FrancesL

This was the part of the show that annoyed me the most. Simone's behavior struck me as typical teenage girl behavior, so Abby acting like Simone's outburst was abnormal behavior and getting angry at Mike for the inconvenience of having deal with his daughter seemed wrong (and I'm just glad that Simone didn't overhear the conversation). In fairness to Abby, I think that Mike could definitely take more responsibility as a parent, so I completely understood Abby's frustration. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of the responsibilities of taking care of the children fell on Collettes' shoulders when she was with Mike. He clearly needs to step up more as a parent and help out more with the responsibilities, so I understand why Abby was upset. What I didn't understand was Abby's unwillingness to see his children as her responsibility too, now that they were living together as family. Abby was the one who wanted them to be a family in the first place, which means taking the good with the bad. Getting annoyed with Simone (and then Mike) for disrupting her schedule seemed incredibly self-centred, and suggested that she definitely saw them as separate families and didn't really want to be a second mother to Simone. Simone can definitely be a brat, but it's also clear that she has grown to like Abby and sees her as someone she can talk to, so I was disappointed in Abby's annoyance over Simone's "crisis". She wants to bond with Mike's kids but doesn't want the responsibility that comes with it. Also wanting to celebrate her daughter's acceptance into college with her own "family", excluding Mike and his kids was a pretty hurtful move.

I didn't even realize that she was interested in doing sports broadcasting or being a sports agent. I had pictured her possibly wanting to be la legal analyst on a news network, but now that you mention it, the sports makes more sense. It would also explain why so many of her group dates revolved around sports. I know a lot of beautiful professional black women who are unmarried and in their 30s or 40s so if Rachel went on the show to find a husband, it wouldn't be entirely implausible. Anyway, after watching her on TV with Wendy and also on the bachelor/bachelorette, I don't think she'll have a problem getting a job in he media, and if anything, the Wendy interview helped her. During both The Bachelor/bachelorette series, she seemed a lot more relaxed and natural in front of the camera than the typical contestant, and she definitely had a way of putting others at ease (DeMario excluded) so it seems like a good fit.

I'm accustomed to Wendy's inappropriate questions and lack of preparation, but she seemed a lot more catty and judgmental than usual. I don't think that's how she usually treats her guests.

I saw that video and I thought Wendy Williams was pretty rude and out of line throughout the entire interview. If she was trying to make Rachel look bad, it completely backfired, though because Rachel handled herself like a pro and seemed completely unfazed by all of the shade that Wendy was trying to throw her way. I wouldn't be surprised if Rachel picked up a a lot new fans after that interview. She also looked amazing. I have to say, I was never a huge fan of Bryan (was rooting for Peter), but they really do seem very happy together and well-matched. It's just too bad that the producers didn't air the scenes that really showed their connection. I really don't believe Bryan was her second choice or her backup. I think he was her first choice. I believe her when she said that she was going to break up with Peter that night. That entire scene went on forever, because Peter didn't want to let go, which made the good bye so much harder.....and she seems to have problems saying goodbye.

I think it came across that way to a lot of people, and the editing probably didn't help. So I'm not disagreeing with that. I just think we interpreted things differently. Watching their interactions made me think that his reluctance to propose made her actually question the true quality of their relationship and wonder whether he could ever get to the point of wanting to propose. So I didn't see her choice as picking the ring over a quality relationship. Being the Bachelorette is both a blessing and a curse. Yes, she had the luxury of having her pick of 20-30 guys, but at the end of the day, there's really no certainty of knowing whether or not her #1 choice would have also picked her over 20 women, had the tables been turned.....That reassurance comes when they really start dating with no cameras around. And she discovers that she made the wrong choice, there's no rewind button. This is why so much weight is placed on that symbolic gesture of a proposal, even when it wouldn't make sense in the real world and why I don't blame Rachel for her choice. If Peter was the Bachelor and he picked Rachel without proposing, I don't think she would have been plagued with the same insecurities. She would have probably been fine dating him, knowing that she was truly his choice.

