realityplease

Agree! She admits she had her jawline "relaxed." Aw c'mon. When she first started on RHONY her chin was so sharp it could cut a steak. The shape was definitely changed - not just "relaxed." Also, in RHONY's early days, her boobs looked like two basketballs bolted onto her chest. After she came into Skinnygirl money, they changed, and in recent pics, sag southward. Gravity's not kind, that's true, but at some point the bolt-ons were replaced. She's big on honesty - just not about herself.

I, too, liked Black Table Talk. Also, the mother passing down her heirlooms. It wasn't laugh out loud funny, but touched my heart because my mom also saved napkins (for use in the car!) & kept "valuables" in that very same Danish cookie tin - those being odds & ends like old coins, paperclips, buttons & generally useless stuff for which she had no immediate use - but just couldn't throw away.

Well, since the Great Depression was still on-going during the time frame of this series, maybe Sunny cornered the market on apples - for sale to those otherwise unemployed who re-sold them on the many street corners in L.A. As such, Sunny died rich & happy & well-nourished. His empire and his waist-line having expanded. And with Perry & Della still attached to his empire like barnacles on a rock.

Maybe The Hard Rock needs a loss for tax purposes. Like the premise of "The Producers." If Erika busts out singing "Springtime for Hitler" during her act, the jig is up! Puzzling that she gets a "residence" before being a proven draw for any Las Vegas casino for any sustained length of time. She's hardly a "big name" catch on par with Adele, Cher, Celine Dion, Katy Perry, Brittany Spears or even Donny & Marie (who all had - or will have - residencies) nor had past success anywhere as a cabaret act for any sustained amount of time. Worked at a strip club & as a cocktail waitress. Maybe that's "casino adjacent" by a very long stretch - but it hardly helped her refine a cabaret act - and her Tom-funded act was a failure. So yes, I very much agree with the sugar daddy theory & that another old geezer is in Erika's thrall (or whatever.)

Maybe she'll get a boost in ticket sales when Bravocon hits Las Vegas for 2 days in November - unless she's cancelled well before that for lack of interest/lack of ticket sales. I'd personally rather watch the Bellagio fountains spit water or stare at cherries swirling on slot machines for several hours than subject myself to Erika's so-called "singing & dancing." Taking bets she'll reprise as part of her act her relatively unused "Chicago" dances (due to Broadway show cancellation due to Covid) because - why not?

Anyone short couldn't even reach his head to touch it! (Maybe if he was sitting down. . .)

Yes. Shiv, with work experience in politics, is worried about ATN: politician Mencken putting his hooks into editorial meetings, the soon to be fired Cyd Peach letting him do it, the news not slanting in the direction she'd like. Tom being there - don't know how that plays out. They still have this weird "dance" between them & of course, what to do about the baby issue. She was very quick to want the deal that offloaded ATN to GoJo as well. And that way, the sibs don't have to sync ATN with Pierce.

Not all of course. But yes, some very much do, and it is. Depends on the company, the stakes, the personalities, strengths & weaknesses of the negotiators & others involved in the process. Negotiating tactics vary. Bluster & insults, push & pull, putting out false narratives or calculated compliments, jockeying for position, trying to get info on the sly, all accompanied with alternating elation and dejection, are not unusual. Sometimes the momentum of the deal carries the deal through in spite of the behavior of the participants. The only thing that rang a bit false to me was the need for the two groups' top execs meet to test the compatibility of the two groups (& formulate a "kill" list) before the deal was struck - usually comes after the deal is reached (to keep trade secrets or weaknesses from exposure, among other things) & there's other ways to gauge compatibility - but I suppose nothing prevents it from happening first, if both sides are on board with it. Other details in the episode, like neither Ken nor Roman sitting in Logan's chair at Waystar, yet each scoping out & taking strategic positions in the conference room with their execs - Roman getting there first, Ken's psycho-babble or shooting some orders when met with new troops on arrival - rang true. Posturing & optics taking the place of ability. The fake it 'til you make it mentality. I already miss Logan's sweeping into every room with confidence & purpose. The sibs don't have that panache, though they try to imitate it or guess what Logan would have done.

Different strokes for different folks. Some like the "excitement" of chasing & making the deal, having underlings as well as captains of industry & politicians kow-tow to them, grand homes in different locales, yachts & private jets at their beck & call - they'd be bored to death after a day or two on the beach. Once you have money at that level, earning more money isn't going to do anything more for them - they already can buy whatever they want. But the thrill of doing the deal & acquiring power - the acquiring of these things sometimes meaning more than using them - is what drives them. They can already buy & do whatever they want for as long as they want. It's us poor schlubs with a two-week vacation that dream of retirement in Margaritaville.

