BlackberryJam

I think both Shiv and Kendall were acting in their own self-interest. Kendall wanted to be CEO and run the company because then he'll feel validated because "he's the oldest boy!" He was never, ever going to value Shiv and give her any say in the company. Even when he was CE-Bros with Roman, he was angling with Hugo to make decisions without Roman. Roman was mentally and emotionally checked out and just going along with his siblings. Shiv was stuck between a brother who would completely cut her out and a husband whom she could no longer control. At least with okaying the buyout, she gets a giant pile of cash and a possible foot in the door with Tom.

No matter how great Keiran was, Roman still rushed a rocket launch and killed a bunch of people. He, like Kendall, can rot in hell. Shiv, for all her faults, didn't kill anyone. All the Roy children suck.

Earlier in the episode, Shiv asked Tom about the possibility of reconciling so it's not like her choosing him came out of the blue. Tom wasn't into it until Mattson indicated that he (Lukas) and Shiv had sexual chemistry. I kind of loved that Tom put one of Connor's Who Wants Logan's Old Crap stickers on Greg's forehead. Gerri, Karolina and Ebba for the win. A great bit of acting on the part of the woman extra during the sibling fight in that conference room. You can see her with her forehead against the wall, unable to stomach watching them.

All the Roy children are awful, the least awful being Connor, and he’s only least awful because he has zero power. Kendall Chappaquidicked that waiter. He’s a coke addict who shits the bed. He made the call for Mencken because he was pissed at Shiv. He has zero concern for his children, and those are just a few of his negatives. Roman has no discernible skills, sold any shred of soul he might have had to put Mencken in the White House, sexually harassed Gerri and is mentally hanging by a thread. Shiv is inconstant and desperate for approval, selling out Kendall to get back at him for selling her out. She’s unqualified for the job and she’s terrible at office politics, not to mention her bizarre and uncaring push pull relationship with Tom. Connor though. Connor and his cow couch. You do you, Cameron. You do you.

I kind of wanted Stewy to screw Kendall over, but that’s because I’ve always liked Stewy. Totally thrilled that Logan is spinning in his grave screaming about how his children aren’t serious people.

Quoting myself because though I didn’t have Tom as CEO and Greg along for that ride, I got GoJo taking over, Roman going off on his own,Tom and Shiv driving off in a car and Kendall on the street. I’m giving myself props.

Okay…my predictions were semi right with Shiv and Tom in a love adjacent marriage, Greg still sucking up, Roman going off on his own and Kendall on the street. Well done.

If I were Rava, I’d move the kids as far the hell away from the Roys as I possibility could. Kendall sees them never, used Rava’s house as war room and brought his bedmate at the time over to drink her wine, doesn’t even call his daughter after she has a troubling experience on the street and likely couldn’t pass a hair follicle drug test. He learned parenting from Logan. On top of that, why would anyone want their kids around Uncle Roman? Let’s not forget him telling Shiv that he’d have to go rub one out if he saw her nursing. As to the eulogy, I remembered Willa’s fantastic eulogy she wrote for Connor at Mo-Lester’s funeral. “When a man dies, it is sad. All of us will die one day. In this case, it is Lester who has done so.” Speaking of Willa, she seemed to just stand around in the back looking at her phone. Classic. Shiv and the champagne, I specifically looked at her first drink and she put her lips on the class, tipped it up and let the champagne touch her mouth, no actual drink. I didn’t watch the second one that closely. Such a “Fuck You” to Tom. Harriet Walter is completely fabulous. I also loved Marcia this episode. I felt like her prior cold bitchiness was because she was pissed at the kids and trying to cut them out and then she was pissed at Logan for his treatment of her. With Logan gone, through whatever grieving process, she’s moving past that fury.

The moment Roman walked out of the building, I was preparing for him to die. I was worried about this episode because Connor’s Wedding episode made me relive a terrible loss of my own. However, this funeral didn’t give me that same emotional gut punch. So that was a relief. Kendall is trying to go full Logan, so we are back to the Kendall of the pilot. Which means Kendall is headed for a fall. Mattson is so going to screw Shiv over.

And that's exactly why I don't want him to win. So much calculation.

I remembered why I kept having such a poor reaction to Amar, and it wasn’t just remembered sweat. Not sad to seem him gone at all. I’m disappointed that Gabri is still there. I just don’t think he’s the caliber of the chef’s left. Also it felt like he was just Buddha’s sous. Happy that Tom and Ali made it through. I haven’t been intrigued or amazed by Sara’s food to date, so I’m surprised at how much I wanted her to make the final. I’d love to have her come through LCK, but I like the other competing contestant not named Amar so much more.

Shiv can have left leanings and still be acting in her own self-interest with Jimenez. I don't think she'd jump to Mencken for her own self-interest, not that she's high and mighty on her beliefs, but that she sees the long-term risk of him in office, whereas Roman just doesn't care.

Shiv worked for a Dem when the show started, clearly at odds with her family. She and Tom have a dog named Mondale. I’m sure that’s a characterization choice. Tom is more malleable, but the both originally leaned left.

