Passing Strange

Oh, man, that sucks. I get why you're pissed and why Whitney would bother you. I wish she would advocate for people who do their best and still have issues, too. We devote a lot of resources to finding new and better drugs to control diabetes. It would be great to see the same efforts directed at things like the hormones leptin and ghrelin. I'd love to see Whitney campaigning for research and education, instead of giggling, chuckling and guffawing about things that aren't funny. I'm with Alapaki's post above, I'm not sure what the point of this show is anymore. I will say that this episode made me realize just how big she is. I don't know if it was lack of spandex or different activities or what, but I'd been thinking she was smaller than she really is. Now she's an inspiration to me in a way, as I'm looking at myself and what I can realistically do to, if not get smaller, at least not get bigger.

I think there are things in some processed foods that can be especially appealing, for instance, fats and sugars. But I don't think that's because of an addiction. I think that's because once upon a time those items weren't readily available. Our ancient ancestors didn't know where their next mastodon or honey tree was coming from, so it was to their advantage for fat and sugar to be attractive. Bodies that were physically active for most of the day used those things to their advantage, so it made sense then. Now, not so much.

I hated the funeral idea, but I hate the notion of interventions, period. It's a bunch of people getting together to try to bully one person into doing what others want her to do, but it's ok, because it's "for her own good." Whether it's smoking or drugs or going to the gym too often, people will stop when they want to stop and no amount of well intentioned pressure is going to make it happen sooner. Promise me a nice evening out then drag me to funeral home where everyone has gathered to talk about how bad they're going to feel and I would have been defensive, too. Other people's feelings aren't my responsibility. I don't believe in "food addiction," any more than I believe people can mange their weight by "busting" sugar or fat, eating according to their body or blood type, or getting therapy. We've only recently started to understand that the evolution of our bodies hasn't kept up with that of our brains. The answer is simply that our prehistoric bodies understand survival, not concepts. If you severely restrict food intake, your body thinks it's starving and it takes measures to stop that. It slows your metabolism, which explains how people on diets not only stop losing weight, they can actually gain. It makes changes in your brain that cause food to seem super delicious, which explains why it can look like people are addicted. It adjusts hormone levels so that your hunger goes up and your ability to feel full goes down. I'm heavy and I knew about these effects long before science did. If Whitney doesn't know the science behind why diets fail, I bet she at least knows that they do. She may not want to change how she eats, but she also doesn't want to fail at dieting on national television. What I wish this show would do is approach health for overweight people in a realistic way. But we're talking about a show that staged a mock funeral "intervention," so.... About Lenny. I get no sense of connection between him and Whitney, no chemistry. And people called her parents and her roommate when she went to the hospital, but not her boyfriend? It's as if paying him for a visit to the hospital wasn't in the production budget. When I look at Lenny I think that at the end of the season he grows out his hair, shaves off the ugly beard and mustache, takes his paycheck and goes home to his real SO.

I so wanted Jeremy to be the first loser for this competition. Was that an option? I thought I saw menus on the tables when the diners sat down.

I've been trying to figure out why 'mercial annoys me so much and I think this explains it. Thank you! I don't believe Kenya has had butt implants. When she was mocking Phaedra's fishnet outfit in an earlier season she wore pads in the center of her cheeks. People surmised this was to cover scars from surgery. The only problem with that is that the implants are inserted farther over, in the area where the cheeks meet. The purpose of that is to hide the scars. The pads aren't necessarily evidence of a procedure.

As I said, we've apparently had very different life experiences. My work has brought me into contact with enough people with multiple arrests that, to me, it's a significant factor in my assessment of people. It's possible that makes me narrow minded and condemning; it's also possible it makes me smart. It all depends on your point of view. Regardless, it's been obvious for several exchanges now that our opinions differ and will continue to do so. So, I agree it's tomato, to-mah-to- potato, po-tah-to and think we should just leave it at that.

My opinions are based on life experience, as are yours, so I would say the difference is due to personal knowledge rather than ignorance. It may not take much to cause an arrest, but it takes something. For me, someone with multiple arrests has demonstrated significant disregard for some important conventions of society and I won't be inviting her over for Christmas. She's probably not expecting an invitation, so it works out.

