Mrs peel
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Posts posted by Mrs peel
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18 hours ago, enchantingmonkey said:
So did Erika serve the veal tartare just to get a reaction out of the ladies? Most Americans aren't accustomed to eating raw red meat, and even a rare burger is seared on the outside. I don't know if it has to be an issue of having a sophisticated palate or not.
And Erika? You are NOT more cosmopolitan just because you ate a food you probably ordered specifically. Some people just don't like raw food, lots don't eat veal, it's not a sign of anything.
I'm going out for pizza with Carole Radwizell now. :-)
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On 4/1/2018 at 3:24 PM, prettybird said:
I loved Erica’s totally bogus planning of Berlin activities. “Tomorrow I’ll take the girls shopping then horseback riding.” Right girl, if you had anything to do with the agenda it would not include a physical activity. She couldn’t even surpress the eye roll. Then the fake call to set up the dinner. She neglected to tell them how many people were attending or even a time. Then she’s late to meet the girls because she was busy coordinating their trip, not because she avoids being around them until she absolutely has to. Of course the whole reason for the trip was her “business meeting” in Berlin. How surprising that got moved to LA.
Don't forget the "culture" tour that started at 2pm! But she clearly researched/ had been informed re the meaning of the Holocaust park, I was a bit surprised she knew/remembered.
That dinner? Jeez, who needs to dress up to have dinner in a hotel suite? And Erica, you don't need to wear a hat if you never go outside!
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19 hours ago, whiporee said:On 4/3/2018 at 11:51 AM, Bannon said:
Gosh, just a scene at some point, with Paige watching a documentary, with footage showing people shot dead as they try to get over the Berlin Wall, and Paige asking "Mom, if communism is superior, why do communist governments have to kill people for trying to leave?" Instead, they've pretty much just written her as largely credulous to whatever her mommy says about politics, which is not a sign of intelligence.
I complained about it two seasons ago they they completely omitted KAL 007. I always thought that had they shown that, Paige could have not ever been turned, because it was such a horrific and unapologetic act. I would have liked to have seen the scenes where P&E talked about it themselves and tried to justify it to each other, but the showrunners decided, I think, that reliving that bit of history would have made everything else a harder sell.
Well, on both counts I expect Elizabeth would have denied the USSR involvement and the facts. Footage of people being shot? Fake news faked photos, faked evidence of Soviet involvement, etc. And Paige is primed to believe the US lied, based on her involvement with Pastor Tim.
Someone said Elizabeth would respond by talking about redistribution of wealth, the evil of wanting more than others. While that's the "party line," it doesn't explain why the individuals who fled needed to be killed.
This also makes me wonder what Paige is studying. I would guess not history.
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20 hours ago, Pink-n-Green said:
I don't know how, but that idea never occurred to me. I like it!
Renee is the FBI internal affairs officer Phillip claimed to be!
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2 hours ago, sistermagpie said:
She wasn't doing anything in that moment, actually. She arrived in the area before her shift. When that started she'd be sitting in the diner like we saw her earlier, where she sat at a table by the window and acted as one of maybe a small team of lookouts.
It's kind of hilarious to imagine all the things Philip and Elizabeth learned in that time comparatively. They had to learn to speak a foreign language at absolutely native level with no accent, learn enough about the culture to not only pass as native but pass as multiple identities of natives that will appeal to different people in different places, learn probably a higher level of self-defense and weapons training, learn basic first aid. They also seem to have at some point learned a lot of technical stuff.
Then they were just dropped off in this foreign land completely different from their home and hit the ground running. There were probably millions of little things they encountered once they got here that they had to figure out for themselves--compared to, for instance, Paige just having to pretend she's a student at a different college. (I wonder how much she'd studied up on that college in case she had any questions or whatever.)
Well, they were in a 24/7/365 program, isolated from others not in the program. Paige is actually in college, living a life. If anything, the show has fudged on how much the parents manage to act like Americans. IIRC, the actual deep cover spies were known to have been born out of the US, they spoke with accents, etc.
20 minutes ago, scowl said:My die-hard capitalist father also constantly complained that Americans are weak and spoiled. Yes, she doesn't like the U.S. but many people in the world share that view. I have found her defense of what she's doing to be terribly weak and unfocused (what does "beautiful" really mean?). From the first season it has seemed to me that the show is purposely avoiding anything about what P and E really believe in.
Elizabeth has never shown any belief in communist ideology or the beliefs of the Soviet Union. Those beliefs include that the capitalist countries are conspiring to destroy the Soviet Union and all communist countries, that all failures of the communist system have been the result of capitalist countries undermining them, that the entire western world (not just the U.S.) is controlled by corporations who seek to control and exploit the people of the world, and that true peace can only be achieved when the world is unified under a cooperative socialist system.