Tom is fraying at the edges. I can honestly see him standing on the ledge, along with Kendall and Roman, looking down and thinking about the fall.

Of course some people don't like spicy food, but Victoire is a professional chef in a cooking competition. Every chef there is going to have to try things out of their comfort zone and out of their "likes" box. In addition, nothing about the thali they were served indicated the spice level was palate destroying. To me it felt like Victoire was exhausted by the competition and emotionally spent, more than she was unhappy eating spicy food. It had to be so much harder for her having just learned English. I was amazed by her grasp of the language. But listening to British accents, American accents, German accents, Mexican accents, and having to translate all of that in her head, while competing, would have overwhelmed me. Truly, I watch this show with closed captioning because I can't always keep up. I believe if the show was filmed in Italy, Italian being the "base" language of everyone involved, she would have done much better. I wish her well.

I’m just spitballin’ some ideas of here this goes. I think Waystar Royco ends up a worthless entity that no one wants. So Wisconsin actually ends up going for Jimenez and then Mencken sues ATN, splitting the ATN fan base? Does the board unite to remove the CE-Bros? Where are Sandy (and Sandy) and Stewy? Doesn’t Marcia get a seat on the board now with Logan dead? Ewan makes an appearance the funeral. I suspect Roman is going to screw up the eulogy completely. It’s going to be Kendall-rapping level of public humiliation.

So they were talking about what PGN (or something like that) was doing with coverage, which would be Pierce Group Network? Or something? So they did discuss other networks. And what happened with the Pierce deal anyway? I think Shiv knows she can’t “win” by aligning herself with either of her brothers. Her only option is to beat them and Mattson is her key to doing that.

So...if the election ends up going to Jimenez and ATN shenanigans are revealed, does ATN stock tank, bringing down Waystar, Mattson pull out of the deal and the Roys keep a mostly worthless company?

I’m not one to enjoy feeling tense during my entertainment viewing. I just got so invested into a fictional election. Roman is absolutely circling the drain. Tom is going to be absolutely crucified in the media for his calling it. Ken and Roman are going to hang him out to dry.

I’ll stand alone in loving Chef Tom, but you can see all of his stress in his face. I’m coming around on Amar, but I have a lingering memory of him sweating into his food. He’s much better now. I admire Sara for her tenacity and commitment, but I sometimes feel her food is ..I’m trying to find a way to explain, but it’s doesn’t challenge my palate. It’s always a guarantee. I want more risk. Not a fan of Buddha. Too much calculation, too little heart. Ali gives me food plus charm. Love him. Gabri is well past his Best If Served By date.

I actually thought that a few days had elapsed and Shiv was post abortion. Maybe because I thought there was raw fish on the breakfast tray and she was in her jammies? I had the impression that Tom and Shiv "reconciled" and agreed she'd have the abortion and that's why time was upset that she didn't want to have his baby. It's a complicated show with as much said as unsaid. The timeline is a mess.

And I remember why I’m not a fan of Restaurant Wars…

I don’t think this is a GoT type show where there are subtle clues along the way that are showing who “ends on top.” And all of those GoT “clues” turned out to be crap anyway, at least as far as the show goes. I think it ends with Mattson, or Sandy or Stewy or some conglomerate, or just the board of directors, voting out the Roy family and leaving them with only a pile of money and no company to play with or employees to boss around while the employees stroke Roy egos. Connor loses the election. Kendall, Roman and Shiv go to the Waystar/Royco Building to…pretend like they are still in charge, security doesn’t even let them upstairs and they get handed boxes of their personal possession. They go to get in one of the SUVs and are told, “sorry, these are company cars.” Kendall: Should we like, order an Uber or something? Shiv pulls out her phone: Dammit, they shut off our ‘company’ phones too. Rome, do you have a second dick pic sending phone? Roman: No I do not *outraged* I just have a second phone for, you know, times like this, shut up. The fucking Uber app won’t work because it’s linked to the company credit card. Shiv: We have billions in the bank and can’t even call a car? Fucking ridiculous. Kendall: Maybe we could walk to Rava’s? Her place is like…four blocks? Roman: Is she even taking your calls? Kendall stares blankly: She will. I mean. Probably. Tom and Greg roll up in a shitty taxi. “Hey Shiv, I just, hey. I thought, well. I mean…” Shiv looks at Tom. Tom shoves Greg out of the car. Shiv hops in and they take off. Rome finds $50 in his pocket and buys a bicycle off someone on the street, rides off leaving his box behind. Kendall stands on the sidewalk with his box as rap music plays. Greg: Do you want me to carry that for you? I have, you know, long arms, and I’m strong, not like going to the gym strong, but because of the length of my arms I have technically more muscle than people with shorter arms, not that you have short arms, just that if we measure in inches…. Fade out. The End. Sorry, I got carried away there, but I don’t see the Roy family ending up with anything.

Moved to the Spec thread.

It’s all working for me until we get to the Swatch.