Rowan

I do wonder if Issa the writer really came around to the idea of Issa/Lawrence as endgame on her own or if she was feeling the pressure of fan expectations.

I’ll add my two cents on the Lawrence/Nathan situation. Not gonna lie, while I always thought Nanceford was extremely attractive, I always had a soft spot for Lawrence. But I honestly thought Issa Rae wouldn’t let Issa Dee end up with Lawrence. I also felt like she loved them both, but she made a choice to move ahead with Nathan. And I didn’t think it was fair that he bailed ‘cause her ex made a semi-public play for her. She can’t control that. She didn’t reciprocate in that moment, either. I don’t have the first clue what it’s like to struggle with a serious mental health issue, so I won’t act like I have any insight, but I felt like there were a couple of things at play in the scene in his car. Like maybe he felt like his doubts would take him to a place he didn’t want to go. So, he needed to step back, so, ok, but then he also seemed kinda dismayed she didn’t seem inclined to beg his ass to come in. I just didn’t like it, I guess. I’ve been a stepmom for 22 years. Granted the circumstances were less painful than Issa’s situation, but it’s not without its own rewards. You figure it out as you go.

I’ll miss this one. It’s so crazy that every Sunday night I still feel like I have somehow discovered a wonderful little secret show on HBO. It’s in its 5th season for fuck’s sake. I’m ridiculous. Issa and Molly forever.

This show. I veer wildly between complete disgust and reluctant sympathy for each of these grown ass children every episode. I don’t know how I can find myself rooting for them to topple Logan, but here I am. He’s despicable.

I guess I don’t feel like Condola was wrong when she didn’t want to let Lawrence take the baby. She was wrong for pretending like she could do it in the first place. Just be honest. While I felt Condola’s sis was giving Lawrence a hard time, I really think the Mom was giving off welcoming vibes. I thought the whole episode was well done.

Umm, I’m all over the place with my feelings about this. In the end, though, I sided with the Moms. Good intentions be damned. It got messy and fucked. Just the thought of someone outside my family unit, in my case a traditional hetero married couple with two kids, being allowed to make life decisions for said kiddos inspires fear. I understand the all or nothing play they had to make. But, that’s not to say I don’t understand Tom falling in love with the little girl or discount the mysterious emotional connections that can be immediate simply through biology.

I liked it. I mean even if the story had more red herrings than a season of Scooby Doo episodes, I never got pissed about them. The scene where Jean Smart tells Mare she’s already forgiven herself and she wants that for Mare, as well, got me. I felt that shit.

I don’t want to say I enjoyed a docuseries about a son’s search for his mother’s murderer, but my attention was definitely engaged with each episode. Conway is a piece of work. That look of smug satisfaction when she relates how the only things her son wanted to take from the house that she got them evicted from, no less, was his baseball equipment and HER, his mama bear. Puke. She still isn’t over the fact that he was given over to her sister’s care. She’s like, “see, he loves me, he would choose me if he could!” Well, he can’t, bitch, ‘cause you’re a raging alcoholic who would rather have your sister murdered than see your son with a semi-responsible parental figure other than yourself. I don’t feel sympathy for her. She is the kind of person who sucks any and all of the oxygen out of every room she enters. I was actually fairly relieved to see Ali pretty much cleared. I didn’t realize that I was that invested till after that info came out.

Good grief, Charlie Brown! This damn show. Ben is not bad good guy or a good bad guy. He is an emotionally messed up murderer who can’t quite grasp that he simply can’t kidnap a woman and deliver her to his enraged employer so that he may enact his revenge on her person. He’s just sitting there like, “that’s my job, yo!” Like he’s the same as a repo man or something. Oh, and he would never in the course of a thousand million murders and kidnappings avail himself to a woman’s private parts without her permission. I may swoon at his considerate nature. At least the actress brought something to the scenes. Good for her. MBE as always delivers.