I agree. I was pretty much going along with Mattson & Shiv bonding as equals (his interest in the state of her marriage, seeking advice about his situation with someone on his Comm staff) but when he complimented her on being like Logan, & she preened instead of giving a snappy response, it dawned on me: He's playing her! For good reason: he got info on who to put on the kill list, got her to send a pic of the brothers' reaction to the deal, fed her information about a potentially serious harassment issue between himself & his direct report, that Shiv would be bound to reveal to the board but likely won't - & could be trouble for her if later uncovered that she knew & didn't reveal it before the sale closed. (Shiv well knowing about the past govt. inquiry into Waystar's harrassment issues to allow the company to be bought by someone with issues? Not good.) Nothing Mattson did wasn't calculated. Played Shiv. Got Roman to reveal a motive for backing out. Roman recognized he went too far & tried to walk it back immediately - said he'd deny saying it. But he said it & they needed Mattson to back out, not them, to avoid securities issues. Thought maybe the sibs could pull it out in Logan's absence. They can't. Everything points to why they aren't half what Logan was - lacking reputation, ability, & killer instinct. Ken wanted to blow up the deal, keep the company & run the whole show - but he's really not capable of running the whole shebang. Roman's too hinged on doing what Logan would have done instead of becoming his own man. Together, they brought in the deal & squeezed Mattson for more - but did they really? The brothers sure don't feel good about it because it happened around them & despite what they did. Shiv feels good about it now - but will she still as things play out? Remains to be seen. Sure keeps me watching. Yes, but if it does (sure, a lot can happen, but right now it's a go) they're stuck with the over-priced Pierce deal. No playing on the beach quite yet.

The sibs can't just go & sit out on some beach in Bali. They still have the $10 billion Pierce deal to close, no? Mattson got Waystar & ATN, but they still need to face the deal they made with the Pierce matriarch.

The panel professors were certainly less than dynamic. Simply avoided answering some questions, yet pontificated in professor-ese (especially Bessner) that failed to prompt further discussion. Can't imagine lasting a whole semester with either of those bores! Lowry was slightly more direct but stood back & waited for Bessner to respond first - ostensibly to be polite, but it seemed he simply lacked an interesting response to any of it - though he was more concise than Bessner. Bet we never see these two back on the show. Perel was better. She had reasons to support her theories. Listened to Bill & pushed back. If Bill wasn't having it, it's because he strikes me as someone who gets bored in a relationship & takes off. On to the next. Not one to work at a relationship - which clearly Perel does given her notion of people changing over time and reformulating the relationship to accommodate that. Not in Bill's DNA.

But Raquel dresses for it much better than Katie - who is very boxy on top but wears bare shoulder tops, cut straight across with straps, that emphasize her width - where she might look better wearing those tops with a jacket, or a V-neck instead, that makes her seem more tapered or narrowed. (I'm not exactly a fashion maven - but something's off.) LaLa has a much better figure - but then, she's such a mean girl know-it-all. Who actually knows nothing! Katie's ability to choose flattering clothes is as bad as her choices in men. Did I hear that right? Is "Satchel" (HA!) a "mactor?" Really??? Really??? Tall enough to be a model? Maybe he's short-waisted & just looked shorter sitting in that booth next to her - but she looked like a quarterback sitting next to a nebbish - not someone sitting next to a model/actor. Maybe he's a wonderful guy - but not much to look at. And given the "personality" that Katie showed at LaLa's dinner, if he has any sense or perception, we won't be looking at him for much longer. Run, Satchel, Run!

Not for Tom. At least not in a good way. He said (somewhere & can't remember where - these fools have too much space in my brain as it is!) that he re-financed to take out equity to use for S&Sandy. And then re-financed again because he was struggling to make the payment. Maybe there's not much equity left. (And doesn't Ariana get half?) With the real estate marketing stalling, & trending down, they'd better get a move on to sell or it'll go back to the bank on foreclosure or short sale. No wonder he's looking stressed. Everything about him teetering on the brink of disaster.

I don't think it's a matter of meds or hormones. But in a sport like swimming, for example, someone born a male will typically have greater lung capacity, strength, or arm span than someone born a woman. That's why through the decades, the stats on speed, for example, have typically been different for male competitors than female competitors. Sure there might be exceptions, but it's an unfair advantage (or let's say, difference) that someone gains at birth. And carries over when they transition.