Well, publically she can’t do it because she’s supposed to be an American. But when they are on missions, she’s totally believed everything she’s been told. The US is doing research on wheat that will kill Soviet crops? Sure, she believed that. I’m blanking on other examples, but they are there.
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Well, that was stupid on all levels. I’ve been taping but not watching because this show has become so disappointing, but the episode just reaffirmed the stupid. Can now free up DVR space.....
The First Lady went into the -wasn’t it supposed to be a grand jury (but it wasn’t) -during the day, but somehow she’s driving home late at night. On a street that’s been cleared of all other traffic, but somehow a large truck managed to hit her car? Sure....
I see the FBI’s only agent is as stupid as ever. Yeah, let’s have an affair with the “agent” you barely know. Let’s confront him alone, at night, on a bridge (why was that again)? Then let’s shoot him in the chest, to try to kill - except for the inevitable Kevlar vest. No, to kill you could have shot him in the head, or to would you could have taken out a knee so he’d live but be incapacitated.....but that wouldn’t allow for the oh so casual 180 degree turn around, take a bunch of steps and gracefully dive into the water. And then of course she takes no steps to find the “body” but goes to a bar instead. Sure........
Twenty adults want to kill themselves in order to allow a baby to die? Let ‘em. Get the firefighters out of harms way and let Darwin rule. Also seriously doubt the President can force a hospital to allow a doctor, whose license has been taken away, perform a questionable operation on a baby. Feel pretty sure the mother wouldn’t have had religious objections to sueing everyone is the baby died.
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21 hours ago, Sarah 103 said:
Henry wants something beyond the life of his parents. He thinks they are boring. He's also into technology so the Soviet equivalent of Q might work well too.
I think they have plans for Henry but they are playing a long game with him and will not approach him until later in life.
I think the Centre knows all about Henry, especially his interest in the FBI and now that's going to this fancy school. They are probably waiting to see where it leads. They don't want to spook him too early and mess up his life. There will be plenty of time for that later.
Henry is going to be a far more desirable target.
I agree and think there's an element of misdirection. While the Centre is putting so much time and energy on Paige and making them think she is the one being groomed, they are also going to go after Henry, but in a totally different way without Philip and Elizabeth knowing. Now that he's at boarding school, there could be a teacher there who's recuiting. I don't think that was there plan for Henry from the start, but based on what has happened, that would be my guess of how they would try to get to him. Maybe the Centre realized that going after the 2nd generation as young teenagers wasn't the best way and decided to wait until they were older.
I guess I've forgotten where we learned the Centre specifically wanted to target both Paige and Henry. I know they want 2d generation, and there are a limited supply of those children/young adults, but presumably the Centre is bright enough to recognize you can't assume every child born and raised in the US to secret Russian spies will be on board with spying for the USSR. Even blackmail can't last a lifetime....as long as Elizabeth continues to work, what could they really do if, having blackmailed Henry to start, he quits the job with access, or deliberately sabotages his chances of promotion? There's also a huge risk he would go directly to Stan at the first hint of blackmail; he might react by being disgusted his parents are working against "his" country.
We've been shown that Henry is a typical American kid, remember in Season 1 when he was so excited about meeting an astronaut who had been to the Moon (and Elizabeth's response defending the USSR program, which was hilarious to me!)? Now he's friends with FBI agent Stan, probably some hero worship there too. And he's made enough friends with $$ that he got himself into an expensive boarding school. I don't see any indication he's dissatisfied with or even questioning American society. As for a teacher at the boarding school recruiting for the USSR, this is USA in the 1980's, not Britain in the 1930's, I doubt there were/are any Russian plants there.
In contrast, Paige has shown dissatisfaction with the US; indeed her work with Pastor Tim (probably considered a "useful idiot" by the Centre) was a positive for them to the degree it showed that dissatisfaction. Yeah, there's the religion thing the USSR wouldn't like, but for a 2d generation operative the veneer of religion could be useful (and Paige hasn't kept up with it anyway). This is the era when the religious right starts gaining power, after all. The show has also previously shown Paige to be the serious student, always doing well, which would allow her entrance to a good college, etc. [Did they mention what college Paige is attending? Clearly in the area, so presumably Georgetown or GW, or could she be back home occasionally from UVA?] Phillip and Elizabeth were surprised when Henry's teacher told them he was gifted, so presumably his grades weren't that great.