I’ll admit I don’t have all the particulars on the Chad betrays Sonny to put himself in a position to take down Stephan. I ff through quite a bit of that. I do know that he kept information that could’ve helped Sonny avoid the harassment claim which then led to the murder and body dumping all in the service of gaining power at Titan. Sonny shouldn’t forgive him. I just don’t know that he was as deliberately proactive in making all that happen as say Gabi was in messing with his life. Again, I skimmed through most of that story and maybe I missed some things. I totally agree that Gabi’s hate for Abby was well earned. I just don’t think what Chad did to Sonny and what Gabi did to Chad are on the same level.

I’m glad Abby isn’t forgiving Chad. He doesn’t deserve it. I remember when I read the spoiler that he was going to exchange her newborn baby for the chance to have her committed. I was like there is no coming back from that. She should never trust him ever again. That was so incredibly selfish. They could’ve had him somehow trick Stephan into having Abby committed while pretending he was going to give the baby to Stephan only to secretly hide her away at the last minute all the while bonding with her or some other ridiculous scenario that doesn’t have him handing the baby over to her rapist right in front of her. Screw him. I’m glad Abby decided to call things even, but I get why Chad is so pissed at Gabi. I don’t have a problem with him wanting her to go down hard. He never tried to hurt her. The worst thing he’s done to her was end their romance. She fucked with his life royally then comforted him while he basically grieved over it. He’s no saint, but ever since we were all supposed to jump on the bygones train so they could become a couple, with the exception of Rafe, he’s been her best friend. Yes, he needs to own his choices that led to Abby being done with him, but that doesn’t erase what she did to him.

Eve was a straight up, unforgivable asshole in the “Theresa finally escapes from Mateo only to find her sister and her love together” return story. So, the “Eve is an evil, interfering POS” ship has already sailed for me. The fucks I have to give for her character’s treatment are all on back order. Also, for me, Chad and Abby got nuttin’ on Jack and Jennifer’s love story. So, Eve can catch every bit of shade coming her way. That being said, I like KDP as an actress. So, I’m sure she’ll make me love to hate her ass even more.

I will say that at least Melissa Reeves looked all in on Jack being the love of her life. Which is how it should be! It certainly didn’t feel like that at all the last time he was in Salem, but then she was infected by Dr. Tan’s magical unicorn peen at the time. I hate Eve so much I have to laugh at myself, sometimes.

I don’t watch anymore, but tuned in today. Wow. TC was a beautiful young man and so perfect as young Nikolas. I always hated Jax and Brender as a couple. I was Sonny and Brenda all the way. Its still funny to me how MBE and SN can still generate amazing chemistry as Steve and Kayla on Days, but had zilch as Stephan and Katherine. I can’t watch old Luke without it being colored by how I eventually came to feel about later Luke and TG. Watching this made me feel old.

The “it just seems JJ was due for a love story” makes me want pull my hair out. DUH! I wanted Gabi. Then, I wanted Theresa. Then Gabi. Now, I’d be open to either, but we get a newbie. I’ll give it a chance, begrudgingly, I guess. Also, screw Chad. He’s turned into a ridiculous douche. He loved Abby through all of her mentally unhinged behavior, but it was over for him when her egg couldn’t tell the difference between his and his brother’s sperm. That’s when you couldn’t do it, anymore, man-baby? I just can’t let that go or the fact that he gave her baby to the resident villain just so he could maybe get her back one day. So, I don’t care about him or their reunion. Finally, Eve is a miserable, selfish piece of human garbage. I hope she gets so close to what she wants, whatever that ends up being, and then watches it all go to hell for the millionth time. Gives me something to root for.