The producers must give Danielle a call to show up at any party, room, event or whatever 10 minutes late. On any number of occasions, all of the others are already arrived, seated, or gathered - and she's entered to find them all gathered & talking about her. Cue the arrival of everyone but Danielle! Cue the start of shit-talking about Danielle! Cue Danielle entering the room! Cue Danielle's response! Cue the pile-on! It's getting old. And too obvious.

Quoted a bit out of context, but we can agree to disagree. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. I saw a person unhinged from the events of the day (events that had both mental & physical impact) who tripped or didn't watch where she was going & fell. And then, embarrassed by the fall (sure, nothing about me personally, except having done that, been there, felt that), fend off those who would help her get up. And she got herself up & carried on. Nothing more. (And specifically didn't say humbled & brought to her knees, because I don't think she is, even if momentarily off-balance.) If you see in that moment her vulnerability, frustration, that she was alone & upset, or not how she wanted anyone to see her, okay, sure, that's another way to go.

Well, I'm pretty clumsy & usually fall when I'm unbalanced & trip or thinking of something else & not looking where I'm going. Not from emotion or frustration. If that were the case, I'd have been hitting the ground with more regularity every time some chauvinist jerk(s) tried to shut me down, ignore me, talk over me or edge me out. Which, in business, was a lot. Didn't cause me to fall. Shiv herself posited that she wasn't included as co-CEO because she was a mere emotional woman - but Ken said it was because she didn't have enough tenure or experience at the company to be front-facing & Roman said three was unwieldy. She accepted that after reassurance she'd be included in all decisions. After all, she didn't faint on the steps from emotion - she had a mis-step & fell.

Yes. I think Shiv's fall was to illustrate that she's reeling - both mentally & physically. Not only getting knocked out of the co-CEO position & having to now trust her two brothers' promises to include her in all decisions. (Brothers she knows were previously duplicitous - and as we see, Ken deciding strategy on his own by the end of the episode.) But additionally, as I mentioned before (see below) having a pregnancy to worry about (learning the pregnancy can proceed & having to decide whether to proceed with it and if or when to tell Tom) and thinking the sibs caused Logan's death by pressing him to get more money & fly off to speak with Mattson. All of it, a lot to deal with.

Clever writing! Each character's words so true to their essence. The sibs' comments on the newspaper obits were on fire: You ever see him laugh like that: "Only if a hobo was on fire." He was a complicated man: "Threw phones at staff." A sharp reader of the national mood: "A racist." Very much a man of his era: "Again, a racist. Also relaxed about sexual assault." A business genius: "Never paid a penny in taxes." "Well connected: "A pedophile. Who wouldn't even hug his grandchildren." Tom referred to the sibs as "screwups & dipshits" to Gerri, Frank & Karl - but then sucked up to each of the sibs - though he'd screwed them over by backing Logan & really couldn't expect to come back from that. Ken simply responding that he likes Tom & good luck. Roman more feisty to fend off Tom's suck-up words. Karl slamming Tom's offer to put his hat in the ring as next CEO by calling Tom "a clumsy interloper that no one trusts." Karl said he might want consideration & Gerri responded, "I think you're a corporate legend. What you did in the '90's with cable? Huge." Gerri, always saying one thing but implying so much more. Always careful not to say too much or to do a quick retreat when needed. Greg kicked out of the room by the sibs like an annoying gnat. They wanted none of his fawning platitudes. And later laughed at when he tried to put too much meaning into his name on the piece of paper with a question mark. Marcia being no less vicious to Kerry than she was to Holly Hunter's character when she asked Hunter's character if she was being tested for STDs. And as one reviewer observed, Kerry picking up vitamins from the items dropped. Pre-natal vitamins??? Maybe Kerry is momentarily gone -- but not to be forgotten? Of all the sibs, Ken seems to have his head in the game. Not turning away the Mencken (over Shiv's objection) in order to maintain a relationship with the likely Presidential winner. Getting Stewy's support. Talking to Sandy. Using Hugo's insider trading to put the screws to Hugo. Ken's most likely to emulate Logan. (Who I think did cross out Ken's name. An underline would serve no purpose. But as Ken said, it doesn't say Shiv. Or Roman, for that matter. And has no legal weight.) Roman is somewhat focused also. He rejected Tom's suck-up efforts (though Tom could have validated Logan's last contacts with Roman) but was very anxious to get Kerry's private number (to validate that Logan did speak with him & wanted Roman back in?) And convinced the sibs that he should be co-CEO. So Roman also seems to be thinking about the plays to be made here. Only Shiv seems a bit unsteady, both mentally & on her feet - oof, that fall. Thinking they caused Logan's death by sending him off by airplane to deal with Mattson, when really, Logan's pulmonary embolism could have happened anywhere. And with a pregnancy to worry about. But maybe she'll get her mojo back in Sweden. So many more opportunities for twists & turns. With Logan still controlling things & keeping them guessing - even after death.

