BlackberryJam

I think Shiv’s wardrobe is telling. She’s struggling emotionally. Her marriage is falling apart. She has no support, no friends, no one on her side. She’s in a lifelong battle with her brothers. Previously, she was a successful political consultant, a woman about to get married and then in control of her marriage. When Tom flipped, it took a lot of her power away. It’s reflected in her wardrobe. Like Roman is always dressed like he just stopped wearing short pants, reminding us that he’s the youngest, he’s immature, he behaves like a naughty school boy. Kendall alternates between power suits and “shady street corner drug dealer”. I miss Shiv’s fabulous pants, but the costuming is deliberate.

I rewatched a bit of S1 before this season started. The pilot was all about how Logan was to name Kendall his successor, Kendall would be taking over the company, etc. Shiv was working in politics and Roman was smoking weed with his (now vanished) wife. Kendall is the child who knows the company best. He’s also an egomaniac coke addict with a whole host of mental health issues. But yeah, not surprised that he switched into business mode. Personally, my hero of the Teterboro crew was Karolina. Every single thing that happened, from finding out Geri was getting the axe to dealing with Kreepy Kerry, she took in stride. If I were running a business, I want Karolina on my team. You know, for a hot second here, I might ship Karolina and Mattson, because A-Skars is hot and Karolina deserves better than to be stuck with Frank, Karl and Tom.

I also thought the boat looked a little cheap on the outside for Roy standards, but the inside was lovely. I need to rewatch and figure out what Logan’s last words were on the show. Having Shiv read the statement seemed calculating. Roman doesn’t have self-control to not throw in a few “fucks” into every sentence and Kendall would be subject to far too many questions. I thought Connor’s small wedding was the right thing to do for him. He does need love and he needs the security that Willa can provide him. I like Willa because she can’t help but be honest with him. I’ve had to make the call that Tom did, and it’s hard. It’s so hard. How do you answer, “Are you sure?” type questions when you can hear the heartbreaking on the other end of the line? I think Tom is weak and slimy, but he did the best he could. Until of course, he called Greg to tell Greg to destroy some evidence. I’m certain all the Roy children resent Tom because it was Tom who was with Logan at the end, and not any one of them. Family relationships are complicated and grief complicates things even more. On a lighter note, I totally need someone to “Greg” for me. I need a team of Greglets to do my bidding.

Just realized…no one called Marcia…

Well, that’s excellent television. Absolutely. I had some…flashbacks to my own personal grief. I don’t even like the Roys and I hurt for them. Fabulous acting and writing.

Absolutely Begona over Dale. And Luciana over Dale as well, but it sounded like her squab was not good.

My love of Tom is unreasonable. I don't think he's the best chef. I think many of the other chefs have better skills. I think this season will be much less entertaining when he's gone. I did appreciate Tom trying to soothe Begona. And was it Sara who, when Buddha was complaining about his critique, said, "Underseasoned is underseasoned," or something. Then Buddha pouted. I knew Buddha would be in the bottom because during the dinner absolutely no one commented on his dish. I thought Begona's dish looked like an unappetizing mess, but scorched mole would have been a problem for me as well. I'm not a salmon fan so I wouldn't have wanted Buddha's. I think I would prefer blind judging, but then my German Chef Boyfriend Tom might get the boot and my heart would be broken. You can see the bind I'm in.

I was really disappointed with Buddha in the pre boot chat. His dish looked a bit like a mess and underseasoned is underseasoned. At the same time, when you stand there with your peers and get criticized, it’s an emotional blow. I just thought he could have handled it with more class. I thought Gabri was a goner. Tom knew his cakes were way too dense, but didn’t he have trouble getting oven time? Doing dessert in a shared kitchen was taking one for the team. I wanted Amar’s winning dish.

I’m ridiculously happy that Tom’s hair is safe this week.

One of my many exes made his own mead. Hated it. :) Honeyed beer?

Logan gives them breadcrumbs of love and approval, and none of the children, except maybe Connor, have realized that the hoops they have to jump through for that love and approval are too much. Connor recognizes it, but he also has never learned how to love and be loved. I don't think he loves Willa, I think he needs Willa, and he's buying her. He's trying to buy the love and approval of 1% of the nation through his presidential bid. These kids are horrifically damaged people with no relationship skills. They are still assholes though.

Dawn seemed very low energy. It seems to me more that there's something going on, physically or emotionally. But yeah, damn, I'd eat her food!

