EarlGreyTea

Derick is a sad, sorry excuse for a millennial. Any millennial worth their salt would know that for food pics, you put it on a proper plate, ditch the baggie, and ditch the toothpicks for the photo. And possibly pair it with a cup of coffee for presentation's sake. It's not like he's in a rush to go to work. Signed, A Millennial

Damn, now THERE'S a missed opportunity if ever I heard one. I know JD is kind of weird, but in other ways he is very much a good catch. Handy, can fix anything. Has a legit job and legit marketable skills. Not as sanctimonious as some of his relatives. Seems over the entire circus. Is one of the few Duggar kids who could write a real tell-all, since he's been around so long. And, most importantly, no longer idolizes Josh. Tabitha ostensibly knows him well from hanging around the family so long, too. It would have worked. You could argue there was never a spark, but screw sparks over being stuck with a rapist!

Speaking of this mess, did we ever get any wedding photos? I seem to remember the backlash was so fierce that no one posted any photos of their wedding right away. Tabitha isn't on social media, is she? I bet if she ever joins Insta, she will have to turn off comments indefinitely. Apropos of nothing, I am around Tabitha's age and every night I thank God that I am not seen as an old maid by my loved ones, thereby pressuring me to take the first bozo who comes along. Tabitha isn't bad-looking. She could easily find someone in the real world.

I think Derick is a classic case of looking good on paper. Godly, working as a missionary at the time, had solid job prospects. Never have I seen a better example of the "when you date, you date someone's representative, not the real person" trope. This is why it's probably a good idea to let your kids spend alone time with their future spouses. JB is reaping what he has sown.

I really loved Joe Campanella, who played the cop Al in the same episode as George Clooney. He was, by far, the best love interest Dorothy ever had - and among the best of the entire series. I'm disappointed he didn't stick around in a recurring role a la Miles or even Mel Bushman. He was funny, cocky, and seemed to really enjoy Dorothy knocking him down a peg and vice versa. Love-hate relationships are my favorite romantic trope. Hell, I'd have dated him. Although I will say Lucas was a good match for Dorothy. I really loved the foundation of their romance - built on a desire to lift one another out of loneliness. His own backstory as a widower made it more poignant. You could understand and see his vulnerability, thanks to Leslie's performance. The romance was rushed due to the series ending, so every scene of his had to count, and I felt Leslie did that. It was also sweet on the writers' part to make him Blanche's uncle. All of these factors made it easy to see why Dorothy found him worthy to fly out of the cuckoo's nest with. The previous seven seasons showed that only a very deep love could have inspired her to leave the other Girls.

The beauty of the episode was that the funeral itself was offscreen, so we can fanwank that all the kids were there, we just didn't see it because we weren't there. For all we know, all of Blanche's kids showed up too. This is the theory I've decided to go with. The undercover agent thinks Miles is getting too cozy in his new life, so she wants to break it up for the reasons you mentioned. It explains why she doesn't know him well enough to know he's ready to date. Although now that I think about it, who knows if there was ever a wife to begin with? That may have just been part of his cover. God, that episode kills me. "Well don't give her any cake!" "Here's a president you've never seen!"

Yep. Every time I soften my stance toward Jinger and Jeremy or consider putting Counting On back on the DVR, one of them comes out with nonsense like this. So thanks for that, Jeremy. You and big city Jinger are every bit the intolerant bigots that Derick is, just presented in more stylish clothing. Frankly, things like this are a good reminder that close minded people can be presented in a polished package. They aren't always on Twitter, wearing their self-righteousness on their sleeves and purporting not to care what people think while simultaneously responding to every single hater. Yeah Derick, I'm talking about you.

He doesn't seem to realize that responding to haters on Twitter simply proves to everyone that he is letting them live rent-free in his head. I'm sure it's difficult to develop a tough skin and not respond to every little thing. But then you don't go on TV in that case. Who the hell cares what any of us thinks? Why is he wasting time responding to people he'll never meet? Don't give me that evangelizing b.s., because his sanctimonious ass isn't converting anyone. All he's doing is letting people irritate him when all he has to do is take his unemployed ass and log off Twitter. He could take a lesson from Beyonce, not that he thinks she's anyone to emulate. She never responds to people, good or bad, rarely posts on social media, and hardly ever gives interviews. So, by not outwardly seeking public approval, she's slowly earned it simply because she doesn't appear to need it. Of course, by the age of 12 she was more talented and worked harder than this entire bunch of dopes, so there's that. They're probably those types who think Beyonce is a Black Panther.

I thought Amy's ditching of Sandra was meant to illustrate why no one invited her anywhere. She whines about not being invited, but then when faced with an actual invitation, she turns it down. I've known a lot of people like that - in fact, I am one of those people. Eventually, people get sick of asking. There's always some excuse why they won't leave their comfort zone.

I actually would like to see an alternate universe where Piper, Phoebe, and Cole fought demons after Prue died, without ever bringing Paige on. I really enjoyed the first few episodes of S4 where Phoebe and Cole were running after Piper, who was proactively vanquishing demons without the Power of Three. I know the entire conceit of the show is the bond between the three sisters, but I loved the Adventures of the Two Witches and the Half Demon. They were still a formidable team. And it was really amusing: Piper's one-track mind on vanquishing evil and sniping at Cole, Phoebe scurrying after her, and Cole regarding Piper as nuts, but still fighting alongside her.

