Panda Bear

Yeah, I hate the TV show. I get that its annoyingness is the point, but... a little goes a long way. I totally forgot about Doug and Mia.

I think Shep got together with Taylor because he wanted to rehab his image after that social media post of him making fun of a homeless woman went viral. It probably also helped that COVID happened and he couldn't go out to the bars anymore. He could be forced into monogamy, by avoiding the virus! But he never really wanted to change. I do feel for Taylor, because it's hard to realize you've spent two years on a relationship that isn't going where you want and it did seem like he misled her at times, but I did not love the judgmental nature of her comments. It is okay to stay in nice hotels and eat at Michelin-star restaurants. It is okay to have casual sex with other consenting adults. Plenty of women like it too! They are not whores. Maybe check your own family's weird misogynistic values (her parents still love Shep after he called her a fucking idiot?) before coming for other people's. Shep sucks, for sure, but it is okay for him to want to live his life without children and church. I found the whole reunion weirdly unsatisfying, in the way it just lightly touched on a lot of big things and then moved on. Did that whole situation with Chleb talking shit at Olivia's party even get mentioned? Why was Naomie even there, if she was only going to say about three sentences? And I still remain confused by what Venita did to deserve so much ire from her friends. If there's another season of this show, I hope she gets to bring some of her real friends on. Also, I wish she could have brought Charles. I love that little guy.

Feel like I'm alone here, but I found this episode SO entertaining. The riding a party trolley through Scottsdale of all places and throwing wine on each other, the cooking steaks and salmon in lingerie (loved Heather always bringing it back to the food, as I would have), the crazy shifts of who was yelling at who! It was a lot of fun after a pretty boring RHOBH reunion.

I do, too. These girls are actually way more endearing than I thought they'd be. I was expecting a full-on hate watch, but for the most part I like them and want them to succeed. I did find Kacey's visa issue frustrating, though. You've landed a spot on a TV show that's filming in Paris and you don't have your visa figured out? But I guess it added a dash of cold reality to this reality TV show. I hope she figured it out. That casino scene was kind of funny, with them all dressed up for... that. It seems like this was filmed in December or January, at the height of the omicron wave, so I guess there were only so many places they could film.

Well I, on the other hand, can't stand Meredith. Lisa didn't contact you for two months, Mer, because at the reunion (where Lisa already apologized), you said you needed time. And she's talking to you now because you're on a reality show together. The POINT is to ENGAGE.

Yes, I knew what I was saying. I think she is unattractive. But you are welcome to your own opinion.

To be fair, there wasn't a thread available right after the premiere! Maybe there'll be more activity after the next episode. I liked the first episode and then was a little bored by the second, but I'll be tuning in next week anyway. I think Anya will provide endless snark potential and the others seem like they'll be fun. I could see it being a French version of Gallery Girls. If nothing else, it's nice to see the scenery and hear people talk in French. I enjoyed that subtitled scene of Adja and her aunt.

I think she's downright homely. She has a huge forehead, small features, and a long chin that she accentuates by doing that weird thing with her mouth. But on this show, if you're thin and blonde, nothing else matters. I actually kind of liked this episode, mostly because it seemed like the editors were having fun. They must be so bored at this point. So, sure, let them give us quotes and mismatched section titles (are we doing days or chapters here, guys?) and dramatic music when one of the dog guests tries to run away with the dog bride.

And then having a picnic on the sand when it's 98 degrees! I liked seeing the ladies getting along. The argument at the end was dumb. Stanbury actually seemed in the right with that one--just a misunderstanding that got blown out of proportion on Ayan's part. I wonder how many episodes this is getting? Thirteen with a two-part reunion is my current guess.

Even though I still found myself zoning out at times during this episode, I actually thought this was a step up. Probably because there were more scenes of the women together, having fun? I thought I'd hate the dancehall stuff, but it was nice to have a moment of lightness and it seemed to allow Brooks and Sarah to stop taking their argument so seriously. (Though after seeing the Brooks scene with her ex, I feel like I understand her sensitivity more--I'm sure it was really hard to leave that relationship and then basically raise Adam on her own. I didn't realize how young she was at the time either.) I also rolled my eyes initially at the "Meet the Carrallos" stuff, but I came around on it. Nice to see Stanbury laughing. Ayan eating that Ethiopian food on her own in that giant feather duster gown made her the MVP once again. If this show gets cancelled, I hope Bravo finds something else to do with her.

Caroline Brooks seemed to be acting like she thought a rich person should in that dinner scene--talking about boarding school, ordering her maid around. I think her friend was kind of baffled by her behavior, so he called her out and I don't blame him. She was being absurd. Was it Caroline Stanbury who basically called her nouveau rich? That seems right on the money. I think she actually could be interesting if she showed her true self more often. I like watching Chanel and Lesa interact, and I'm entertained by Caroline Stanbury's solo scenes. Everything else is kind of a snooze. I need Nina to stop with the French fries.

