Vanderboom

Could feel my blood pressure rising during Michelle and Sara's dodge (TM Sunny). Apparently, their children are too innocent to learn about the racism their friends may face as members of "affinity groups." I'm actually disappointed in Sara, with her belabored hypotheticals.

They're tied with psychics/mediums as the most trite producer shenanigan. Well, she DID invite the ladies to her Open House during her house-flipping stage. It was the only time I remember Robyn confronting Gizelle on her shady behavior. And she co-hosted the podcast launch gathering in which Robyn the Queen of Event Planning unnecessarily told all the guests that there were conversations about barring certain people from the restrooms. I have mixed feelings about Wendy this season, but she was right to call Gizelle and Robyn "petulant children."

UNHEATED pool. Don't undersell the tragedy! /sarcasm Someone needed to say the bolded part at this reunion verbatim, but I guess Andy didn't have it in him. The ladies learned the wrong lessons from the Denise Saga. Instead of learning to avoid bullying, they learned to be more selective about how and who they bully, which is why it was okay to break Garcelle down but not to address the glaring potholes in Erika's stories. Note to self-- Idea for a charity: Glam Rescue for Impoverished, Needy, or Clueless Housewives (G.R.I.N.C.H). Fundraiser #1: Fashion Walkoff between Dorit and Rinna!

I had to laugh at Ryan accusing Brett of "making a scene." She's talking in a calm tone that's almost monotonous. Yes, she's saying something he doesn't really want to hear, but that's a scene? So of course, Production edits this so that the very next scene is Zack's divorce-but-not-really word salad and Michaela's invisible flyswatting response. You see, Ryan? That is how a conversation becomes "a scene." 🙄

I get that no one wants children to internalize prejudice and bias, but I'm surprised by Condoleezza Rice's priorities. Critical Race Theory is a graduate-level concept, but there is a widespread mischaracterization of what it is, what it means, and what it includes. There are many who label truthful accounts of America's inequities as CRT and then protest the way history is taught. Lying about history is not an appropriate protective measure. Does she seriously think that 7 year olds have not encountered race yet?

This can't be said enough. Coming on to Christian was eye-rollingly inappropriate in itself. But cracking under pressure and presenting someone else's work? GTFOH! I know Bones' time/effort was limited, but I wish his official look had boob support. I'm going to go ahead and blame that on Darren, too. As for Team Cool . . . I question some of their taste issues. I actually liked Chasity's design best and preferred that to the teal getup with the polka-dot poncho top, which was just as bad as the lavender bathrobe. And the judges are full of shit. If Chasity had trusted her gut, they would have dinged her on Not Being a Team Player. Whatever happened to the flower idea?

Johnny. At least Chris knew he was terrible; he just didn't care. Johnny melts down every time Bao acts as if she has interests other than catering to Johnny's Manufactured Need of the Moment. How DARE Bao interrupt Johnny while he's moving the goalposts to suggest that HER emotional needs are important, too! 🙄/sarcasm If the "experts" are going to troll the participants (and the audience), then make the combinations more interesting. I wonder what would have happened if Michaela were paired with Gil. Why would Zack expect to sleep in the same room if they're heading towards a "no" on decision day? Now I'm annoyed with Zack for making me side with Michaela. Side note: loved Michaela's leaf earrings during her sit-down with Pastor Cal. She's not that great a person, but I like her style.

Kyle and Dorit's updos were giving me Friends energy. Is this back in style? I hope that Garcelle ends up realizing that it's a good thing she doesn't fit in with this group of backstabbing gaslighting assholes. Keep not fitting in, Garcelle! If you start to trust Rinna, believe Erika, or understand Dorit's content-free monologues, then you know you're in trouble.

My apologies to Whoopi Goldberg. I've been carping about The View's awkward and clumsy transitions for at least the past five years and primarily blaming her for it. Yet today, we have Sherri interrupting Sen. Warren mid-abortion-sentence to say "let's talk about something lighter." Geez . . . Get it together, show.

Maybe he's paying two mortgages? Either way, a European vacation is Rachel's priority, not Jose's. They can find a way to be economically prudent and see new places.

It's going to get old soon. I'm not liking how these ladies say "you need therapy" like it's an insult. I hope that both Mia and Candiace find good off-screen therapists and work out their issues.

You'd think the presenters would know by now that anything less than a 10% stake is going to be scrutinized or rejected by the Sharks. I think the Uprising Bread couple (3%!) were just looking for exposure because they certainly didn't seem to have a workable plan for investors. I guess it's too early in the season for Mark to yell at them for using Shark Tank as advertising.

It depends on the brand. Some of the Oral B electric toothbrushes instruct users to brush as if they were using a regular toothbrush. Jose is wrong but right. They COULD try something relatively local and build up to a vacation in Europe. Why not a weekend in New Orleans or (if it must be Texas) Galveston?