I think her feelings were a lot more complex than just wanting a ring. She wanted to be with someone who cared enough about her to see a future with her, and Peter's adamant insistence on not wanting to propose made her doubt his true feeling I think any woman in that situation would feel that way. The ring is a symbolic gesture of a willingness to commit and single season prior to Rachel's, the guy was eager to propose. Yes, it's not normal to propose that quickly, but in the context of the show, it is the norm. Peter had no problems going on a show like the Bachelorette with all it's crazy rules, so it seemed odd that he would suddenly have these principles about only wanting to propose once. Proposing and Marriage in the Bachelor world, are not the same. I think there is an implicit understanding that the couples will need more time to date away from the cameras before deciding to take that final step. People keep saying that Rachel should have been able to compromise if she valued Peter that much,....but I think that Peter should have also been able to compromise if he valued her that much too....and I'm sure that's probably how Rachel saw it. (I can't blame her for that). Also, offering to propose as a "sacrifice" is probably the worst thing that you could say to a woman right before proposing to her! I just think that Peter was just too wrapped up in his own emotions to see things from Rachel's perspective . Also, if it really was just about the ring for Rachel, then she would have accepted Peter's offer. She had to watch the finale with everyone and face Peter right after watching it, so any processing that she might have done in the past, was probably erased by watching their breakup and having to relive that moment. I think they both made mistakes and said things they might regret, but I saw their reactions as very human and real, which is something I don't see often on the Bachelor franchise. Plus, after everything Peter said with regards to his reasons for not proposing, it seemed inconsistent for him to even entertain being the Bachelor. So I'm glad that Rachel pointed out that the Bachelor franchise wasn't for him based on what he said. Whether it was petty or no didn't really matter to me, because I think that someone needed to say it. As a viewer, I'm inclined to think that Peter was truly sincere about his feelings and wasn't stringing Rachel along so he could be the next Bachelor.....But I also know that some people are very good actors and very good at manipulating others, so I don't blame Rachel for wondering if his actions could have all been one big act and for deciding to call his bluff on live TV. Or maybe she thought it would be too infuriating to watch him propose to another woman after insisting that the format of the show was the reason he couldn't propose to Rachel. Anyway, I can't blame her for how she felt and reacted in the moment. Despite all of Peter's flip-flopping, I still got the impression that he was definitely into Rachel. In the beginning, he seemed camera-shy with the intimate gestures, but as the season progressed, he loosened up in front of the camera a lot more, and I'm sure there was a lot that wasn't aired (just as a lot was omitted with Rachel and Bryan) . I thought that Rachel was pretty good at telling which guys were truly into her. He was definitely more reserved than the others, when it came to big romantic gestures and statements, but I think he probably showed her that he cared in a lot of other ways, and Rachel recognized that. Even Kenny and Demario (in the midst of throwing shade) made comments about Peter to that effect. I think that in the end, doubts and insecurities held both of them back and prevented them from compromising and taking the risk.

I have to second that. I thought she looked absolutely amazing in the outfit she wore for Badgley Mischka. Yeah...I thought she was saying it jokingly too. I really can't picture anyone controlling Rachel either. Maybe she thinks he has a good eye for fashion and likes his input. It didn't seem like a big deal.

Peter Krause gets a mention from John Oliver, LOL. Just after the 3 minute mark. BTW, I actually agree with the producer's decision to not pick Peter as The Bachelor (I liked him in Rachel's season, but I think he would have had a tough time being the Bachelor). However, I still thought it was hilarious that even John Oliver had something to say on the topic.