The past two seasons have really killed any positive feelings I had about Veronica. I mean, when Biblical plagues are raining down on your town, you probably won't care that much about your friend deciding to weirdly break into Sondheim during your rehearsal dinner and make it all about her, but it's still shitty. And it's weird how many musical performances they're making us endure this year. If there isn't enough story for all of these episodes, just... make the season shorter?

Same! I've been enjoying this show, but I can't really figure out how it's going to end. This episode almost could have been the finale, but I'm glad it's not as simple as "the baby just needs someone to love him."

You make a good point.

This week wasn't much better than last week (I'm all for worker's rights and unions, just... not in my teen shows) and I did nod off again at one point, but I got a good laugh from "Bring the beanie unto me" and the way they're using the classic comic books as a visual stand-in for characters' minds. I was starting to think Toni's kid was named Baby Anthony, but Moose called him Anthony, no Baby, this episode and it was refreshing. I think Moose should get custody as he's the only adult in the kid's orbit who isn't in a gang or following a cult leader right now.

Both this week's episode and last week's made me nod off. I usually love this insane show, and the bit about the ghost train did make me chuckle, but this Percival arc is just going on too long. He's not an interesting villain and we keep revisiting the same story beats every week. Get rid of him, and let's get back to the Trash Bag Killer or some other wackiness. I did like that we got to see Bingo, though. That dog is a star!

I laughed at that, because people certainly did call it grooming back then, which was... 2017. Riverdale has always seemed to exist in a weird time warp, though, so maybe it doesn't apply. I also thought it was funny that they had Kevin identifying with Piggy from The Lord of the Flies--not because Piggy was the rational character who doesn't join the crowd, but because he was once overweight. Kevin, of course, loves to join any angry crowd or cult, so it's just a physical thing, ha.

My feelings exactly. I hope the woman who showed up at the end will lead the story somewhere new. I also wonder if this show is a little too grisly for me. The deaths in the first episode seemed so outlandish that they were comic, but the ones in this episode seemed more realistic and grim.

I really liked this season and I hope the show is renewed, but I could do without the Joyce vs. Doug dynamic that took over in the last few episodes. I enjoy them arguing, but not outright battling. I think the show works better when all of the characters are working together toward a common goal (which kind of happened again in the last few minutes of this episode). It also seemed like the plot moved a little too fast. Two issues and the magazine's a huge hit, landing Joyce on Dick Cavett! And then, no, now it's suddenly folding due to the lawsuits. I guess they needed to do a lot in ten episodes in case this was the only season, but I hope they slow it down moving forward. The whole cast was excellent, but especially Lennon Parham (who I've loved for years) and Idara Victor (who I'd never seen in anything before).

Nope! There are ten episodes this season, according to IMDB. Two next week and two the week after. I didn't like Joyce that much in the first few episodes and was worried she was going to be the "humorless feminist" stock character, but she's grown on me. The characters all feel like real people--even the ex-boyfriend has shading and isn't the jerk he seemed like in the first episode.

It was hard for me to remember what happened before the Rivervale episodes. I guess it doesn't matter that much. I actually don't mind the writers leaning into the craziness by giving Archie and Betty superpowers. Once several of the main characters' parents turned out to be serial killers, any kind of realism was already off the table. Sure, make Cheryl a witch! Give us a bionic dog. Why not, at this point.

Ha, true! There already isn't much of a show as it is, so I guess I can't fault Charli for trying to get something going.

I'm also sympathetic to Scheana. She's two months postpartum; her hormones are going crazy and she's said several times that she's feeling lousy about herself. I'd give her a bit of a break if I were her friend. I don't think Charli was wrong to express her feelings, but she should have brought it up to Scheana separately.

It was completely absurd the way Veronica reacted to killing a man she loved enough to marry not so long ago. And I wondered, wouldn't she be arrested or at least have to face some kind of press scrutiny for this, if she and Chad were such a big deal in New York? But then I remembered the show I watching and told myself, "Forget it, Panda Bear. It's Riverdale."

Keep in mind that Brandi once seriously thought LeeAnne cloned her phone just by putting her own phone near hers. She has always been weirdly obsessed with the idea that LeeAnne is out to get her. I was kind of looking forward to these reunion episodes but they both felt muted. I don't know if it was because Brandi and Kary weren't there in person or if maybe Andy didn't watch much of the season, but it didn't feel like anything was really landing. An unsatisfying ending to a largely unsatisfying season.