Ok, that means my sentence should read: She was acting in a way that brought her to the attention of the police and was impaired enough to be arrested. Bottom line is still that she was arrested. Three times. For the DUI, on a warrant and for violating probation. We can dance around and say she might have been in a diversion program or she might have been sleeping it off behind the wheel or she might have accidentally violated her probation. It doesn't change the fact that she was arrested three times. That we've never seen Kate drunk on the show doesn't speak to the arrests. After all, we never saw Josh Duggar or Paula Deen be inappropriate on television, either. The comments about Kate and her arrests are conclusions based on items published on a website. The comments about Rocky are conclusions based on what people saw on the show. We don't have any proof that either representation is more or less accurate than the other.

I see what you're saying and you're right. I edited my original post to correct my mistake.

It's accurate. Here's just one source: What you're describing sounds like a continuance for dismissal, which can include supervision. Supervision is similar to probation, but not matching. If you're arrested for violation of probation, you've been convicted of a crime.

Let's draw conclusions based on what we do know, then. She was behaving in a way that brought her to the attention of the police and was impaired enough to be arrested. She did something serious enough that one law enforcement agency asked other law enforcement agencies to detain her. She was on probation, either because she was convicted of a crime or because she was under the supervision of the court for a prosecutable offense. She failed to follow the terms and was arrested again. People have been diagnosing Rocky with all sorts of mental health conditions based on nothing more than her appearance on a reality television show, yet they demand complete details when Kate's criminal behavior is a matter of public record. We don't need details. One arrest might be a mistake. Three arrests allow us to conclude that there's a problem. Does this make Kate a horrendous menace to society? Probably not, but it does belie the veneer of sophistication, elegance and refinement she attempts to project. Couple this with the fact that she's been shown lying both to her immediate supervisor and the guests she serves and I'm not inclined to trust her version of the truth. (Edited to correct errors noted by other posters.)

I'm meh on Captain Lee. All of his taking Rocky to task is stuff that should have been done during the charter. A good manager corrects a subordinate's mistakes as they happen. Letting the behavior continue and then bitching about it when the season is over is for entertaining television, not fixing things. And, yes, it would be nice if Rocky acknowledged that her behavior was inconvenient for others and to offer a genuine apology, but nice is all it is. There's nothing that says she has to feel or act that way just because it would make Lee happy. If he really wanted to publicly talk to someone who needs to own bad behavior, douchey Eddie was right there. Ben and Dave can miss me with their bros before hos attitudes. Captain Lee is Harold Lee Rosbach. Apparently Andy doesn't read the Bravo site.

I agree that the story might be true. What we saw Leon say was that Kate was drinking, then he admitted he didn't see it. That doesn't negate Rocky's statement about Kate having a mug with wine in it and the fact that the cameras didn't show a mug doesn't mean there wasn't one. If you have something prohibited, you don't set it on the counter top, you hide it. If there was a mug, it was probably on a shelf under the counter or behind an appliance, container or other large-ish item. I think DUI pretty much indicates drunk. Impairment starts as soon as you have a drink and becomes noticeable at a level as low as .03. By the time your blood alcohol level is .08, you're impaired enough that you're dangerous. Being at .07 just means you're not going to be arrested, not that you're ok to be driving.

No, you're not the only one. I usually carry my e-reader with me, but it's small and unobtrusive. I might have packed that or a paperback in my bag, but I wouldn't have taken it out when people were around me and interacting. Also, I wouldn't have taken snacks. If Kim has special dietary needs she would have mentioned that when the snacks came out. Kim bringing her own food was just as ridiculous as Kenya throwing it overboard. Maybe Kim will grow on me, but so far, for me, she's not adding much.