I get that she totally skated on all the pre-DID sketchiness. But, to me, that stuff was small potatoes compared to the heinous crap she pulled as GabbY. Back when the character left because she knew she was not mentally well, I was like, “oh, whatever!”. But, when MM came in and found her footing in the role, I actually felt for her. Like, yes, this is a woman who made a sacrifice out of love as well as fear, then realized it was a mistake, and I wanted her and Chad reunited. Then, BAM! this horrible DID story was put in place all in the service of getting Abby and Stefan in bed without having Abby actually be a cheater. She fucked Gabi’s life up royally as her alter. She paid no legal consequences for it, so, honestly, maybe Gabi’s revenge is something she had coming to her. I just think Gabi went too far when she stopped caring about hurting people she’s supposed to love. Well, that and seriously deciding to murder old ladies. However, Abby has suffered here. I think that’s obvious. As much as people of Salem like to excuse her mistakes, she’s lost the most important things in her life. She’ll be getting them back in short order, I’d imagine, but that fact and KM’s shitty portrayal of her disillusionment doesn’t negate that it happened or that Gabi is responsible for it. I agree it was stupid that she didn’t see a therapist, but, even then, it didn’t have to be. That’s just how our writers like to roll. Why actually draw from what could’ve been a character driven fear that she really might be losing it again and is therefore scared out of her mind to have a therapist confirm that she will never truly be well when you could again have her ridiculous, self righteous defiance drive the plot instead.

I can honestly say that I liked both Abby and Gabi coming into this story. I mean, yeah, I didn’t like that Gabi dumped JJ in hopes of hooking up with Chad, but it is what it is. I’ve said a million times that they both have done juvenile, selfish things in their youth to get at what they wanted. They both got the “time marches on eventual soap pass” from me on that crap. There is just a difference to me when a character is shown suffering from the time honored soap mental illness of DID doing dastardly shit than when you’re just hell bent on revenge doing equally dastardly crap. Fair? Eh, I don’t know. I’m so disappointed that they didn’t go with the Gabi schemes to blow up Abby’s life while rediscovering her love for JJ. Have her on the cusp of getting her revenge, then risking and losing it all because she realizes she loves JJ. I am glad she’s going to get busted. Thrilled, as a matter of fact. I think she has betrayed a lot of her relationships to stick it to Abby. Kate, Chad, and even JJ, to a certain extent. She’ll be the town pariah for a while, then she’ll either redeem herself somehow or they could decide to turn her into a long term town villainess with a few redeeming vulnerabilities to keep her viable. I can live with either. I just need her to suffer some for what she’s wrought, here. I do think Abby has suffered. Maybe not legally, but she has lost her husband and her marriage, her newborn child, and the trust of her friends and family. Sure, she’ll get it back, but more than likely so will Gabi. Again, I’ll miss MM as Abby. In the hands of better writers this story could have been the real launching pad for years of frenemy interaction between the characters.

You’re goin’ down, Grabriella. Ugh, finally. Chick was about to murder Julie until JJ came in the other day. I don’t particularly love Julie, but damn. That’s premeditated murder. I need some kind of mental health diagnosis that lays out that she wasn’t just going to smother some old lady with a pillow ‘cause she was pissed and scared. I miss MM. As has been mentioned above, she’d approach these scenes with so much more vulnerability and hurt even in her anger. The character definitely needs that and KM never chooses that or can’t portray it properly. Chad is a douche. They needed more scenes of him bonding with Charlotte before he realizes he’s her bio father. Him figuring out that he could love her and Abby without the paternity reveal would have gone a long way with me. I don’t think she should give him a pass for walking out on her.

