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Loved that Kenny Loggins showed up. Not to hate on the guy, but last season's subplot is probably the most publicity he's gotten in decades. He owed it to the show to show up (admittedly I'm a millennial and don't pay attention to him). He may have a future in sitcoms, because "What the fuck?" was hysterical. I love all the callbacks from the previous season, particularly the "pity poncho" or whatever it was. It's nice when comedies acknowledge previous episodes and subplots. So Bud is still not going to be getting a storyline, then? I was hoping this girlfriend would be taken more seriously, but instead she was played almost exclusively as a punchline. I was hoping for more of the Barry treatment for this girl - funny, but taken seriously by the other kids and the show. Seems clear Mallory may be headed for divorce, but I can't bring myself to care. She's probably the least-developed of the four so maybe we can get more of her.

I'm more like Grace, so Frankie's nonchalance about the business, setting their hours, and being on time would have driven me up the damn wall, to say nothing of Jacob joining them and pitching ideas like he's also a partner. And having said that, Grace IS pretty harsh with Frankie. I am ashamed to admit I recognize much of my own sharpness in her when dealing with things that aren't running smoothly. So I really get where Grace is coming from, but Frankie comes off as golden retriever-like in her cuteness and harmlessness - so it's hard to watch her being scolded.

I could buy this with only a little suspension of disbelief. Anyone who's worked in retail in a big place knows you can goof off a LOT and management doesn't really care. We all knew that one worker who disappeared, or had an in with the manager which meant they could do what they wanted and no one cared. Amy has that with Glen, and is IS technically management, I think. Sure, disappearing with a truck is a bit much, but the basic truth of ditching work with no consequences is embedded in real life.

As a rule I don't really like episodes that take place outside of the store, and this one was no exception. I have to say Jonah and Amy are growing on me, like a slow burn. I really love that he is considerate of her needs and encourages her to take care of herself more. Like the episode where she found the money in the cargo pants - he was encouraging her to use it on herself and now he's encouraging her in this episode to let her parents deal with their own crap. I wasn't overly convinced that he was that much of an upgrade over her husband, but I'm convinced now. They're fun to watch when they're getting along and on the same team. I loved Jeff and Mateo. Michael Bunin, who plays Jeff, used to be a main cast member on My Boys, and I loved that show. I find him really cute. Having said that, I think I read somewhere that (minor unconfirmed casting spoiler ahead)

Season 1 bloopers! I love this show and it really seems like the cast get along. Also seems like they do a LOT of improv, particularly Colton (Garrett). Makes sense since comedians make up a lot of the main cast: Colton/Garrett, Lauren/Dina, Nico/Mateo, and I think Nichole/Cheyenne. My favorite blooper is Colton ribbing Ben about his IRL wedding. It also seems fairly clear that some of them play heightened versions of themselves, particularly Colton, Ben, and Nico.

I've always thought Chad was far and away the gold standard of husbands, at least in their world (and frankly, he's a catch in the real world, too). Cute, attentive, a good father, legit job, and works with his hands. And, according to Instagram, does a ton of work around the house like building furniture, making improvements, etc. None of the Duggar son-in-laws are worth a damn in comparison. I hope Jana holds out for a Chad Paine and, judging by the fact that she is still single, probably is. The only thing better would be if she found a well-off non-fundie with the patience to help her de-program before sweeping her off to his penthouse in a large city. Or that cute Duggar cameraman that was rumored to have had interest in her. Frank something or other? The dirt he would have on that family would guarantee that JB would let her go, lest it all become public.

Hope you guys can help settle a trivia dispute about Blanche. I just got back from a totally awesome Golden Girls trivia/viewing party/dinner at a local vegan restaurant (they had a five course meal based on the Golden Girls and of course, vegan cheesecake). Anyway, they were giving out trivia prizes. One of the questions was, "What nickname did Blanche give herself?" My friend and I, total GG fanatics, said it was Water Lily and according to the trivia book being used, we were wrong! The answer was apparently Peacock. But wasn't Peacock the nickname one of Blanche's relatives gave her? I seem to remember Blanche telling a story that began with "Water Lily - that's what I call myself- " We ended up winning with our second answer as Peacock, but I tend to think the trivia book was wrong.

