Vanderboom

It might have been that once Jen liked/retweeted negative stuff about Brooks, random social media wackos used that as an excuse to be verbally abusive and make death threats. That kind of stuff can be really scary, especially if doxxing is involved. But then why would Meredith go through the theatre of demanding and pretending to accept Jen's apology? Why do the bathtub celebration of Jen's arrest then lecture the other women about how they need to be better friends to Jen? The SLC Housewives are endlessly fascinating to me because of their strangeness; I almost never understand why they do what they do.

My problem was with the way Ginny was written; I wanted better for her. She was either a nonentity or the Coolest Thing Evar, and Likes Harry isn't really a personality trait. My UO is that I'm totally over small town romances, in book or tv form. As much as I love a good trope, there is just no interesting way to tell this story anymore. Also: not every good book should be made into a movie. I refuse to watch any version of Dune because of this. Also: The Outlander series should have been a trilogy at most.

Yes! I was trying to find the words for this! It's like they're trying to act out what their inner dorky teen thinks is Adult Behavior, with the hired dancers and boob cakes. When Mary is one of the less obnoxious people at a party, you know the world is upside down. It looks as if Chloe (is that her name?) is now my favorite member of the Marks family. It sure ain't Seth. It won't be Brooks, and I don't get Meredith's appeal. Jen's tantrums are ridiculous, particularly for someone trying to convince others that she doesn't belong in jail. I hate when Housewives fights get physical, but I'll award Lisa a million cool points if she stands her ground and goes toe-to-toe with Jen.

Lindsey's family doesn't seem to like her; I hope she's not one of those people who run roughshod over other people's feelings in the name of "being honest." Also: I hope Isaac was clear with the show about his priorities. Ask Bao if cooking "gourmet meals" can save a marriage. Then again, the experts ignored Myrla's preferences to create drama, so I'm pretty sure this issue is going to come up again.

I'm lucky enough to live in a place that has access to two libraries with extensive e-book catalogs, which saves me time and money. While I miss being able to sit and browse in a physical library, the pandemic has changed that feeling forever. I access my books on a standard tablet, but do you guys know if or how Overdrive or Libby work with e-ink devices? @JustHereForFood has a good point about computer screens and eye strain.

Are they not even trying now? I understand that the pandemic has changed the job situation, but many marriages sink due to financial strain. And this is when people know each other. If the experts were actually interested in workable marriages, they would at least ask prospective partners if they were cool with marrying someone who is unemployed. Also: Mark's support for his mom and grandma is great, but that doesn't mean that his wife, as a nurse, would automatically be on board with his caregiving responsibilities. The experts need to ask, not assume. Many healthcare workers are burned out because of the pandemic.

Since you asked 😉 . . . I think I like Lisa more when she antagonizes Meredith as opposed to Whitney. I never got why the ladies keep fighting for Meredith's friendship. She doesn't strike me as being particularly kind, fun, smart, or charming. Maybe there's something off-screen that makes her attractive as a friend?

Ugh. Between the previews, recaps, repeated scenes, "casting specials," reunions, CouplesCam and Unfiltered, there is already too much filler. This time would be better invested in having the "professionals" really support the couples and pair them based on compatible beliefs, habits, finances, and goals. Less looking through underwear drawers and more psychological assessments. It wouldn't hurt to shake up the ranks of the experts, either.

It's not as interesting as Selling Sunset, but interesting enough to pass time. There's no real villain, but I appreciate that. The cast is a good mix of personalities, but the storylines (they did more telling than showing--why should we care if Juwanna is put in charge?) didn't really draw me in. Tenille is the bitchiest agent, but often has a valid point; her impression of Alexis was hilarious. I do, however, find the agency's business practices shady. Arbitrarily changing the commission structure with no warning? Hell no! Why wasn't this a bigger deal?

Taraji is clearly enjoying herself and her singing is great! Nicole Scherzinger seems really stiff, though.