The Sophie Hannah Poirots are horrid.

Even though these started almost 20 years ago, there is a definite modern mindset I enjoy about Anna. She has a mature attitude about sex and relationships, even though yes, she is still grieving. She enjoys her occasional isolation. She doesn't have family members constantly imposing on her. Her relationship with her sister is strong and realistic. I'm about to start book 8 though, but it got bumped in my reading queue when the latest Erica Ruth Neubauer showed up as available. I wish writers could find new ways to create narrative tension, rather than "woman in peril because she didn't tell anyone where she was going." I have too many decades of reading books...

I like Anna a lot as a character. I especially like her friendships with other women. She does the mystery series main character thing of not sharing information and putting herself in danger, which bugs. Otherwise I'm really enjoying the series. I think they would be the basis for a great Prime or Netflix series.

I don’t think Logan is targeting Roman. I think Logan threw it out to all the kids and he’d take whichever one came crawling back. It just happened to be Roman. If Kendall had shown up, Logan would have have told Kendall how much he needed him. Roman is just the one who fell for it this time. Each of the kids has come crawling back to Logan for a little more abuse.

Oh Roman…don’t do it.

There have been changes to Christie books for…years. This isn’t something new. I noticed it in listening to The Secret of Chimneys. In my print edition, Bundle and Lord Caterham use anti-Semitic slurs to refer to Isaacstein. In the audiobook read by Hugh Fraser, they use mocking terms, but not anti-Semitic ones. Picking up the print version and seeing the anti-Semitic words …bothered me and took me far out of the story, making me despise Bundle and her father. I felt uncomfortable and didn’t want to read the book. At the same time, I’m not necessarily pro editing and changing stories based on modern sensibilities. It’s not an easy question.

I’m listening to the Nevada Barr Anna Pigeon series. They are fine. Nothing earth shattering or world changing, but good.

I kind of love Tom for giving the finger to the biscuit challenge, because I had so many fights with a British ex about biscuits and cookies and ginger snaps and my ex was just fucking asshole about it. Tom was in trouble for making cakes and yeah, he should have been. "Tom, your dish didn't meet parameters and I'm going to have to ask you to leave the forge..." Oh wait, wrong show. I'm giving Tom my emotional pass on British biscuits though. I thought the judging was on point. Sorry to see Luciana go because I've been really into South American foods lately and want more of that. Victoire's English is amazing. I'm wondering if being so multi-lingual, she's just found the best ways for her to learn. I need them to have a challenge that is in her wheelhouse instead of so far out of it.

When they were on the balcony, they were making calls to someone about the financing. I mean…it was minimal, but it was there.

I rewatched a bit of S1. Tom's mother is a divorce attorney in ..Minnesota I think. So clearly not Roy level money. Tom is also dithering about what to by Logan for present and ends up with some super expensive watch and Logan doesn't care. You're right. I'm wrong. The articles say a 3 month time jump. I'm sure Roman/Kendall/Shiv would have ripped on Willa if they'd been talking to Connor or Willa. They are all about the verbal target right in front of them.

Cherry Jones is fabulous as Nan. She really hits the perfect note of “I’m so above it all and won’t discuss your filthy money, now give me more of it.” I remember the Tern Haven episode when the housekeeper or whatever brings out the turkey and Nan 1. Acts like she herself made it, 2. Invites her to eat with the family, all the while acting like that housekeeper hasn’t slaved away all fucking day and now has the kitchen to clean. The Pierces wear the privilege in the “old money” way, not like those crass “new money” Roys. I’m pretty sure this episode was supposed to have take place just a few days after the end of last season, so the kids didn’t have that much time…and in fact, weren’t they flying out of Europe where they’d been for Harriet Walters’/Mom’s wedding? I’m interested in finding out about Connor’s mother. Also, I kind of loved how Willa was all, “you can throw away another 100 million and still be rich, right?” Logan’s birthday reminded me of Kendall’s sad “Too Much Birthday.” I don’t think Logan and Marcia have divorced. She’s just left his ass.

Well, that was a truly dreadful ending. HIMYM is right. “Mom’s dead, so please dad, go bang it out with your emotional affair partner. Mom is fine with it too. Maybe you can relapse together!”

Accidently posted in the wrong thread. Just read Mystery in Provence by Vivian Conroy. It made me bemoan the lack of real editing. The characters were terrible and inconsistent. The dialogue was silly. The reveal was dumb.