helenamonster

Why, on Max's board of thumbtacks and string, was there a sticky note that said "plane crash"? Hey Max? If a commercial airliner goes down anywhere, it is wall-to-wall news coverage for a month. You definitely would have heard if a flight from Detroit to Phoenix didn't make it to its final destination. Also why does this boy, who buys tampons for his girlfriend and considers ten-minute power walks the entirety of his exercise routine, have a gun? They were really planning to shoot Rio in front of dozens of people, huh? And yeah, was there some unmentioned time jump of several weeks that gave Rio time to clean out Beth's entire house? It takes me half an hour to put away my laundry! I am surprised they actually told Max the truth. They could have easily said that Lucy ran off and left Au Jus with Beth, since apparently she considered them best friends. When they showed that Annie was looking up EMT certification, I squealed with glee. Yes, give this girl something constructive to do! Payday Loan Guy is welcome back anytime.

Original airdate: 4/7/20

Original airdate: 3/24/20

I feel like the tonal whiplash has always been integral to this show--if anything, I felt it had gotten too dark and needed some of its trademark zaniness to balance things out. When you've got scenes like the girls digging up Lucy to unlock her phone, then I feel like I also need Rio's henchman being really into hot tubs, or Max getting closer to the truth by whistling to Au Jus. Speaking of hot tubs, whatever happened to the Ione Skye subplot? Is she gone? I was wondering whether or not it would come up...I'm single, but is it normal for couples to be able to use Find My Phone on each other's devices? Cuz if I ever end up in a Lucy situation, nobody's gonna be able to find me that way.

"PAIGE IS PROPOSING VIOLENCE AGAINST THE MONKEY!" is still an all-time great line.

Original airdate: 4/2/20

I saw Retta's story, it was from over the weekend...I don't remember exactly what she said, but she definitely implied that they hadn't finished shooting all the episodes and that she guessed they would just air whatever they had and roll the remaining episodes into season four, if it gets picked up. Tbh she seemed very uncertain about the whole thing, like she barely knew more than we did. But they are definitely done for the season. She also talked about having to go in to clean out her trailer.

Oh wow. That was...dark. I think what was so startling about it was that the show tried so long to have its cake and eat it too. Rio is a gangbanger with a thriving counterfeit empire, and you don't get to where he is without a few innocent people being removed along the way. But then Manny Montana and Christina Hendricks had crazy off-the-charts chemistry, and they kind of had to tiptoe around the more undesirable implications of his characterization to capitalize on that. This is always who he was, but it took two seasons and change for the show to let him be that. But of course, it always comes back to FUCKING DEAN. Why would he ever assume that Rio loves Beth? Did he love all the women he cheated on her with? He's justified in not wanting Beth involved with Rio, and not wanting that lifestyle being around his kids, but that was not the way to solve that problem. And he has no idea the damage he did. As always, Ruby and Stan's relationship is played with such nuance, and the actors sell it so well. Rio wasn't looking for an alternative until Beth was late with her delivery. That led him to sniffing around Lucy, and then finding out that she was the one who designed the plate, not Beth. If Dean hadn't destroyed the original, Lucy would still be alive.

Original airdate: 3/17/20

Cecily took GYWYHSACWAAP out of storage? This is absolutely her last season. "Stop quoting Captain Phillips!" The Sands of Modesto was fantastic. The prop work was sketch comedy 101, and everybody got to have great moments. Loved Cecily's "Bitch, this is Modesto!"

Just finished: Mr. Nobody by Catherine Steadman. Much better than her debut novel, Something in the Water. I was thoroughly invested the whole time, and thought the whole thing wrapped up quite nicely. I got a little confused when the final parts of the mystery were being laid out, but I don't think I needed a firm grasp of the details to appreciate the ending. Next up: Open Book, Jessica Simpson's memoir.

I think the reason this season has been dragging for me is that I got used to the girls having more villains to deal with than just Rio: Turner, Boomer, Mary Pat, etc. Turns out there's a lot of empty space that needs filling when they're not juggling antagonists. Of course Rio wasn't going to kill Beth. And of course they were going to end up back in business together. There's no way that new firearm of Dean's isn't going to make a reappearance. It's a literal Chekhov's Gun.

Rio's baby mama (wife? the status of their relationship is unclear) paid off the doctor, not the good girls.

The irony is that Chris would have probably done a better Carson in the cold open than Kenan.

I mean, Beth's only option now is to come up with a plan to kill Rio in the next few months, right? I'm guessing this Ione Skye storyline will eventually lead to Dean reevaluating his life choices and the positions he put his subordinates in at the dealership, but it's deeply yucky to watch unfold.