I'm sure the Centre would love to have Henry as a spy, as well as Paige, and are watching him. But I question whether they'd act without some sign it would go for the pitch. I suppose the 1987 internal fight might cause the KGB to take more risks, but Henry's far too young to have them act at the moment.
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12 hours ago, whiporee said:
As for E being a true believer, I don't think so. She never talks about inequities in America or social justice here, nor does she portray her homeland as a worker's paradise that all should aspire to. She has personally suffered nothing at the hands of America, while she's inflicted actual suffering on the lives of dozens of people here. Even watching the movie she was being shown that inequities still exist in the USSR -- she's got to see it as no better (or worse) than where she's been living in a killing for 20 years. Last season she watched her own handler lie to her in order for her country to steal something -- she bought into the lie about the US poisoning wheat crops, and then when confronted with the truth, she brushed it off even as she spouts more unjustified and unevidenced propaganda.
She's not looking to make the world a better place; her actions are of someone who simply wants to win. She's just a soldier following her uniform -- not even her uniform, because the General told her that should the leader of her country do something the KGB didn't like, he'd be dead/removed within 24 hours. Elizabeth is loyal to her job, to her soldier's mindset, not to the USSR or or communism.
That's why she probably has to die at the end of this thing, because she would not be able to survive the next 20 years. She's not overtly corrupt enough to hang out with Putin, and she'd have no real war to fight. Having lost, the pill or something like ti would be her only option.
ETA: I know there was a scene with E showing Paige the inner city either last season or the one before. I know E has made commentary about the impoverished. I think it's all propaganda without actual belief behind it, but I did want to acknowledge she has at least mentioned what she perceives as problems in America.
I have to disagree. She has made multiple statements about Americans being weak, pampered, etc., she told the Nicaraguan woman that her country’s revolution was “beautiful,” etc. Any time Phillip said something good about the US, she disagreed. I always remember the scene when they first arrived in America, Phillip was amazed at the air conditioning in the motel room, she was unimpressed.
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2 hours ago, Darrenbrett said:
I think you're mis-representing/mis-understanding what's going on for her. It's not that she doesn't want world peace at all. It's that she's convinced that the spread of the Soviet form of government is the way to save the world. Compromise, for her, like all idealists, just seems like a move away from what's best for the greater good. She's not a warmonger. She's an idealist. And sometimes, in situations like these, that makes her (and them, idealists) even more dangerous. Remember, she really believes she's doing the right thing.
I agree, and I wonder whether her meeting in Mexico is the first time she has solid evidence that the USSR doesn't speak with one voice. Sure, we know there were multiple plots within the Politburo, but I suspect Elizabeth never did.
Now she's being told there's a faction that seeks to undermine the decisions of the leader of the country.....how will she react to that? I wouldn't expect her to immediately refuse the mission, but now she needs to decide where her loyalty lies WITHIN the USSR. Of course, I suspect Elizabeth will follow the KGB; it's Phillip who would have wondered what the heck is going on back home. The show has always shown Phillip as more nuanced on the question of US v. USSR (except during the time period when he was lied to about what happened in, was it, Afganistan). Elizabeth has always been all in.
When that scene was on, I immediately thought of Putin and today's Russia. Technically there's no KGB, but it certainly still exists. And it "won" v. Gorbachev, though Elizabeth wouldn't recognize the "worker's paradise" today.
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4 hours ago, SusanSunflower said:
sorry, my bad -- but I don't think he had authority to confiscate either ... if he wanted to take them to "the station" to get a photocopy, fine -- Paige could follow him there and wait while he did that ... again -- not immediately "suspicious" ... I think an "outraged phone call" might be useful, particularly if this officer decided to pursue or harass or make demands on Paige (to get her ID back)
As a Navy security guard (was he even that?) talking to someone on a public street in Washington DC, he had no authority to question her at all, never mind demand ID.
phillip had both a tape deck and carphone. I thought the new expanded office was a sign that he had in fact given up spying and was solely focused on the business, which therefore was far more successful.
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9 hours ago, Kokapetl said:
Philip looks like he’s had a facelift or something.
Maybe to compare how relaxed he is now that he’s out of spying, v. Elizabeth’s very obvious over-worked and tired look?
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32 minutes ago, chocolatine said:
Is it just me, or did this episode have several callbacks to the series premiere? In the premiere Philip was trying on cowboy boots at the mall and admiring himself in the mirror. In tonight's episode he went line dancing and the camera panned to his boots. In the premiere, a guy was a creep to page, Philip found him, and put a grilling fork through his hand. Tonight, a guy was a creep to page, Elizabeth found him, and put a knife through his trachea. S1 premiere had a Fleetwood Mac song, Tusk. Tonight, Gold Dust Woman.
