Vanderboom

Yes, but hilariously so (for now). I laughed at her job-interview-like "confession" that she's so awesome, it's a curse. I think Jen needs real therapy from an actual therapist, and not just advice from her absentee husband/life coach. She explodes with anger, and it's never about the one thing it seems to be about. That's why Meredith's sleepover cancellation ended up becoming an issue of loyalty and the nature of their friendship. She's mad that Mary snarked on her rambling justification for her outbursts, and then it becomes about Mary's antiblackness. Mary needs . . . something. I just don't know what. She does seem to be self-hating, and I really want to know more about the two-year period before she decided to marry her grusband. What turned the tide for her? If it was all about the money, then why did it take two years to decide?

I wanted to like this more than I did. The overwrought narration lost me, but I hope it's just 1st Episode Weirdness. I'll try one or two episodes; I hope they'll be better.

Robyn never really looks good at reunions or in her talking heads, but can look stunning just walking on the street. It amazes me. Robyn can make everyday clothing look designer by how she wears it. Gizelle--although she's pretty--has the reverse superpower of making designer clothing look schumply. You are so right. Ashley reveled in the Holy Mother edit she got this season and will try to maintain that advantage for as long as she can. I liked how Robyn was willing to question Ashley's victim narrative, but Ashley seems to have Teflon magic on her side.

I only caught the tail end, but I hate Drew's husband. "You just don't understand Black men." What's to understand? You unexpectedly left your family for three days, and you're trying to make your wife look crazy for wanting to know where you were, why you left, and giving a shit if you're dead or alive?!

Candiace's Christmas movie doesn't look bad, and it's good for her and Chris to diversify their income streams.

I loved how excited Chee was about the Travelocity gnome. Truly adorable! I guess to the Race Powers That Be, giving advice or hints on the task is very different from "You can do it, babe!" type help. DeAngelo's need for speed ended up costing him more time, but it's easy for me to see that as a viewer 2 years later. Aparna's acting as if she and her brother were favorites for the win until Dastardly DeAngelo and his Friend Gary ruined the game with their spite. Also: why trash talk DeAngelo when Gary's right there? Gary's part of the u-turn, too, and he's extremely patient.

Same here. Bravo needs to do better. I hope Kenya the Clear Communicator doesn't take out her frustrations with Marc on the ladies. It's not fun to see her so broken, but I also don't want her to get her groove back by bullying the others, which seems to be the way she operates. I don't really miss Nene; toward the end, she didn't really do much except sulk.

Exactly. Michael tried to make serving emu on a platter look like a wise business decision. Please. Like others have said, Ashley sucks as a person, but she's still too good for Michael. I'm sure her embarrassment at the party was partially because of Michael's ranting and partially because Michael's Gollum-looking self seems to care more about Juan (his prrrrecccccccciooouuuussssss) than about Ashley.

Wendy was doing way too much during the proposal, but it was kind of endearing how dorkily thrilled she was to be part of this. She's . . . a lot, but her sense of humor is her saving grace (telling Eddie to stay out of the fight because he was wearing white). If she comes back for another season, I hope she doesn't take herself too seriously. I've pretty much have been indifferent toward Juan Dixon, but this episode made me feel protective toward him, with Michael's fawning and then embittered behavior post-proposal. If Michael is truly Juan's friend, he wouldn't be going out of his way to ruin this night for him, even if he had reservations about Robyn. I'm glad Robyn and Juan got to dance and celebrate at their party. Monique, Ashley, and Karen are all delusional, and I'm going to need Ashley and Karen to stop projecting their insecurities onto others. I can't believe they had me rooting for Gizelle this episode.

Thank you for this! David Allen Grier has always cracked me up. Jamal is slime, but as a lot of people on here said, at least his sliminess is a known quantity. It makes me sad for Gizelle that this guy is preferable to being alone. I don't even get the "storyline" excuse; Gizelle could have a lot of fun making her search for Mr. Right a storyline (are people still doing speed dating? probably not in these Covid times) without exposing her daughters to anything strange or harmful. She should have talked about her folded tissues instead. Somehow, every time Candiace "reads" someone, she ends up in tears, which is a sign that maybe she's doing it wrong.