I thought Dorothy's kids were decent. Sure, Michael was a moocher but he respected Dorothy and treated the roommates well. Although it's rather implied that he was a crappy husband/father, so scratch that. Blanche's daughters, I give them a pass. Blanche herself said she wasn't a very good mother to them, although they did keep coming around. To Blanche's credit, she did make an effort during the series, and my all time favorite Blanche-as-a-mother scene came during the scene where she had to practically beg Janet for a visit. It was kind of grim, but I thought we were meant to have some hope at the end, since Janet did agree to let her visit. I'd love to have seen Blanche and Rose's sons, for comparison's sake. Didn't one of their sons pop up on Golden Palace? Or was that Blanche's brother (not Clayton)? I'd also loved to have seen all the kids together with their parents. The Dorothy/Stan/Kate/Michael combo I would have loved to seen, just to see what dynamic they had. Stan's affection for his kids with Dorothy was touching.

For me that episode was worth the price of admission just for the sight gag of Sophia turning that Pope John Paul II photo around and for her line, "My, aren't we looking holier than thou today." I'll toss the Mr. Terrific episode into the ring. Absolutely no rewatch value, and I've seen all of them at least 20 times. The only line I found funny was Dorothy's, "I have been turned down for every available part time job in Miami that didn't involve selling cocaine." Wait, was that from this episode or the one where she gets a job with Blanche? My bad, never mind.

God please no! I didn't even see that, excellent catch! If it means dragging on of the boring ass triangle and Kathryn becoming a bigger character, I'm out. Who's the daddy stories are usually boring, especially if none of the people involved have chemistry with one another. And they already had a baby storyline on this show. As a person who liked Ophelia, I just shake my head. I bet the audience who wanted her gone miss her now! But then we probably would never have gotten Willow, since she was clearly brought in as a replacement love interest.

You gotta elaborate on this, please. What happened? I thought Merritt got a gig on another show or something? I think they were unpopular, right? I miss Ophelia after seeing the black hole of charisma we have now in Kathryn (with apologies to the actress, as they have given her nothing to work with).

Yeah, I was thinking it seems like Max Brown is on a different show than the others sometimes. The others play their characters so cartoon-ish, and seem to be in on the joke (Moseley seems to mope too much, but that may be an effect of the writing than anything else). Brown plays it a little more straight, a little more dignified. But to me that's a welcome change. As I said earlier, I never had trouble buying him as a British royal, whereas the others seem more like Monaco royals (a little more, ahem, trashy). They probably should have made the whole show about a fake monachy, like Genovia from the Princess Diaries, because basing it on a real country just invites comparison. He DOES seem stiff and smug, but to me it seems to be an acting choice rather than a lack of skill, and again this is where Brown's portrayal almost as if from another show comes in. He puts on a public and a private mask, like royals IRL do. The other royals on the show seem to be down to earth almost to a fault (like Eleanor), with the exception of Helena, who acts just about what you'd expect in a royal snob. But I also think it's a deliberate choice to showcase the heir (polished and stiff) and the spares, who are hot messes in general. Before Robert came on the show, I wondered a LOT about the kind of person he was and the kind of dynamic he had with his siblings. I'm so glad they brought him back. I find him pretty hot, but pretty much all of the men on the show are attractive to me. Although to me he's got nothing on Jasper in his suit and earpiece.