I'm calling it now, one of the Jenningses will be swallowing that pill in the series finale.
So happy to have Arkady back. He's such a well-spoken man, the subtitles don't do him justice.
I had the same thought about the cowboy boots, he wore them at the mall!
so happy the show is back, though things are not looking good. I don’t get what they are doing with Paige, as others said she is supposed to be a deep mole and she could get caught so easily. As to being naive, people believe that they want to believe. They have shown Paige needing to believe in something, it started with church. I just finished watching a Netflix documentary about the cult that bought a ranch in Oregon ( wild Wild West I think it was called). Despite ample evidence near the end that the guru was full of shit, the very experienced attorney was interviewed in the present, still believing all the garbage, that’s Paige.
i’d always thought that, no matter what happened, Phillip and Elizabeth would be together at the end. Not so sure now. But I hope Phillip at least ends up with a good life in America.
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On 3/26/2018 at 4:03 PM, SCS said:
But if that's how she remembers it and how she views her role from that era, why shouldn't she? I figure if --
~Ramona can call herself hot and
~Luann can call herself refined and
~Tamra can call herself a victim and
~Nene can call herself rich and
~Porsha can call herself a worthy legacy and
~Kim R can call herself sober, then
-- Erika can call herself a single mother. I don't especially care what these kooks call themselves as long as I am entertained. MMV and all that, eh wot?
But most of us laugh at them for these pretensions..... But I agree with liking the entertainment!
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On 3/26/2018 at 2:27 PM, biakbiak said:
In her interviews about her book she stated she has no female friends and perfers to hang with "queens" so it at least the female part wasn't in the context of the show. Also, most of the "queens" she hangs out with appear to be on her payroll.
Sigh, and I defended her. I feel dirty now :-)
QuoteOn 3/26/2018 at 1:02 PM, Mrs peel said:
Can't believe I'm defending Erika here...
Whew, glad that's over :-))
Take it slow, Mrs Peel -- lots of fluids and rest -- I'm still getting over defending Radiziwill, and that was a couple of weeks ago ; )
Thanks Film Noire! I actually have strep throat at the moment, was out several days doing exactly this.....
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On 3/23/2018 at 5:42 PM, ShawnaLanne said:
Of course she has no friends. For sure, hire a gay couple and get rid of her. Beyond everything else, I like watching the women interact with their families and partners, Mr. Giardi and she don't have any genuine interactions together, I get why her police officer son needs to be kept off air and we've seen her one or two times with her Mom, and that is full of her complaining about her childhood.
I think Erica may be too shallow for The Real Housewives. Wow.
Can't believe I'm defending Erika here, but I think the "I have no friends" comment can be seen in the context of RH asking her if she could recommend anyone for the show. She clearly says she wouldn't recommend anyone. So I don't think she's admitting she has ZERO friends, female or male, in life.
Whew, glad that's over :-))
Like others, the "I'm a single parent" thing annoys me because, while technically true, generally it's meant to refer to the custodial parent.
On her traveling back to NY every 7-10 days, I think she referred to that as part of "going to every school play, etc." So this would have been after she married Tom G, and therefore she wasn't doing this on her dime. Now of course this still conflicts with her previous statements that in the early days she was always at Tom's side, attended every business meeting, etc. I personally believe the latter is bulls@@@, because unless she was an employee of the firm, including her in meetings voided any privilege involved in the conversations; also I would think it would have annoyed the heck out of his partners and staff. But nor am I willing to believe she traveled each and every week during the school year - there is nothing about her that indicates she was that invested in her child. And if she was doing her Erika Jane thing back then, I would bet she was hustling constantly for that.
I don't know if I'd ever heard the story that she asked David Foster to promote/manage/whatever her Erika Jane persona. WOW, some balls there, and delusion. Not a huge fan of Foster, but everything I've read indicates he's very prominent in the music industry. Why would he want to work with her? Even if hubby threw money at Foster, I would think he'd pass.
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On 3/19/2018 at 2:52 PM, QuinnM said:
Oh that would mean the support money goes down. Hoppy can’t have that. Brynn is worth $12500 a month. I bet anything this is about a surrogate standing in for Hoppy when he is on the road. And in that case even if Bethenny doesn’t get sole custody she will have Brynn on her days AND on any day Hoppy is not available as a parent. Then she keeps track of that over a year. Then you look at the numbers and maybe go back to court to say the child is in your physical custody 80% of the time. And then you get sole custody and Hoppy gets a smaller check.