She reminded of that episode of The Simpsons when Marge was in a musical version of A Streetcar Named Desire: "Ah have always depended on the kahnd-ness of strangers." Erika definitely sees herself as a heroine; she's performing her role as A Delicate Flower Who Somehow Finds the Strength to Go On. How many times has she said to another housewife, you don't know what I'm really going through, and then follows that with some car-flipping tall tale? Ridiculous. I will say, though, I admire Kyle's restraint when Erika hesitated: He uhhhhhhhmmm--. It was the perfect time to bare her teeth and respond Or what? Or. What?! In the trailers for the reunion, it looks as if Andy is willing to take Ericka to task. I hope Sutton comes for Kyle and Kathy now that she's seen how they went out of their way to get others to antagonize her. Shit-stir if you must, but don't do so and then act surprised and wounded that your target doesn't see you as a friend.

Rachel can go with Brett; Brett will probably be available this summer. Ryan can act as if he's too noble to fake attraction for Brett, but he's actually insulting her intelligence. She knows you're not physically attracted to her, Ryan. You guys might have a chance at working things out if you stop treating her like she's made of neurotic glass. Now that I think about it . . . what exactly happened with Brett on the airplane? It seems like that is where this battle was lost. He is. Apparently, Bao is being a terrible wife by cooking, cleaning, memorizing his family's Mandarin names, and spending time with Johnny. Instead, she should come up with activities that neither of them normally do, cook for him by herself, and be solely responsible for making sure Johnny is never bored. He pretty much wants a sexy Camp Counselor with no needs of her own. Good luck, guy. As Pastor Cal said, have a funeral for your Ideal Wife and join the rest of us on Planet Earth.

The Bad Art Friend saga contributes to the debate about how many real-life details add up to personality plagiarism and adds kidney donation, writer cliques, and subpoenas.

I would totally watch that reality show.

I hope the rumors are wrong; I like Wendy and Eddie as a couple. They were so fun when they first got to the house. Positive Wendy (not tries-too-hard Zen Wen) is the best Wendy. Candiace has come a long way since her first season, but she still has a lot of work to do on herself. Why give Mia that kind of power? It looks like she still loses control of herself next week. Mia seems like Gizelle in that she kinda hazes and picks at people before she befriends them. She has antagonized Karen, Wendy, Gizelle/Robyn, and now Candiace. She might have too much in common with Ashley to fight with her, but who knows? She's incredibly messy, but I like that she doesn't lose her mind over petty insults.

There's a chapter in The Poisoner's Handbook about these women and the corporate corruption that tried to hide the danger they faced.

Well now I'm skeptical. Are you sure it was Pasadena? And your car didn't even roll two times? Apparently, in Pasadena, it doesn't even affect the driver much. 😉 Seriously, though, I wonder how lazy Erika "Don't Call Me a Liar" can be when fabricating her stories. Why does she always go to the car-flipping well?

Gil is a little superior and annoying, but he definitely asks the good questions. But I was actually yelling at the screen when he was chiding Michaela: "DANGER! DANGER! Michaela is NOT Myrla! ABORT! ABORT!" Maybe Rachel will decide in the next month that she deserves better, and that no amount of school supplies can make up for basic levels of respect, even during a fight. This is so true. The term "irreconcilable differences" gets thrown around a lot, but that's true here. There isn't a bad guy in this marriage, but they just don't work as a couple. It's probably on her spreadsheet? Maybe Bao should have been matched with Jose. A (married) friend of mine once described a compatible relationship as "finding someone's whose crazy lines up well with your crazy." Johnny and Bao's . . . quirks just seem like they will eventually end up hating each other.

Erika is also counting on being so intimidating that no one will question her stories. Yes, Erika was furious because Sutton questioned her Ballad of Tom and His Magical Rolling Car That Tried to Fly. She was also sending a message to the other ladies that "disloyalty" will be punished swiftly and publicly. It's a move that autocrats have been pulling for millennia. I've been secretly hoping that Rinna would snap and go all High Inquisitor on Erika, but she's in too deep. Maybe she realized that you can't yell "OWN IT!!!" when the whole point is that so much of what Tom and Erika own has been stolen from Tom's clients?

THIS! Why does everyone on this show except Candiace have Ashley Amnesia? Wendy shouldn't be surprised that the others talk about her marriage, but she's certainly entitled to get upset about it. I also want Wendy to stay away from the "Nyah, Nyah you don't have a man" argument; it's like Candiace going after Ashley's body. Why go there when you can call them out on their actions? I know, right?! Who would go to her for counseling? She seems to get off on playing mind games.

LOL Or change some of the numbers around. In earlier episodes, Rachel struck me as a survivor of a few toxic relationships. I'm glad she found the fortitude to tell Jose that she won't put up with his disrespect; I hope she's not getting pressure from production to make it work. Zach shouldn't feel obligated to go through the motions with Michaela, either. It looks as if she hulks out again, proving Zach's point that this temper is a feature of her personality, not a bug--no matter how many times she apologizes. I wonder if Gil will still pick at Myrla as much now that they've taken some steps to be more intimate.

I'm not the only one who thought Michael's new business venture was going to be candles, right?