I was browsing the actors' instagrams and it looks like they wrapped the season in December, so just around the time the season began? So not enough time for the showrunners to gauge the audience reaction to characters. I was amused that Willow's name wasn't typed at the top of the list, but handwritten. I like to think he added her after his conversation with her at the match. I also don't think it's an accident that he chose the person who came up with the #kingliam hashtag. Methinks he sees her PR talents and wants to keep her off Liam's team and take her for his. Also, ouch at Kathryn not even being his number two pick. I saw her fairly far down the list. Then again, he DID know she was sleeping with Liam behind his back the whole time. I wonder what he would have ranked her if he didn't know. Now I really want to rewatch all of Robert's scenes with Kathryn, knowing that he knew the whole time (I wonder if the WRITERS knew that Robert knew about her and Liam). I bet he gave them the benefit of the doubt and expected them to come clean, so he gave them a lot of opportunities to tell him. Still, it was a bit much having him call her a whore. There was no need to resort to that, especially since he could have gotten his point across anyway. Yeah, I can accept anything from Robert but murdering his father. Which, judging by the unexplained but still anvil-like "He was on the island for longer than was necessary" proclamations from Liam - it's going to happen. Mark it down. Hopefully the writers change their minds, but I doubt it. I hope we get some good Willow scenes in the meantime.

In his defense, Helena kind of blackmailed him into it. That's what set off Eleanor and Jasper fight #20305. It took Eleanor a LONG time to get over it, and when Liam found out, he was pissed too. Liam's bond with Eleanor is one of his best qualities. In the beginning they were somewhat distant with one another, and the slow, organic friendship they've forged is one of the series' best storylines. A friendship that may never have formed without Robert dying. Love this post but I'm not altogether convinced the writers know what they have in Brown. It seems clear to me that Liam is the hill the writers want to die on. No doubt in my mind that the show will end with Robert totally disgraced. Which is a shame, because showrunners only dream about the perfect combination of good acting and well-executed storylines such as the one Robert had before he turned heel.

Not sure how spoilery this is, because it's from the aftershow on Facebook. It's about the possibility of Robert/Willow next season from showrunner Mark Schwahn. For those too lazy to click, it's basically that Robert has "dark" plans for Willow and that it's all an act of revenge against Liam. Whatever, I'm still looking forward to it. Those types of stories, if done right and with good chemistry, can be really good. And with how Jasper/Eleanor began, it would be much less icky than other storylines on this show. I will say that Robert sure picked a girl Liam seems to hardly give a damn about. They can finally give poor Willow a storyline. She was brought on much too soon after Ophelia, IMO, and she and Liam never got off the ground. She also totally looks and acts the part of royal girlfriend. She could probably handle it better than Ophelia and Kathryn.

See, I love Jasper and Eleanor, and you actually make a great point that Robert is bitter that he can't have his own civilian relationship, but Jasper really deserves it, honestly. Robert hasn't seen Jasper's evolution over the seasons like we have. Robert really only knows the bare bones of it - Jasper conned Eleanor, blackmailed her, slept with Helena (Robert probably doesn't know that, admittedly), etc., etc. It doesn't matter how much he's changed, the way he came into Eleanor's life was shady at best and nothing is going to change that. And he's supposed to protect them - how is he supposed to do that when he's too emotionally involved? You could argue that Robert should trust Eleanor's judgment, but frankly, she was a hot mess when Robert "died." He is only getting an inkling of how she's changed since then. *slow clap* And this about sums it up for me. My interest in the show was lagging majorly, but the moment - and I mean the MOMENT - Robert showed up was a game changer for me. The show was floundering in the boring murder mystery saga, Jasper/Eleanor were going in circles, Willow and Liam didn't do it for me, etc. But bringing back the supposedly sainted dead brother made me sit up and pay attention. And the second Max Brown shaved off that beard and became princely, I was hooked. I'm a huge British royals junkie, and I have to suspend a LOT of disbelief to watch this show. It's hard for me to buy the others as royals, particularly with their outfits, but I never questioned that Robert was a royal. He looks, sounds, and acts like he belongs there. He out-royals all of them without even trying. Even his disdain of his family dating "the help" is rooted in real life; some royals are notoriously snobby. He is the only actor, aside from Simon, whom I can buy as a royal.