Except you don't get sole custody just because the other parent travels a lot (assuming Jason travels at all). And of course B is in the position of, having already agreed to joint custody, needing a significant change in circumstances that would require the Court to modify that decision. It's not that easy. Change the times they each have Brynn living with them due to parent travel schedules? Sure, but that doesn't mean you can't have joint custody.
Courts disfavor changing custody decisions, because it's perceived as harming the child.
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13 minutes ago, poeticlicensed said:
I agree 100% with the following exception:
When someone apologizes not for what they did, said, whatever, but rather, gives a non-apology that usually starts something like, "I'm sorry you misunderstood me" or I'm sorry you feel that way". That is NOT AN APOLOGY!!
I view that "apology" as the person doesn't really think they need to apologize for anything, but for the sake of the friendship/whatever, wants to make the other person feel better. So, I still believe what I said, but I am actually sorry you took it badly. Yeah, not an apology, but the best you can do under those circumstances since at least you're acknowledging the other person feels differently.
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2 hours ago, Baltimore Betty said:
OMG, it's like we are twins!
I am sort of glad to see fanny packs are making a comeback, they are practical even though they frequently need socks and sandals to complete the look.
White socks only, please!
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3 hours ago, TattleTeeny said:
I usually agree but (haha!) she was right, IMO, about "pretend amnesia" = deliberately lying.
But she'd already said that. Technically she was apologizing for exploding in anger; she didn't need to repeat about the pretend amnesia. that's what I didn't like about the "apology." Honey, Teddi (and the world) already knew you were serious about the no "pretend amnesia." Though I don't believe she never has pretend amnesia, I think that gets used with her husband many, many times.
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16 hours ago, charming said:
Note to Erika- Anytime you say I apologize but....you're not actually apologizing.
so true. She could have (but God forbid) listened to Teddi's apology to Dorit. Which Dorit? Was FINE, nothing wrong with it. Get over yourself.
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17 minutes ago, biakbiak said:
She wasnt even single for most of his life, she married Tom when he was five or six.
Thanks for that nugget. So all her "I was there for him because I flew back every 7-10 days" was (if it's true at all, doesn't that conflict with the "I was always at my husband's side" story?) SOLELY because she married money. Wonder how often she saw the child before then? She doesn't mention how old her son was when she moved to CA.
My first reaction to the entire story of her devoted single parenthood from 3,000 miles away was "revisionist history." As others have said, it was inappropriate to have a 6 year old determine his visitation schedule (assuming he did). Unless the ex-husband rolled over for whatever she wanted, I'm a bit surprised that a non-custodial parent who voluntarily moved across country suddenly received visitation of ALL summer EVERY summer, and EVERY spring break. That doesn't give the custodial parent much time when the child is out of school. And at some point you'd think the kid would want to do summer sports with his school friends, etc.
Quote“Putting my son first was what moving was all about. If I was going to take care of him and provide the future for him that I wanted, I knew that I had to get away and find a better life and a more sustainable existence for myself.”
Oh honey, STOP. You moved across the country because you wanted to, and maybe somewhere in that decision you cared that someone else was available to raise your child. You could have had a "more sustainable existence" on the east coast as a secretary or a factory worker, it's not like there are no jobs on the east coast. Heck, there are even acting/singing jobs there. And you never provided him with a future, because you NEVER moved him out to live with you when he was a child.
QuoteSingle mom life in the city proved to be stressful for Erika, so she decided to move to Los Angeles -- but leave her son back in New York.
Seriously, FUCK OFF! Being a single mom was too "stressful?" And how is moving to a new city less stressful? Oh yeah, you dumped off responsibility for your child, right.
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On 3/15/2018 at 1:10 PM, WireWrap said:
She left her son "temporarily"? I don't call 20+ years temporary, talk about rewriting history!
My thought exactly!
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4 hours ago, ivygirl said:
I can totally get that, but Erika took it a step further and mocked her for being a crybaby. It’s one thing to say “Your tears don’t sway me” and another to be like “you’re so weak, you crybaby.” One is strong and the other is making the other person feel worse so that you look stronger.
I had hoped that was “British humour” but maybe not.
Shouldn't you have to be really British to use British humour? A fake British accent isn't enough Dorit!
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14 hours ago, eclectcmoi said:
I only remember Kyle living in this same house. She had morally corrupt Faye Resnick redecorate for her in the early seasons though. She also has that fab house in Palm Desert too.
I thought the same thing. That wasn't a push. That was more of a shove off a cliff!
I think Kyle did have a different home in LA during the first season. And there have been 2 homes in Palm Desert too, so it may seem like she moves all the time.
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S08.E16: Holy Schnitzel
in The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills
So sorry to hear this. Take care of yourself , your daughter and the rest of your family.