Now this is a great point re: Paige never being the baby. I'm an only child too, and I can't imagine easily falling into a sisterly dynamic after years of being the only. How weird it must have been to be thrown into the mix and having to share everything. But I also think that even if Paige had never come into the mix, Piper would still have stepped into the oldest sister role even if it had been just her and Phoebe. I'm watching the episode where Paige goes back in time to see her parents. Some great work on Rose and the writers' part. It also fleshed out her backstory, and I loved seeing how she grew up. The actors playing her parents also did a great job, I thought, of portraying loving parents who were at the end of their rope. Her having such a conventional upbringing was a nice contrast to the other girls' childhoods. I actually almost wish they were still alive when the series began, that's how much I liked them. Also, after seeing this episode, they definitely missed the boat on Paige/Leo. They had a nice warm chemistry.

I'm rewatching Season 4 for the first time since probably its first airing, and I have to say I think Paige was introduced pretty gracefully. They didn't stop mentioning Prue and didn't act as though she never existed, as a lesser show might have done. Paige's backstory was actually fairly well thought out too - as in, it wasn't too much of a retcon at all since the Sam/Patty affair was established before then. Makes me wonder if the writers had the possibility of Paige in their back pockets, just in case. In-universe, it makes sense that Fate had another sister waiting in the wings, in case destiny needed to re-align itself. I like that Paige wasn't immediately one of them. The other two were reluctant to get close to her, and their bond took time to organically form. It was also respectful of Prue's character to have Piper clinging to her memory, to the point where she was distant from Paige. And having Paige introduced to magic and fighting helped breathe new life into the show. I also liked that the sisterly dynamics shifted. Piper having to become the oldest sister was hard for her and it changed her a lot. I really enjoyed Phoebe as the youngest sister, and I kind of missed her in that role, honestly. Having her as the go-between was awkward, as it should have been. They all suffered growing pains in season 4. And as for the hair debate, I think Rose looked simply stunning in her first season with her dark hair. She, Alyssa, Shannen, Holly, and Julian are some of the most beautiful people Hollywood ever produced, IMO. If nothing else, the show always had that going for it.

You know the main cast is unlikable when you take the side of the minor characters. If I was Felix I'd have left for the apartment-trashing and loud noises all night alone. Like I said in an earlier post, the whole conceit of the show would have made more sense if they were in their twenties and only 10 years removed from high school. The crazy behavior would have been more understandable (though not excusable). I'd judge the whole lot of them too if I was dating one of them. The annoying in-jokes, the fighting, the regression to college behavior when they all get together - nope.

It is the book I'm reading, yep! OTP means One True pairing, aka your favorite pairing on a show. Did we ever find out why Andy/Ted King left the show? I know there were rumors, but it was really too bad that they got rid of him. He was a good foil to the girls and it was a breath of fresh air to have a human be one of the major love interests. But they never did totally get Prue and Andy off the ground, and we had to rely on their backstory as a reason for how deeply they cared for one another.

Phoebe and Cole were my tween self’s OTP, but even I noticed back then how much chemistry Prue and Cole had. If they’d ditched Alyssa instead of Shannen, I think there’s a possibility they would have gone there. It would have been somewhat out of character for Prue, but I think they could have gotten there eventually. And with her constant refusal to bend on good vs evil, it would have made for meaty storylines. And the fact that he was her sister’s boyfriend - the storylines write themselves. I just picked up a copy of the Charmed book series continuation (don’t judge me) and it seems like

I absolutely loved Prue's storylines at Bucklands. I was around 12 or so when Charmed first aired, and I just loved seeing a confident career woman like Prue in a big fancy office. I loved her sheer competence. Even now, I love the episodes where someone presents a piece to her and she confidently rattles off the details of the piece, its origin, its value, etc. Prue was my favorite, although I enjoyed Phoebe's storylines with Cole the most. I will add that it was a bit hard to believe Prue remaining perpetually single. There were often season 3 episodes where she was the fifth wheel and it was awkward and a little unbelievable. I can buy that she was too wrapped up in being a witch and grieving Andy to find someone new, but someone with her looks, talent, and personality? Men should have been knocking down the door for her. Although I guess they did - but they were mostly demons. And finally, Shannen was simply stunning as Prue. Hair, makeup, outfits - this show had four of the most beautiful women to ever grace Hollywood.