Ah. Now that makes a lot of sense and would fit with what we know about Robert. I feel stupid for not having put it together. Still, Liam hadn't put it together either, so he still looks pretty foolish and jealous until he does. I don't buy that he gets it either. Still, this is all such a retcon it's unbelievable. I'm pretty sure the writers had no idea who killed Simon and changed their plans halfway through with the clumsy reveal of what's his name as the killer. I would tip my hat at the sheer genius of the writers if this was their plan all along, but it's clear it wasn't. Up until this season Robert had a halo over his head.

I've watched since the beginning and they way they got together was pretty gross. I handwave it because it's fiction, but pretty much all they have going for them is their great chemistry. And the fact that Tom Austen (Jasper) does a really great longing face. It reminds me of the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice - the actor playing Darcy in that movie looked like he wanted to cry with suppressed sexual frustration and longing, and that's what Jasper does really well in this show (IMO). I like my men devoted in my fictional romances.

I'm glad to have your perspective on this, honestly. I really liked Liam, right up until Robert returned. He did and does have this appealing earnestness. I'm sad that the writers don't seem to have a solid love interest for him or really, an idea of who they want him to be. I liked him with Ophelia and I love his bond with Eleanor and Jasper. He can probably be salvaged, but I'm disappointed that it will most definitely be at Robert's expense. I guess I just think Liam has come off as insanely jealous, babyish, and entitled. Frankly, for all he knew at the time, Robert was the one who was stuck on an island for months away from his family. It's not his fault at all that so much drama ensued while he was gone and it was pretty cruel of Liam to put Simon's death on him. He didn't seem to care that Robert had emotional trauma from the experience (although none of them did, really). It was also cruel of him to continue to pursue Kathryn, feel entitled to her, and pressure her (again, for all he knew Robert had no idea). And he DOES seem to still want Robert dead, and how does any of that make him any better than Robert? I guess I'm also unsure why Liam even felt bad going back to being the spare. For the past few seasons all we've heard about is how much pressure he felt, how he could never fit into Robert's shoes, etc. Now he got his wish and he's still unhappy. Having said all this, I know Liam has a lot more fans, and the rivalry will spawn a lot of good storylines for next season, so I say bring it on.

Robert and Willow live! (Willow is short for Wilhemina, right?) Liam needs to FUCK off, my God. Maybe if he was less of a whiny ass baby I might feel sorrier for him. I'm sure I would feel hurt too if a family member chose to stay away, but Robert was right on the money when he said Liam wished he was still dead. Do the writers think we have amnesia? We saw how reluctant Liam was to step in to Robert's shoes and how often he came up short. We're supposed to believe Liam wouldn't understand wanting to run away from his duties? They've really taken two of Liam's best traits - earnestness and empathy - and run them into the ground. Now he's putting the hat on Robert for Simon's death? Jesus. Loved Helena's smackdown of him. It's like they took my thoughts and put them straight into her mouth. Maybe there's hope for this show yet. He's bawwwwwing about Robert's "betrayal" but won't tell anyone what it is. So THAT'S the big secret? Does Liam really think the public will be scandalized by the news that Robert didn't want to be king? This is the same royal family that includes Cyrus. The general public probably sees him as far less of a freak show. Sorry show, not buying your retcon of Simon wanting to disband the monarchy before Robert died. And interfering with Jasper and Eleanor is going to earn the hate of most of the audience. Get ready, folks, Robert's downfall is imminent. Frankly, I find Robert's struggle to keep his shit together while out-royaling everyone else intriguing and hot. Either the actor or the character or both seem to understand and know how to keep both a public and a private mask. We're probably supposed to be mad at him for dumping Kathryn, but I highly enjoyed his dumping her. She's boring and acted abominably toward a man she said she loved. I get that she was conflicted, but she and Liam let it go on for weeks. I loved Robert's reveal of knowing the entire time about Kathryn and Liam, though his going on about her being "common" was probably just bitterness than his actual beliefs. You don't get inspired to leave an island for anything less than true love. It's kind of hilarious seeing Robert's scandalized reaction to the family members dating "the help." Frankly he's damn right to be concerned about Jasper, and he is still getting through his dad's death, so I get it. Max Brown favorited two of my tweets, so that pretty much cements Robert as my favorite character, lol. I will miss you all. See you next fall, unless the show returns sooner.