I'm sure Ray was envisioning that, too! I like that Karen is willing to laugh at herself and take on Gizelle, but she loses so many cool points lying about stupid shit or flipping out for no reason. I wish she thought better on her feet and wasn't rattled by Ashley so easily. I can see Karen going along with that plan. She loves being seen as a mentor; it's part of her whole Grand Dame thing. To me, this makes more sense than Karen wanting to set Candiace and Monique up for a confrontation. Exactly. Who or what is supposed to benefit from this reconciliation thing? Gizelle certainly isn't. The girls are against it, and Jamal can barely fake like he gives a damn. Didn't Candiace have a wig line? She looked great in that wig at Karen's launch. Same here. They both get loud and vulgar when their backs are against the wall. Oh, and how stupid was Ashley's antacid gift? Karen was being generally dishonest, but she's right in that people who don't want to drink should be left alone about it. Ashley is an adult, not the teenage antagonist in a health class video.

I can't tell you how loud I laughed at this! Does that make Ashley Smithers? I thought the same thing. Gizelle looks for any excuse to come for Karen. Who cares, Gizelle? Why do you always try to rain on Karen's parade? Yes, she's a pretentious and dishonest oversharer, so go after her for that. If she wants to come out with a perfume then a wig line, then why do you need to be the hatin' voice of doom? No one told you you were overextending yourself with Every Hue Beauty and your raggedy little book you had trouble reading aloud from. But it's only cute when you do it, right?

Hete is the AV Club's review of the 10 Zaniest Episodes of Original Recipe Animaniacs. I'm not sure if I agree with the selections, (No "King Yakko" or "Les Miseranimals"?) but I thought the comparison if the WB Kids episodes to the later seasons of Family Guy was valid. I would have appreciated more discussion about the inconsistent quality of the non-Warner cast, but I guess that would have made the article too long.

Oh Sandra. Never has the word "specific" been more bone-chilling. Like Garrett, I sort of want to know how specific Jerry is without getting into specifics.

I was about to say this! I read the biography recently. Montgomery's life was bonkers! I’m currently reading Sis Boom Bah by Jane Heller for light reading. It's . . . okay so far. The bickering sisters are irritating, but the mystery seems intriguing.

Then again, Candiace made a name for herself during her first season by describing his genitals. Given that, I can see why Chris might want to limit his screen time. I hope this is the very last episode in which Wendy's education is discussed. Move on, Doc. Robyn is definitely the Greek chorus on this show. I like that she didn't back down on Gizelle. Ashley can talk about how Karen was waiting to shade Gizelle, but Karen's point was fair and relevant to both Gizelle and Ashley. Don't base your on-screen personality on being nosy, intrusive, and "holding people accountable" for their personal lives then turn around and ask them to respect your privacy and boundaries when you have personal problems. I hope Candiace and Karen remain friends. It's hilarious to watch Candiace (and Robyn) react to Karen's shenanigans.

I'm starting to get (but not completely like) Dr. Wendy; as someone said upthread, you kinda have to like someone who can laugh at herself. I also think she looks so much prettier on the show than she does in her talking heads. I foresee the usual Second Season makeover if she comes back (remember Gizelle's first season wig?), but I hope she doesn't go overboard. I, too, have immigrant parents who prize education. In their home country, earning academic scholarships transformed their and their entire generation's lives once those scholarships became available to them and others who were outside of the elite classes. I also agree that having a Ph.D. as a Black woman can open doors and help to shut down the false assumption that you're not qualified to work in predominantly White spaces. However, the way Wendy goes about "making education a priority" is counterproductive. Every time she talks about it on the show, it's part of a taunt and " . . . and you don't" is often implied when she mentions her education. I heard the flag conversation different from some of you. I saw Wendy guess Portugal, then Ashley didn't respond, so Candiace said "Nigeria?!" Then Ashley says it's Portugal and asks Wendy how she knew, and Wendy blamed it on all the soccer she watches. I could be wrong, though. I was looking more at the flag. Karen is such a liar, but at least she only really lies about herself. Gizelle often tells the truth about others but frames it in a negative/shady way. Both are tv gold, though, and I would hate to see RHOP without them both. Of the two, I'd rather have Karen as a friend even though I couldn't trust her facade, but I'd rather sit next to Gizelle at a party. Gizelle can't have it both ways, though; why should Karen confide in you when you've already and repeatedly demonstrated you care more about teasing or embarrassing Karen than you do about Karen herself? One More Thing: Candiace's voice isn't terribly bad. Once she got past the vocal exercises, I heard a little 90s New Jack Swing thing going on in her voice. Her voice reminded me a little of Adina Howard's. Compared to RHOA Kim ("There's a Tightruuuuuuup, between me and you"), RHONY Luann, and RHONJ Melissa, Candiace's voice is better by far.

