip is showing" … that's mild. And frankly, with Bravo editing, Cynthia could have said it about something else and they used it there. I don't trust them with their editing any more than RogerBobb. I loved that outfit Claudia was wearing. I wish I could pull that look off, but yellow is a tough color and she's got a smokin' body. Tonight on WWHL Phaedra looked very thin in the face and her upper lip looked like it had been surgically altered. She used to have a deep V middle upper lip, didn't she? Tonight it was straight across. I think all of them except Nene and Cynthia are much smaller in person than they appear on screen. And Nene and Cynthia are just much taller than they look. I think Riley may be going through a chubby phase, but also probably is smaller in person. I hate Kandi Mother. (SIC) I am not happy with the aunt who pushed Kandi into the talk, either. KM sitting there not saying a word … my blood began to boil. I wish she'd said to Kandi that "I'll just stay in my old house, I'll be fine" because I'd like to see that. I would not want to own one thing Nene made because all the fabrics looked super cheap, like the kind of stuff that sells for $1 a yard at regular price.

I don't feel that Kandi is truly loving towards her mother. Joyce looks an ass on this show and Kandi gets her on the show and in scenes and then discusses sensitive situations with her. It's not love to insist that someone show all their flaws to millions of people. Joyce has far too much ego or she'd realize it herself. I just can't watch people like Kandi and Joyce, who think they know "the truth" and that the rest of people and their opinions are second class. We probably all have someone in our family who embarrasses us, or for whom we feel protective. We cannot change them, though we might have tried, so we have come to accept the bad with the good. I'm okay, if that's where Kandi is in her relationship with her mother. But I'm not okay with Kandi letting Joyce destroy other people on her dime. Joyce may be a bomb, but Kandi's lighting the fuse. I'm so sick of Nene. Truly sick of her. That whole "girl, bye" catchphrase is RUDE. I reply to her in the same way. If only she weren't Andy Cohen's favorite, she'd be long gone. As for Cynthia, I think she is truly beautiful, inside and out. But her lack of self-esteem is painful to watch. I actually don't mind her accommodating her husband because I don't think Peter is against Nene simply because of her rudeness at Kenya's charity or later in Mexico. I think he's against her because he saw how Cynthia bloomed without the oppression of Nene on the phone 10x a day. In this sense, Peter is fighting for the best Cynthia and that's what a wife should get from her hubby. That it benefits him? Well, IMO only in the way that a happier Cynthia is more joyful to be around. Their marriage is more important than her friendship with Nene.

I'm waiting for the scene where Kandi sits in on Todd's business meetings and gets up in the face of his boss. Yeah, like that would happen. THAT pisses me off, frankly - that because she's a woman and maybe because she's somewhat insecure, her husband gets his hand in her businesses, but never the reverse.

I love this show, so sorry it's been cancelled. This episode did seem to speed forward, as if it was made after they got the news the show was cancelled. Glad we can see all they made of them, though.

I like Kenya and I did think she was really crying. When they followed her to the bathroom, she was removing her mic pack, as in "I'm done" -- it's a tell. She was serious. Plus, what she said that they caught because of the mic, that her nieces were questioning her behavior because of the show, sounds like something Kenya would never reveal in front of the cameras, so I trust that was real. The package was fake: the set-up with boxing and other people, when we all know there's cameras and camerapeople there, and that everyone shown on screen had to sign a waiver, and there was lighting … so toss in that, and it might feel that Kenya's tears weren't true, but I don't think Kenya knew what Kandi was telling her and possibly had been told by production that Kandi was going to apologize. This would make Kenya start dreaming of how she's going to be redeemed, only to have her crash when Kandi says "the nightmare isn't over." It felt real. Just as, to me, the Peter and Apollo conversation about Fakedra felt real. It didn't seem like he realized that would be embarrassing to her, but rather it was his reason (as someone else posted) for his belief that Fakedra was going to stand by him: she did all THAT, so why is she balking now? Add to that, his reason for why he lied about Kenya also felt real. She outed him texting her and he covered with a lie about why it wasn't all him. I'm also in the camp that sees how clearly Apollo shines for Kenya. When he's lying on his cot listening to 300 men snore all around him, it's Kenya's face that's gonna be in his head. And I think he loves his boys the way men like Apollo love their children and wives: Secondarily, after their prime concern (themselves) has all needs met. Nene vs. Cynthia …. I'm with Cynthia. Todd vs. DJ … I'm with DJ. Proshop with anyone? I'm with ANYONE ELSE. That girl nearly made me not watch this season. I hope Claudia is a replacement for her donk dink doopie ass.

I was happiest to see Brandi again. She looks like she's stopped doing drastic fillers, which is good. I was surprised not to be unhappy to see Adrienne and Taylor, but I'm also happy that neither is really returning. Kyle lost me so quickly, as soon as she had to brag about how much her party means to the people of Beverly Hills. As if. I thought Harry Hamlin looked really good, but Lisa Rinna didn't look as plasticky as she has in the past. And their home is now my favorite HW house. I want to live there! However, I do think their girls seemed a bit stuck-up, but that could be shyness with the new reality show crew. I don't know, were they included in the previous reality shows with the Hamlins? I giggled when Yolanda begged David for "one note" and then he kept playing and playing and playing … STOP ALREADY. No, no, Ms. Vanderpump is not going to get away with a non-apology "I'm the victim, bloody hell" this season. She's gotta suck it up … one hopes.