I'm pretty thrilled. As much as this show can grate, it's one of only a handful of shows I'll try to catch live, mostly so I can discuss it with you awesome people. Max Brown better enjoy the hell out of his paycheck, because Robert is surely going down. I'm excited we have a renewed chance of seeing Robert with Willow, especially since the latter has had fuck all to do since Kathryn came along. Sadly, if they're going to go full villain on him, he probably won't get a nice girl in return (see: Cyrus).

Yeah, that woman who was also a dominatrix was Helena's assistant of some sort. Not that I was attached to her or anything, but she DID pretty much disappear after that episode, didn't she? Frankly, I miss the chamberlain she was sleeping with. Now that was some good chemistry. For someone whose sole motivation to get off the island was Kate, to hell with seeing his family again (and frankly Liam is proof that Robert had good reason to bail on the lot of them), Robert sure spends little to no time with her. I think if they're going to sell us the kind of desperate love that can move a person to want to live, they should probably do a chemistry test of the actors involved beforehand. That kind of pairing requires Jasper/Eleanor type chemistry (and frankly even those two strain my goodwill, because they are pretty toxic). I don't see any kind of attachment on Kate's part. They might have made up for the lack of Kate/Robert chemistry if she had any with Liam, but...she doesn't. The writers really goofed on not bringing her on sooner. And not to beat a dead horse or anything, but she is so bland. Eleanor's flavor of the month (I can't remember his name, though I do like him) has more personality and he's been in half as many episodes. Hell, Ophelia had more personality.

For real. I don't think anyone on the writing team has ever lost a loved one, because the entire family's response to Robert's return has been decidedly underwhelming. They should have literally been weeping at his feet and encouraging him to get therapy. Liam was wishing he was still dead from practically the second he returned. I did like that they didn't forget that Robert has just lost Simon, figuratively. For my money, Robert desperately trying to hold it together inside while still out-royaling every single one of them is a hell of a compelling story. Moreso than Liam and whomever they've decided is his soulmate this week (I'm one of about 3 people who liked Ophelia). Oh, I think Jasper is far and away the hottest guy on the show, and he's got some stiff competition. He totally does it for me in that suit and ear piece. Having said that, he's been written unevenly at best. I've handwaved a LOT because it's fiction and I like him with Eleanor, but he deserves most of the ire coming his way from the family. And it was a total contrivance for him to withhold the info about Robert until after he was elected. That was stupid on the writers' part.

I'm pretty peeved that Liam's advice to Robert is what put him over the top with the council. Robert is a chessmaster and Liam is a whiny also-ran. We're supposed to believe Robert didn't already know to appeal to the council with earnestness? Naw son. I'm not buying Liam as some PR genius. If this is how the rest of the series is going to pan out, I'm done. They are CLEARLY going to toss Robert down the crapper for Liam. I either have to accept him as a villain or lament the way they're ruining him. Us Robert fans are clearly in the minority, if Facebook and poor Max Brown's Twitter mentions are anything to go by, so clearly they're going to give us King Liam whether we want it or not. I wonder if he's an official series regular or not? But with all of you guys here also on team Robert, I feel as if I have found my people on here. Jasper is one of my favorite characters on this show, but he definitely was an asshole with calling Eleanor's new bodyguard "honey" in that condescending tone. You're on really thin ice with just about everyone, tone it down a notch. As much as I like Jasper and Eleanor, she was right in telling him to fuck off while she figures herself out.

Dre was annoying as hell this episode. Not about the name thing, I thought he made great points. But his blatant disappointment in Junior is annoying. I handwave a lot in sitcoms, because much of it is just for a laugh, but he was overly cruel this episode. I'm pretty cheesed he got what he wanted with a boy. I was hoping at the last minute it would be revealed to be a girl. I don't remember the last time Diane and Junior had a bonding moment. I really hope they keep putting those two together. It's a hilarious contrast.