I know. I may never forgive Oprah for the disapointment. I gave Ava Duvernay a pass on this because I love most of her work.

I thought Handler was gross, too, but then, I've never been a fan of hers. I have mixed feelings about Gov. Cuomo, but he didn't deserve that nonsense. I've noticed that with hair, makeup, and outfit, Sunny usually gets two out of the three right--at least in my opinion. I've made a game of trying to guess which two when I hear the show's theme music. Maybe the halo light was a View-Your-deal leftover?

Poor Owlson! I hope that a) she finds stable and peaceful employment or b) she loses her shit entirely and becomes a frighteningly competent supervillain. No other options are acceptable. Of course, I was grinning throughout this episode; the original series is an alternative dimension! Bonkers as security! I'm also glad of the brief mention of Dewey and Webby's close friendship. While I'm glad that Webby now has other friends, I hope Duck Tales stays away from just grouping the friendships based on gender.

I can't stand Gizelle, but I agree that she definitely brings the entertainment factor. Unlike OGs from the other cities, Gizelle makes RHOP and the show would fall apart without her and possibly Karen (her sometime antagonist).

So far, I'm enjoying Ever After Jaleel "Steve Urkel" White's podcast with his fellow child stars as guests.

Karen is at her best when she's real and self-aware. I loved the trip to Surry (sp?) County. Gizelle, of course, remained condescending and shady--"She's like the Beyonce of this town." As entertaining as Gizelle can be, it's like she has a compulsion to snark on Karen. Why not let her have this moment? You already heard her family say that this is Karen's first visit since her parents were laid to rest. Karen can be a trip, but you can tease her lightly without sounding like such a hater. I still don't get Dr. Wendy's angle, but I loved her sister's impression of their mom. It's not as if we're in the first season or two of the Real Housewives franchise, so how does Wendy think appearing on this show gels with her political commentator brand? Robyn is at her best when she's the voice of reason for her crazy castmates, but apparently she can't manage her money. Wouldn't the bankruptcy process make you more vigilant about your money afterwards? And the sheepish tee-hee-hee attitude makes Robyn look incompetent, not sympathetic.

Meghan's grandmother has died. I'm sure the ladies will send their condolences when Cindy McCain visits.

I know, right?! Not only is Rev. Jamal community dick but his multiple degrees somehow didn't help him figure out how to use condoms effectively. Monique needs to recognize that the fight is a symptom of a larger anger management problem. As immature and irritating as Candiace is, I'm glad she's working on herself in therapy (although I'm side-eyeing on-camera sessions). Monique should do the same (off-camera) because even if we take her at her word, she should be worried that she lost control of herself and became a danger to others. Perhaps her pastor can recommend a faith-based therapist because unless he's also a real counselor, I don't think taking to him and his wife will be enough. I get Wendy's concern about perpetuating stereotypes, but she needs to get real. Racists are going to racist, no matter how well-behaved we are. That's the problem. To paraphrase Toni Morrison, part of the racism trap is that it's meant to keep us jumping through hoops so that we're too exhausted to demand true equity. Seriously. Those shoes were really cute. Silver lining: we all now know that Candiace's wigs are really durable. Because it can never be said enough: Shut up, Ashley.