Excerpts from a recent interview with Peter Kraus in Life and Style Magazine http://www.lifeandstylemag.com/posts/what-is-peter-kraus-doing-now-140026

I didn't get the impression that people were accusing Peter of being borderline abusive. That would be a big stretch. based on what we've seen of him. I've heard terms like manipulative or selfish thrown out, but neither of those terms are remotely synonymous with abusive. Personally, I really have no idea what was going through Peter's mind. The final interview suggests that he cared deeply for Rachel, but wanted the best of both worlds. He wanted her to take a leap of faith and pick him over Bryan, but he didn't want to make any commitments. I don't think that was fair to Rachel and I can understand her frustration. I think that the back and forth interaction between Peter and Rachel reminded some people of emotionally frustrating relationships that they' experienced, which is why they understand Rachel's perspective. But that still doesn't imply that they saw him as abusive. However, I do think that it's fair game to speculate that Peter went on the show to be the next Bachelor, since I suspect that a lot of contestants go on the show hoping to make a big enough impression to be picked as the next bachelor. But that still doesn't imply that people think he's abusive. At the very worst, he might be calculating, although his emotions in the finale suggest otherwise. His feelings seemed real but for whatever reason, he just couldn't take that final step. Of course in real life it would be perfectly reasonable to not want to propose after 4-5 real dates, but he went on a show called the Bachelorette knowing that the winner is expected to propose. I should add that Peter isn't the only person being criticized here. There have been tons of negative comments about Rachel throughout the thread....many which struck me as pretty harsh and unfair. Some have stated that that she didn't deserve Peter, that he dodged a bullet, or that she showed her "true colors" in the final interview. Some saw Peter as the victim. Anyway, I think that many of the recent comments about Peter were posted to defend Rachel or to explain why they saw Peter's behavior as problematic. But I didn't get the impression that people were trying to say he was abusive. I liked Peter, but I can completely understand why Rachel didn't pick him and why the entire experience with him was so difficult for her. Honestly, I didn't find Bryan particularly exciting to watch, but he definitely seemed smitten with Rachel. and knew what he wanted (unlike Peter). I'm not sure why so many people are bashing him either. But we all see things differently, I guess.

Sansa seems to truly care about the north, so I see nothing wrong with her wanting to be in charge, as long as it doesn't involve betraying Jon or her other siblings. Sansa may disagree with Jon on several issues, but I still think that her loyalty towards Jon will prevail. The Starks have been through so much that I think it will be difficult for anyone to tear them apart. Arya's comment to Sansa was unfair but I don't think that Arya realizes how much Sansa has changed over the years. Hopefully she will, before Littlefinger gets in her head. However, I disagree about Bran. I think that if he had showed up at Winterfell saying that he was the rightful heir, he would be heavily criticized by fans, regardless of his birthright. Jon and Sansa are responsible for reuniting the North and reclaiming Winterfell, not Bran, and I think that most viewers would take issue with anyone other than Jon or Sansa leading the North . Being male doesn’t give you a pass on Game of Thrones. In fact, the more ambitious male characters (i.e. the ones most interested in power and the Iron Throne) have all been portrayed as villains and have been unpopular with viewers. Vicerys, Euron, Ramsey, Stannis, Joffrey and Littlefinger all come to mind.

That bothered me too! I've only watched about 4-5 other bachelor/bachelorette seasons, but I can't recall ever seeing a hometown date where a contestant excused himself to discuss the bachelorette with his friends and got screen-time for it. There was also nothing remotely interesting about those friends or their conversation with Peter to have warranted that much attention. The camera should have stayed on Rachel and the other girls, not Peter, so I also blame the production crew for that.

