JudyObscure

I feel like a fool for thinking the Clare Show would be a nice change with a mature woman, forgetting that maturity is not a number. What a hot mess she turned out to be, and it all showed up in one episode. The love language date was so wrong, the men didn't understand that the "affirmations" were supposed to be about Clare not themselves, and Clare is so needy she somehow heard them as about her and cried over it. Then we had Jason's therapy session. His parents should sue the show for telling the world their marriage is so bad both sons are ruined. All the time he and Clare were reading the negative words about themselves, I was remembering, "When people tell you who they are, believe them." The strip dodge ball was equal parts wrong and silly. Clare? They didn't stand up and have a fist fight over who would be first to "steal you for a minute" because they didn't get the signal yet. Doesn't this show have a stage director? I blame Hannah Brown for most of this. She set records for popularity because she was always yelling at the men. I think Clare has got it in her head that's she's going to be the new "strong woman" only all she has to go with is that she was at her father's bedside when he died (as relatives often are) and her hissy fit at Juan Pablo. She was so mad a that poor bewildered Brandon. She sent him home just for saying he wanted to be on the show because she was so beautiful and not saying it was because of her "drive" and "standing up for herself." Clare thinks everyone should be so impressed with the Juan Pablo thing, but we haven't forgotten that thirty seconds before she called him a horrible person who could never father her children, she was going to accept his proposal. She likes all the guys I can't stand, like Blake, the rule breaker who talks like a little boy. He's the type who would break promises to his wife and then give her a bunch of flattering bull shit as a reason. She likes Riley, the hot head who wanted to fight Yosef simply for saying, "I think I speak for all of us when I say we are all here for you," or some such. Riley may actually have the most in common with Clare, they both like making noise just for the attention. Dale's not that into her. What about that gleaming zipper up the back of Clare's blue dress? Are metal zippers making a come back?

Something about Helene, her radiant smile, her lack of fight, made me think maybe there was something so special about her that she really did change him. He had raped before and planned to go on raping with the added thrill of murder, but something about Helene haunted him enough to stop. He was also very quick, almost eager, to confess, the way a person with a conscience would be. Maybe it caught me in a weak moment, but I'd like to think that some of her goodness wiped out some of his evil and that Helene has been happily singing in a heavenly choir all this time with no memory of how she died.

Add me to the Dale is gorgeous train. I wonder if one of his parents is Thai or Vietnamese. I think that mix with African American creates some of the most beautiful people I've seen.

I'm hoping Alan will stay in his life somehow and he'll start by reassuring Harrison that Ted was already very close to death, had come home to die, and all he talked about was seeing the place where he and his wife had honeymooned one last time. Even if it's not all 100% true it should be framed so that Harrison would think he did Ted a good turn by taking him to the beach and wasn't responsible for Ted's death. Alan's probably going to have to give up the supermarket job for Celia, but he could keep weekly visits with Harrison as part of the bargain.

So sorry about your silent stroke, Pamela Mae Snap. I use Prell if I don't like the way my hair-color turned out. It can strip out a too dark Nice 'n Easy in one washing.

Not as good as a spin-class instructor though.

She went through several guys fairly fast and had a date with Jared, the one Ashley Ionietta married. Clare really liked him, but he, rather coldly, told her she was too old for him. Someone else at BIP sat down by Clare and said, "This isn't your first rodeo is it?" Which upset her. All of which makes me surprised that she allowed the show to cast so many young ones. Men of any age are going to be attracted to a voluptuous beauty like Clare, but that doesn't mean they wont make her feel self-conscious about her age down the road if she doesn't seem to fit in with their friends. When Clare had her thunderbolt moment over Dale I was reminded of Ben Higgins saying that when his Lauren stepped out of the limo "The world stopped," and of Kaitlyn saying she knew Shawn was the one from the minute he walked up and hugged her because of the way he smelled. We know those two couples didn't work out, but I guess it's pretty great in the beginning. I just didn't see any matching spark from Dale. Those tiny suits always make me think of some poor guest at a wedding wearing his little brother's suit. Optical illusions 101 tell us that unbroken lines look longer, so they all look short legged, not to mention fat bottomed, in those things. I wanted Tyler, the West Virginia lawyer to be a contender, but now we all know he spends his spare time reading the WVU college girls' instagrams. Ew. It's so great to have a show to watch that we can talk about! Even my husband was kind of excited over it.

Ah okay, sorry. I remembered it wrong. I still think Caroline was simply reassuring Ruth that she could stay the night if she wanted to. I certainly don't think Caroline had any plan to get Ruth into one of her bedrooms and then sneak in after she was asleep and force sex on a straight, unwilling woman.

When Ruth first got to Caroline's house she said she had come in a cab so that if she had too much to drink she could just stay the night. Caroline hadn't invited her to do that. So when Caroline was repeatedly telling her she could stay all night, I thought she was reassuring Ruth that even though she had discovered she was a lesbian and was acting like a snotty homophobe, she would still be welcome to stay the night in a spare room. I also thought Caroline was telling the truth when she called Ruth into her office after she had all the car repair and transportation problems worked out. She was very matter of fact about everything and then said she hated that Ruth might take it all to mean something extra, but it was Caroline's job as Headmistress to support her teachers and work problems like that out for them. That's how it all seemed to me, that the minute Caroline realized that Ruth was straight and not interested in anything romantic, she was immediately embarrassed and no longer the least bit attracted to Ruth. Then after all the cruel things Ruth said to her, "Look at yourself! You're 53!" I think Caroline was being very professional to help her out rather than fire her. All she needed to say was that Ruth left the school in the lurch over the Judith interview.

I know, that's a TV and movie thing I notice all the time. They want to have a scene of women talking while working together in the kitchen, so they have them chopping a gigantic pile of carrots or celery. Real cooking is so much messier, and anytime my company tries to help they just end up standing in front of whatever appliance or cabinet I need to access. I make mine sit on a stool and talk while I work.

I agree John's a sad sack. He's also self-centered and manipulative. He was completely transparent in all his obvious attempts to get with Jillian. He makes a perfect fool of himself in every episode, Celia hates him and Caroline has no reason to ever forgive him -- an yet -- I have a soft spot for him. Probably because he's made me laugh so many times.

So who think's Caroline should get back with John for friendship and convenience? Or should she start something up with Judith for the thrill?

Yes, what Irlandesa said. All the videos made me feel like I really knew the family so it was all particularly awful when the bad stuff starts. I prefer Keith or Josh's narration and the little bit of distance that gives us. I also felt like I was invading the victim's privacy while reading some of the texts she sent her best friend. Very interesting, immediate and heart pounding, but too dark for me.

It keeps popping up on my Netflix page -- I'll go watch it right now!

Fourth thing that made me mad about that case: The friend she called when she was scared was all, "Yeah let me take a shower and then I'll call you back and if you're dead by then I'll come over." When someone dies as a result of their own kindness ( she let the guy in to "call his wife") it's just extra heartbreaking.