I don't think you sound like a prude at all. What you're saying about using a little thought in decisions makes sense. If only hormones made the same sense. We have two different takes on the Kate and Ben situation. Maybe there will be some clarification at the reunion, but I'd also be ok with having them both back next season. It would be interesting to see what might develop. Whoa, that sounds like I'm looking at them more as a science experiment than as people. Maybe Kate is rubbing off on me. :)

I think what we expect is for people to take responsibility. If you've used someone, even if you thought that person understood the terms, it's like any mistake; you say you're sorry. It won't be easy and it won't make things right, but it's the adult thing to do. That's why no one recommends ghosting as a good way to end a relationship. It bothered me, too, but my take is different. I don't think Kate's pride needed to be satisfied. She has good, healthy self-esteem and is confident in her sexuality. She doesn't need external validation from Ben and he's as much her side piece as she is his. She knows Ben isn't the one for her and she's fine with that and with the encounters that happen. Ben, though, is so impressed with his own awesomeness that he can't help but believe she might fall for him. He thought he was protecting Kate, when really he was just amusing her. Except that women don't usually see sex as a separate entity. To a woman, if a man rejects sex he's not rejecting free pussy, he's rejecting the woman herself. That's not what he's actually doing, but she doesn't realize that. Women don't compartmentalize the way men do and the difference causes lots of confusion and heartaches.

I'm one of those people who is set in her ways and likes seeing the same people over and over, so it's probably good for me when Bravo does switch these folks out. It seems like Bravo is recycling types, though. We had the privileged, whiny, petulant brat who couldn't get along with her boss in Sam and now we have that again in Rocky. We had the cocky, insubordinate deckhand/engineer who preferred to be an engineer and couldn't get along with his boss in CJ and now we have it again in Don. We had the love'em and leave'em dirtbag in Kelley and now we have it again in Eddie. Can't wait to see what Below Deck characters Bravo gives us next season!

Yes, a stationary camera is exactly what I was thinking. Throughout the season we saw numerous shots of the crew members in their bunks at angles that indicated a mounted camera. Since the initial incident happened in the late evening, it makes sense to me that production found out when they reviewed the footage from those cams. I would say Rocky and Eddie had no relationship if they'd been strangers who spied each other in a bar and hooked up after a drink and some conversation. After that they could go their separate ways if they wanted, with neither one owing the other anything. Rocky and Eddie had a relationship as co-workers before the laundry room. It doesn't matter that there was no romance or mutual emotional connection, it was still a type of relationship. Since Eddie wanted to end things it was his responsibility to say so. It's not Rocky's standards we're talking about here, it's Eddie's. Eddie knew this, he just couldn't be arsed to give a shit about anybody but himself until circumstances forced him to actually talk to Rocky. Eddie didn't indicate any worry about Rocky's welfare when he was standing outside her door with the scissors. The bosun is in charge of the outside of the boat and the deck crew. If the situation had actually seemed serious, before breaking in he needed to check with Kate, who was nearby. I guess I just can't get too down on Rocky because, for me, she's still far preferable to season one's Sam.

I think Eddie (or any cast member of any reality show) would be unlikely to think something wouldn't be shown. That's the whole point of shows like these and people know going in that they can't control what's broadcast. Eddie may have asked Rocky to keep things secret from the crew, but he had to have known he couldn't keep it from the producers. My guess is the camera in the room captured Rocky getting a text and hightailing it to the laundry room, so they asked her about it. I don't believe it was a situation of Rocky vengefully going to the producers later. Maybe there will be some clarification at the reunion. Eddie and Rocky may not have had a meaningful or committed relationship, but they had been intimate. Regardless of the fact that it meant nothing to him, the decent thing for Eddie to do was to break it off to her face, not shut her out. She's a human being who deserves to be told that they're done, preferably with some diplomacy and caring. I disagree that Kelley and Jennice had any different kind of relationship. Jennice was a conquest for Kelley and he used her the same way Eddie used Rocky. Kelley was just more subtle about being a shit to Jennice once he'd notched his belt. Eddie didn't just open the door to Rocky's room, he forced it open. It was a room that she shared with someone else, yes, but that someone else wasn't Eddie. He had no right to break into a room that wasn't his. If he was concerned about Rocky, and there was no indication that he was, he needed to bring that to the attention of her boss, who might have been able to get Rocky to open the door, or his boss, who most likely has access to a key. Sure, Rocky has faults, maybe even problems, and her behavior hasn't been exemplary. To me, that doesn't make Eddie's behavior any less appalling.