I liked the cold open. New York, and many cities or places, have recognizable types & weirdos that converge on parks & gathering spots as soon as the weather gets nice - or in warmer places, even year round. So it was amusing. While not fall-down funny. Really getting bored with a game show with Keenan at the helm, almost always now, the first skit or so after the cold open. Keenan's great & he does what he can with the material - but alright already. Either get a new concept - or only trot this one out when it serves to showcase great contestant impersonations or worthy material or jokes. The skit's had its moments over the years (no, decades) but isn't there anything new under the sun? It's just getting awfully tired. It feels as if they are having a real struggle coming up with enough material for each show. Something's missing. Notions possibly funny on paper or when kicking around ideas at their desks - don't ignite when they go live. Or don't seem polished enough. Despite talented cast members. Like sitting around a dorm room & getting hysterical over something or other - but when telling it to someone else the next day, no one's that amused or able to figure out just WHAT was so funny earlier. That's why we're getting Lisa from Temecula, yet again. It was fine the first time in its seemingly impromptu craziness, but on the second try, the thrill was gone. I know they can't all be iconic, but there's way too many duds these days - or shows that bring a grin or two - but not hearty laughs. Maybe I expect too much.

The L.A. Times got a flood of letters to the editor that complained about the fake obit for Logan Roy. Not for the obit per se, but on two grounds: 1. That the obit didn't have any spoiler alert at all - so absent any warning, folks who didn't see Sunday's airing & wanted to view it at a later time, learned of the plot twist before they could view the episode, spoiling the surprise. 2. That the obit had only a small easily overlooked notice on its second page that it was about a fictional character, & therefore, not a real obituary. Writers of the letters complained that increasingly the press is blurring the lines between reality & hard factual reporting - making it difficult for some members of the public to easily tell the difference.

Why all the wonderment about the green clothes? I thought someone (Dolores??) told all of these twits to wear green for Theresa's bachelorette party in Ireland & said she told Theresa to wear white because, you know, she's the bride. I know lots of you like Dolores but she's not the brainiest - or noticeably savvy about other cultures or countries. Probably seemed clever to her. I guess that accounts for all the mismatched styles too. Each selected something they owned that was green - casual or dressier - but at least, green. Maybe they didn't know the type of restaurant chosen by production. Didn't look like a fine dining establishment - but more of a bar/grill. Which the production needed to select because of all the loud screeching & commotion this group was sure to cause.

I think HE WAS living for his father's APPROVAL. Connor actually said he was sad about Logan's death because he would no longer get to do something to make Logan proud. It's just that Connor's no longer living for his father's LOVE. Respect & Love can be two separate things. And he sure as heck was living for his father's money, whether for Willa's theater production, to run for office, or to cash-out on GoJo. The writing really has me ambivalent - it makes me feel sorry for Connor - the overlooked first son from the nutty mother & unloving father. But then, I look at Connor as the rather pampered gentleman rancher living off Dad's money, running for office as an ego boost, & something, at 1% in the polls, he doesn't have the slightest chance of winning & should have given up long ago. And I'm not so sure that he should garner the sympathy. And I love that he & Willa are going for it. As an ex-sex worker, it's more transactional for her, but she's pretty honest with him. These are certainly not one-note characters!

Perfection to write Logan's death with 7 episodes left to go! So unexpected (but unless one dies after a lingering or debilitating illness giving the survivors an almost guilty relief when the person's suffering ends), isn't it almost always? Even when the person has attained old age? Sure, everyone knows they're going to die at some point - that your parents will too - since everyone does - but you never know exactly when. And even rationally knowing that it WILL happen at some point - most still leave a mess of unfinished business &/or unspoken words or words & emotions that come or are said too late. To have Logan be so much the Lion in Winter - walking onto the plane with vigor, motivation, plans & machinations (The GoJo deal, reinvigorating ATN, firing Gerri, pushing out Syd, sticking with Kerri, pulling Roman back in, & who knows what else) & exit in a body bag - wow! With, apparently, no succession plan in place & many soon to go from shock to crawling over each other for supremacy. The funeral & prep for the next board meeting & the completion (or end) of the GoJo deal should be amazing! How brilliant that the writer didn't end the story with a neat bow and a death at the end - but give the audience an opportunity to see the struggle or resolution still to come to characters we've come to know.