I like the Jackson April story but I agree with the poster who said that they seem to be in their own show. The stories of the other cast members are much better intertwined. I must admit that I'm not a fan of Jo. Somewhere in the midst of constantly making Alex feel guilty about not giving her the attention she needed, she should have let him know that she was already married. However, Alex overreacted and nearly killed a guy and that's on him. I can't blame Jo for that. I also agree that it probably wasn't Meredith's intention to threaten DeLuca, but she should have realized that it would not be appropriate for someone in her position of authority to put pressure on an intern . Add that to the fake concern and I can't blame DeLuca for his response. Maggie was one of my favorite characters last season so I really dislike that her character is being used as a means of furthering this "forbidden love" drama between Meredith and Riggs. And do they have to make her act like an obsessed 12 year old girl? It's particularly infuriating, given her history with Riggs. Maggie was Riggs' superior, but when he first arrived, she had to deal with his overbearing arrogance and inability to listen to anyone else. Over time, they seemed to gain a certain amount of mutual respect, which is why it's disappointing that the writers decided to change the power dynamics between those two. As if that weren't enough, we have Meredith secretly telling Riggs about Maggie's feelings, and then encouraging Maggie to ask him out. I guess Mer would rather see her sister completely embarrass herself than be in the awkward position of telling her that she hooked up with Riggs. Meredith's actions seemed cruel and self-centered, but probably not too surprising, given the way she's treated Amelia and Jo. BTW, I could have sworn there was a lot of chemistry between Maggie and Riggs last season. Certainly more than anything I've seen with Riggs and Meredith. I'm wondering if Stephanie will ever get a decent story with longevity, or one that doesn't revolve around Jo. Even the fact that she's still Jo's best friend after what Jo almost got her in trouble with Amelia, tells me that the writers can't even take the time to explore what this character should really be feeling. Not everyone will be as sensitive about these things, but I also wish that the role of female-pining-for-guy-who-isn't-as-interested-in-her didn't always have to go to one of the two single black female regulars on the show. Yes, maybe it's a bit of an overstatement, but I still notice a difference. Meredith, Izzie, Christina, Jo and April haven't had smooth relationships, but at the end of the day, most of the men in their lives would have gone to hell and back for them. Meredith would never get dumped by an intern (much less date one), or dream about a guy who barely noticed her; after all, it's a foregone conclusion that every attractive successful guy over 40 is going fall head over heals in love with her. On the other hand, Stephanie gets dumped by Jackson in the worst way possible and then accidentally asks out a high school student, and Maggie gets dumped by an intern and now obsesses over a colleague who only has eyes for Meredith. Stephanie's fleeting 5-episode romantic tragedy with a guest character doesn't count because even the writers can barely remember that it happened. I guess I should be grateful that Bailey's in a stable relationship even if it's not particularly exciting. It's odd to complain about this in a Shonda Rhimes show and admittedly, it could just be a coincidence, but that still doesn't mean that viewers won't be sensitive to it. I'm curious to know if anyone feels the same way. I also haven't watched every Greys anatomy season, so I could be wrong.

I really don't get why Marc can't get a job and contribute, especially since he decided that he would not be going back to school. THIS! I really wish they hadn't portrayed April's mother as such a witch, because it makes it look like Marc's spoiled and selfish behavior was actually justified. I know the writers love Marc and want us to think that April is lucky to have him (and sadly, a lot of viewers feel that way too), but in reality, he really doesn't deserve April,, and this episode solidified that even more. It couldn't have been easy for April....letting her ailing alcoholic mother live with them, given their strained relationship, and instead of giving April the support she needs, Marc heads for the hills as soon as things get difficult. Suddenly, Daniel doesn't seem so bad. Like you, I wish I could celebrate the breakup, but I'm pretty sure Marc will be back (probably when he runs out of money) and then April will have three children to take care of.

My mistake. Chet convinced the contestants to tackle Darius. But it was still Quinn who orchestrated the whole thing and convinced Chet to talk to the contestants. Quinn's plan was to get Darius tackled, so that he would have to be rushed to the hospital, thus creating drama for the show (and also ruining Darius' career). She also did it to tank the show so that Coleman would get in trouble. Rachel thwarted her plans by getting a doctor to give him an epidural to stop the pain. At this point, if I were Darius, I would have taken the epidural and then walked away from the show a few days later. It still baffles me that he stayed in a show where the producers had no problem getting him hurt.