I've never been a Meredith fan, but I found her straightforwardness about Jen really refreshing. She lost me again with her dismissiveness toward religious trauma. I'm a practicing Christian, but I can't (and shouldn't) turn away from the harm that many religious organizations and cults have perpetuated. Not good, Meredith. Yes, Lisa needs to stop dropping Hints of Doom, but the ladies still need to stop enabling Mary.

Why no follow-up questions about Myrla's repeated declarations that she was (slowly) falling for Gil, that he was even more than she asked for, and so forth? If she didn't connect with Gil then why say yes on Decision Day? Come on, Kevin, you're supposed to be better than Andy Cohen at this. Brett's style isn't my taste, but I don't think her decolletage is the Worst Thing Ever. She looked a little cartoonish, though, like Poison Ivy. I was more offended by the set. Have all MAFS reunion sets looked like the Home Goods clearance shelves threw up on them?

It could be linked to her job. When I was a teacher, I had a tendency to put on the "teacher voice" even when hanging out with my friends. If Rachel spends her days talking to children with special needs, she's probably gotten into the habit of speaking loudly and deliberately.

Never mind. It's been said already.

True, but that's what makes Wendy so . . . disappointing to me. She has the smarts to outmaneuver the other ladies, but not the confidence, so her reads have an underlying tone of spotlight-clutching desperation. I actually groaned out loud when I saw that she brought reference materials. Seriously? Did she learn nothing from last year? The Thirst Book never wins. And as someone who dislikes both of them, I believe that Gizelle is way too good for Van Jones.

Or musical talent!

Ugh. Why is Drew Sidora back? I can't stand her husband or her "temptress" mentality. Oh, well. At least we get Marlo, but it's going to be strange to see her without Nene or Porsha.

While Erika was bloviating about how hurt she was by Dorit/PK/Kyle/Mauricio laughing as her absurd car-flipping stories, did she ever address the "no one says no" issue? That the doctors who saw to Tom wanted to treat his head trauma but Erika, who later claimed she had talked things over with a bigger and better doctor, insisted on only addressing his ankle? Andy, who seems allergic to follow-up questions, should have revisited the issue when Erika claimed that he called her from the bottom of a ravine after being missing for hours. Really? She had been worried about his mental state but somehow neglected to examine his head? Couldn't that kind of decision be considered elder abuse?

I'm relatively new to RHOBH (watched the first season, came back in in the middle of the Denise pileon). Was all this Big Kathy stuff revealed on the show? Or was this part of Kyle's movie?

Oh! I read this last year and loved it, but it was an emotional rollercoaster. One moment I was cracking up at the description of Michael Landon "giving the female viewers what they want" and then feeling so angry and sad because of Allison's home life.

The follow-up article contains perhaps the most accurate description of RHOBH: The second I read the words 85% reaction shots, I thought of Kyle and her ever-present Home Alone (TM another poster) face. Maybe we need to start a fan campaign urging Andy to address Kyle and Kathy's shit-stirring and how they picked on Sutton.

😁 I know right? Tom's mental incompetence, threats to Sutton, making sure we all know that Erika is the true victim, trying to throw the paralegals under the bus--all fine. Discussing her son's car-rolling snow adventure? Time to clam up!

Erika can complain that BH is "so precious" all she wants, but she should be glad they are because these ladies are handling her with kid gloves. The other casts would have brought the shade like there was no tomorrow. When Erika announced that Tom called her five times a day, I really wanted someone to ask if he was calling while rolling down a hill.

I didn't want to get off-topic in the weekly thread, but I think it's useful to know some of the major myths about Affirmative Action.

I was okay with Tafoya until she did that thing where she says she's going to intentionally push back on something Whoopi said then "joked" about how now everyone hates her. It rubbed me the wrong way because it implied that reasonable debate and disagreement is proof that the ladies can't handle differing opinions.