I've been re-watching the early seasons. I really can't get over how well done Charmed Again, Parts 1 and 2 were. For all that the cast were at each other's throats, I always, always bought the original three as sisters. They had such good chemistry. And Alyssa and Shannen are better actresses than they have been given credit for, because had I not known all the friction behind the scenes, I would never have known by watching them onscreen. You could say they got out their aggression in scenes where Prue and Phoebe argued, but I still always bought the sisterly bond underneath. I'll also add that even though Julian and Shannen were together, and he supposedly disliked Alyssa as a result, that never came across onscreen either in scenes with Phoebe and Cole (although Julian and Shannen had great inappropriate chemistry). There's a lot to be said for the professionalism of all three. Anyway, back to Charmed Again. The show got so much right about how grief manifests itself differently in people. Holly was so good in portraying Piper as angry and lost. She devastated me just in how she was slowly brushing her hair before Prue's funeral. And even though, yes, Phoebe wasn't as overtly mournful, I could also buy that she was running around and doing things to keep herself from falling apart. It made perfect sense with what we know of her character, and she had never been quite as close to Prue as Piper was. The show had many flaws, and I stopped watching somewhere in season 5, but those early seasons were real gems. Cheesy, inconsistent, and flawed, yes. Interesting and fun, that too.

I can't believe Garrett and Dina are even somewhat "together!" What happened to their constant protestations that they were strictly sex without a relationship? I feel like we missed something along the way. I really want to see more of their relationship. The construction worker storyline had no real payoff. They never answered why he was running to the bathroom and yeah, the customer bathrooms are probably just as nice as the other ones. Although from my experience in retail, I would often take bathroom breaks just to get off my feet and away from other people. So I can pretend that's the excuse.

Whoever does the female actresses' hair deserves a medal. All of them, right on down to Emma and newbie Kelly looked really great. Speaking of Emma, this show moves forward in light years, because only last season or so she was only 12. Amy's spirited defense of Emma brought a tear to my eye. My mom would totally do that too. And I swear I've seen Emma's shirt on Amy in an earlier episode. Nice touch if it was on purpose. Kelly is clearly the spoiler in the Jonah and Amy story, and I'm peeved with myself because I found her low-key annoying when she barely had any lines. I did feel bad for her, though. And it's clear that Amy is in no position to be dating anyone just yet. She's got a lot going on at home. Carol's gross plan for Jerry was NOT funny. They need to re-tool that character or get rid of her. Garrett and Dina continued to be my favorite couple on this show. He clearly has no idea how to handle her, is clearly affected by her, and it's driving him nuts not to be in the driver's seat.

I'm embarrassed to admit how many times I've watched all these episodes, enough to have noticed details about the minor characters. That associate's name is Heather, and she's in the background nearly as much as Brett. In "Black Friday," they switched off working because they were on opposite puking cycles. In "Ladies' Lunch," she was doing a yoga pose when the store was empty.

Ah, the return of the Z-list celebrities in the dining room! I get a kick out of those because you never know who might become relevant and how the announcer is always like "As always, HK is the place to be for the biggest celebs." Millie Bobby Brown (the little girl from Stranger Things) actually made an appearance on HK back when she was still fairly unknown. It's hilarious. She would actually be the most legitimate "get" for this show in a long time if she went on again. I love Joe Mantegna, though. He's pretty legit as far as "celebrity" guests on HK go. I'm not fully convinced Elise's food in the challenges is all that good. I'm wondering if they're looking for reasons to justify keeping that shit stirrer around for a while. Then again I'm probably just bitter that she's on my screen again. Also: shut up, Dana. Although those tacos looked amazing. I dunno man, for all that I whined about the show becoming stale, I miss the Beef Wellington. It's the one thing I've always wanted to try. I love that Christina is such a big shot now. I loved her during the original season and I get a perverse kick out of her former fellow competitors having to defer to her. I also love Robyn for absolutely no discernible reason. She's so clearly totally vulnerable under that prickly exterior. It's really ridiculous of Ramsay to kick everyone out just because a few of them screwed up. Has never made sense to me and now he has to either finish it all himself or have the other kitchen double up. And finally, I would like to thank HK for giving me some much-needed perspective. I had an absolutely horrible screw-up today at work, and while I was upset all day about it, at least my failures were not broadcast to millions (okay, thousands) of viewers and a room full of diners. And at least I didn't have Ramsay yelling in my face.

And it's so true to life that a retail worker just kicks the can down the road instead of going to a manager or doing something about it. The drudgery and repetitiveness of the job often kills all motivation.

And I swear I remember reading that Ramsay got her a job someplace, or did a reference for her, or something. I remember because Ja'Nel, the one who was chosen over her, was my all-time favorite winner but she later got busted for coke and lost the grand prize job. And then I felt bad for Mary until I read about Ramsay reaching out to her.

He's a background character. He's usually the only one doing his job and he's often shown cleaning up when one of the main characters makes a mess. Also the other characters describe him as able to sell customers anything, which is funny because again, he has no lines.

Stupidly happy that Brett is alive. He was my favorite background character and according to IMDB, this is the actor's first and only gig, so I'm glad he's still around. And the reason why they couldn't get ahold of him and why he didn't show up was also pretty funny and I could see it happening. Clock in buddies! It was funny that they named the episode for him, he got a ton of mentions, but they STILL didn't give the actor any lines. Dina's post-storm anxiety was pretty cartoon-y, but at its core, they got a lot right about how it is when someone suffers from anxiety. Her hovering by the sliding doors looking at the rain really hit home for me. Also when she mentioned always wanting to be prepared. It actually broke my heart. Nice to see us anxiety sufferers represented!