I might actually tune in for that. My ideal season three would be one that had female suitor (not named Rachel) with males competing for her. Having one of the males fall for Jay could be an interesting sideplot. Of course, no one seems to have a happy ending in this show, but at least, it would be fun while it lasts!

Causing physical or serious emotional abuse to Darius or the contestants has been a recurring theme this season. It also happened last season when Mary committed suicide due to one of the producers tampering with her meds) but at least in that instance, there was a much bigger fallout. The producer was fired and the effects of what they did are still being discussed this season. In this season, there seem to be no repercussions for going too far. So far, they've set up an unstable contestant to hurt another contestant during an obstacle race, then locked her in confinement so she could reveal personal information about her past in foster care. Then they discredited her on national TV by hiring an actress to pretend to be her mother. During the incident, the contestant attacked Darius. Quinn got the contestants to tackle Darius in order to worsen his injury. Rachel made the police think that Darius stole a car which resulted in Romeo being shot and Darius injured. And now Rachel maliciously poisons a contestant that she thinks is sleeping with her boyfriend. What made the food poisoning even harder to watch, was the way Rachel forcefully stopped Yael from getting to a bathroom. It was like something out of a high school mean girls playbook except these aren't teenagers. I know this is a fictional show, but I can't see any reality show deliberately putting their suitor or contestants in situations that could get them hurt. And are we really expected to believe that Rachel cares about race issues, when her tactics of bringing racism to light always involve putting Darius in racially charged situations that can end badly? Had Beth Ann's parents turned out to be as racist as Rachel had hoped, Darius' home date with Beth Ann could have ended almost as badly as the police incident, especially when the pregnancy issue came up and when Rachel invited Beth Ann's ex to show up. It's also frustrating is that the producers don't take the time to properly explore what Darius is really feeling during this entire mess of a show. He gets annoyed with Rachel and continues on his dates, which isn't a realistic reaction, especially given that their manipulations caused his cousin to be seriously injured. The Ruby incident with her father would have been enough for any suitor. After seeing what they did to Yael, I kept hoping that he would select Yael in the final 2 to show that he could not be manipulated. But I guess since the producers don't seem to give a crap about Darius, I shouldn't be surprised that they put very little effort into giving him a plausible character development. At the end of the day, he's just another plot device.

Rachel and Quinn are no better than Coleman. I miss the days when I enjoyed watching watching these characters.

Agree completely. I think those two quotes have been taken out of context. Ruby stood up to her father, a person she admires greatly and announced that she loved Darius and also refused to leave. which to me,speaks volumes about how she regards him. I really didn't see "more than a football hero" as a put down because I don't think our career should define who we are, regardless of what we do. In Darius' case, being seen only as a football hero, becomes a problem since most women are drawn to him primarily because of his status as a rich and famous football and given his vulnerable situation with his injury, I'm sure he's wondering if these women would still feel the same way about him. To me, Ruby's statement about him being "more than that" was her way of saying that she fell in love with the person, not his career. Lastly, I think that he admires Ruby a lot and if he really thinks he isn't good enough for her, it's more about his own insecurities than anything Ruby said to him. My other theory about why Darius let her go is that he simply wasn't willing to settle down and when Ruby made that big declaration of love, it scared him away and he decided to go with the "I'm not good enough for you" excuse. Darius didn't go on the show to find a lifelong partner....he went on the show to improve his image and probably didn't really expect to make a serious connection with anyone. I will really miss Ruby. I wasn't a big Darius fan in the beginning, ...but seeing him with Ruby made me like him so much more. Out of all the women, I really did see her as the only right person for him which is why I have a hard time caring much about any of the other relationship with the possible exception of Tiffany. I think that in an ideal universe, he'd end up with Ruby...however, this is a cynical and somewhat realistic show and in most of these reality contests, the guy rarely picks the right woman. And this is not a show aimed at giving us happy endings!