Eddie not only showed every inch of his ass this episode, we found out it's a lot bigger than it looks. Rocky is immature, self-centered, attention seeking and not exactly talented when it comes to combining flavors. While that may make working with her difficult, it doesn't mean it's ok to be a douche to her. Eddie used her, brushed her off, accused her of willful seduction, denied a relationship with her, then broke into her room to accuse her of something she wasn't doing. Rocky may be annoying, but Eddie is a real piece of work. The last scene between Kate and Ben was uncomfortable, for me and Ben, anyway. Kate seemed to find it more amusing than anything and I applaud her for that. I didn't see any signs of a great romance, just two people who had had some good times and knew there was nothing more offered or expected. We didn't see anything that called for that clearing of the air. I don't know if Ben was genuinely trying to look out for Kate or just being sure none of Eddie's assholery had rubbed off on him.

It offends me when any designer says his or her clothing reflects "strong" women, regardless of the particular style. Saying "strong woman" is like calling Tenley Albright a "woman doctor." It's redundant.

You're right, that could have happened, but to me it makes sense to base my conclusions only on what I see, not the possibilities I can imagine. I mean, for all I know behind the scenes Leon is really a peach and Amy is a strident harpie, but I can only work with what I've been shown. I agree that Eddie wanted payback and that Rocky is playing out a storyline. And I very much agree that Eddie isn't irresistible!

I agree, except I'm focusing on Eddy's behavior post hookup. For me, it's not the relationship itself that's an issue and I don't think it is for Rocky, either. He asked, she said yes and it looks like she's accepted responsibility for that. It may not have turned out the way she wanted, but that's not her gripe. What she has a problem with is how he's ending it. The mature, classy way to end things would have been to straight out tell her. Instead, Eddy is being cold, rude and insulting, yet never actually saying it's over. I don't think Eddy is a dog for starting the relationship or even for ending it. I think he's a dog for the way he's ending it.

This. So much this. Any flaws Rocky has don't make her less human and Eddy is a douche for being cruel and dismissive. Rocky hasn't shown any tendency toward violence, so he doesn't need to be afraid of bunny boiling. He just needs to tell her it's not going to work out, not be rude and distant. I thought Kelley Johnson was the lowest of the low in his treatment of Jennice, but Eddie has beaten him by a mile. I also don't see any parallels in this situation and Rocky/Emile. Rocky was tickled to be asked on a date and seemed open to a relationship with Emile, until he showed his ass and his inability to handle liquor. Then she shut down any idea of sex. That he heard "No, I don't want to go to your bunk, in fact, I'll just sleep up here on the deck" as "I love you, come meet my family" is not her fault. The letter was a bad response to Emile's obtuseness, but she wasn't playing with his feelings then and she's not doing that now. When she wanted him at first and then when didn't, she was honest about it. Eddie, on the other hand, started with what was purely a late night booty call. When he'd gotten enough that he could think with his big head again, he realized he'd done a bad thing by hooking up with a co-worker and used Rocky's behavior as the excuse to end things. Had he hooked up with one of the other women he would have done the same thing, he just would have had to work harder to come up with an excuse for being a cad. I was surprised at Connie and I agree with those who said it seemed out of character, especially as she was doing the same things she was criticizing in Rocky. I suspect that Emile isn't the player he wants us to believe he is. Some of the things he's said, like "I don't date, I mate" (said when he was actually out on a date) and crude references to his sexual prowess, aren't the stuff of sophisticated seduction. Sex is like money; those who really have it don't talk about it. Emile talks about it.

Yes, relatively. Gibbs' love interests have ranged from 7 years younger (Susanna Thompson's Hollis Mann) to 18 (Rena Sofer as Margaret Allison Hart). I keep hoping for someone within a couple of years or even, gasp!, older. Crazy, I know.