When I first watched the episode, the portrayal of Michael seemed unrealistic to me too. Then I read that the actor paying MIchael was Ian Harvie, apparently a well known and successful comedian and advocate in the transgender community. Harvey mentioned that working on the Mistresses set was a very positive experience for him, partially because of the show's willingness to work with GLAAD, who were also given the opportunity to review the script. Of course you could argue that the writers ignored the suggestions and did things their own way, but since this topic is uncharted territory for most writers, I'd like to think that they would have taken any input seriously. I'm guessing that every trans person has their own personal experiences and given that I'm not trans and have had very little contact with trans people, I can't presume to know how they'd feel in every circumstance or whether they'd be offended by this Mistresses episode, and I'm definitely not in a position to say how they should feel either (e.g. in reference to the punching incident). I think that Mistresses tackling the subject is a good thing, even if done awkwardly; there are so few shows that even tried to tackle this issue. If this episode helps to enlighten viewers or subconsciously make people more empathetic, then in the end it's a good thing. And yes, the transgender community has faced a lot of violence, but, Marc punching Michael had nothing to do with him being transgender.

I suspect that a lot of people think ( theoretically) that they would never date a transgender person, probably due to their misconceptions about trans people, April feeling this way wasn't the unrealistic part. Like you said, it was what she told him. Like you, I found it hard to believe that someone like April would be that insensitive and clueless to make those comments to his face. It seemed more like a lazy plot device that the writers used in order to broach the topic. It's unfortunate that in doings so, they ruined April's character.

I agree 100%. Of all the females, Ruby has been the biggest surprise (in a good way) . Also, despite her very strong opinions, I've never seen her treat Darius like he wasn't good enough for her. She even made that comment in the last episode about being in the unfamiliar territory of worrying about what others thought about her, particularly Darius. Darius might feel insecure about not being the kind of person he wants her to be but I think that Ruby was just as insecure about not being the kind of person Darius would go for, which is also why I wish he had pulled her aside instead of rejecting her on national TV. After his injury, she was also the only person to perceive that something was wrong and went to find him to make sure that he is OK. I really hope that in the end they find a way to bring her back, because she seems to be the right person for him. I'd much rather see more of the those two than all the ridiculous Quinn/Rachel/Jeremy drama.

I don't think he was trying to say that he finally felt like a "real man" I think he was trying to say that it was good to be perceived and treated like a man by others, and he knew that would change once he told April the truth. Unfortunately, I could see this entire scenario happening in real life, given that most people are very clueless about the trans community and probably haven't had many significant interaction with trans people. The character Michael is also played by a well-known comedian in the trans community who uses the platform to enlighten people, so it's possible that the subject matter was a reflection of his own personal experiences. He has a lot of videos on youtube.

It must be difficult for some of the guys who come later and have fewer women to choose from. I wonder if they look at some of the the other women in the house who are already paired up, and wish that they had gotten to a chance to meet them too. Anyway, I'm still not certain Ben would have picked Lisa. He seems to enjoy flirting with her but I don't think he's interested enough in her to break up two couples. On the other hand, Lisa seems to be pushing the relationship. I do think that couples should be able to switch if things aren't working out, but at the same time, I think it's in poor taste to actively pursue someone else's partner. And I can't help thinking that if it had been anyone other than Michelle (who she seems to hate), Lisa wouldn't have done this. Those two have disliked each other ever since Michelle made that comment about picking Imari in support of her friend Dom which really sounded like BS to me. How is picking a guy that your friend might want be supportive? In that case I agreed wtih Lisa, but I still thought her reaction was a little harsh. Anyway, I can't tell if Ben is really being a jerk to Michelle since so much stuff is edited out, but I thought MIchelled overreacted with the cooking incident. I am beginning to think that something might be off with Michelle. But something also seems to be off with Ben's taste in women.

I think that a lot gets edited out in this show. Even the conversation at the dinner table felt very edited....the whole situation almost seemed to escalate out of nowhere, which is why I think we didn't get a good feel for what really happened. She probably did speak to BT and we just didn't see it. I really don't think the editing is really fair to anyone on this show.