Sadly, this show is not something I look forward to, anymore. I meant that’s not new. My love and then eventual disdain are cyclic at this point, but something is different this time. I don’t feel invested at all at this point. There is nothing on the horizon that I’m hanging in there for. Well, maybe the “Gabi is straight up crazy bitch” reveal, and, even that, I’m really kind of already over, but after that I think I’m out. Jesus, just leave Steve in prison. Do you really have to shit all over this couple’s epic love story by having him basically freeze her out offscreen. So stupid. Oh, and Brady gets to smugly pretend he gives a damn about Holly’s well being. Screw you, Brady. The sad thing is I kinda agree that maybe Eric should own his part in this whole Nicole affair. He did sleep with his brother’s fiancé/serious girlfriend?, hell, I can’t even remember at this point. But, I suppose it would only further fan the flames of my rage to watch him genuinely beg Brady for forgiveness and really feel what he’d did was wrong and then have Brady constantly shit all over Eric’s genuine remorse. ‘Cause you know he would. Eric was really only sorry about the cabin sexy times when he thought Nicole just up and left him, and that is kinda messed up. Chad’s a complete dupe. Mansi is not Abigail to me, anymore. I thought we were maybe headed back to JJ/ Gabi, but she doesn’t seem the least bit interested in that. So, damn. They should’ve had her seriously falling for him while she was pulling this shit, then had her love for him convince her to let it go, only for it to have steam rolled beyond her ability to control. Then, have it blow up during the eventual reveal. I mean what’s she going to lose? The way they’re playing it, I don’t even think she genuinely wants Chad. She just wants Abby to see her having Chad and Charlotte and Thomas. So, she’ll lose his friendship, big deal. Ask Sonny how worthless that is these days. Rafe might be disappointed for a minute, again, big deal. Ron C. sucks

This shit just makes them all look so bad. I can’t believe I’m walking away from this season with the least amount of negative feelings attached to Johnny and Marie of all people. Damn. I used to like Cara, but this season was not good for her. I cant stand Devin. He was begging to get hit, milking every bit of attention whore drama he could over those comments. Don’t fucking be the shit talking physical aggressor then just stand there. I can’t stand it when someone wants to get in someone else’s personal space in that way. I think Johnny would dismantle him.

Well, KM is back. She’s a competent enough actress, and I’m glad that she agreed to return to wrap this up. I just don’t think I would have been down for a new actress stepping into the role at this point. I did find myself wondering how MM would’ve approached those scenes as I do I prefer her Abigail, but I’m hanging in there just to watch Abby rake Chad’s gullible ass over the coals when all is eventually revealed. Gah! I can’t wait until everybody finds out the truth. I need Gabi to fall hard. Scraped up hands and busted up knees hard. As for the Chad and Abby scenes, knowing there was backstage tension between the actors probably colors my perception of their performance, but I felt Billy came across as a little more closed off than usual. Even when Chad and Abby were at odds, he always seemed gentler and more vulnerable with Chabby 2.0. But I did like that when Abby began to tearfully plead with him to get her out he began backing up and putting physical distance between them like he knew he might give in if he let himself get too close. So, maybe it was just that Chad has his defenses up and not necessarily Billy. Honestly, the writing for this show doesn’t inspire anything in me beyond scorn mostly, but some of the actors, well, they tend to rise above the arbitrary material they’re given. That’s enough for me for now, I guess.

This is just horrible. You can’t come back from this kind of crap. Even in a soap. She should absolutely never trust him again. Ever. He knows that she would never hand that baby over to Stephan. Sure, she gambled in a reckless last ditch effort to stay out of a mental hospital by marrying Stephan, but Chad knows she wouldn’t want THIS! This is the end of them for me. Thanks, Ron.

Eve is such a shitty person. I love that her life is in ruins. Also, that necktie bit was straight up gold. I’m super embarrassed I feel that way, though, I gotta admit. I mean I was honestly captivated for a second and then amused at myself for even getting into a scene where the town serial killer on my soap recounts his introduction to murder. This show. I had a good chuckle at myself.

I’d guess that Gabi has to admit to at least her part in the Gabby is back scheme to him for whatever reason. I’m not sure they’d go all out yet and have her admit the paternity switch, too. And even if she does, he’d probably just perpetuate that fraud with her to stay close to Abby. I’m honestly looking forward to everybody’s reactions to all of this when it does come out. Especially hers. I want to see her just be honest to everybody’s faces. I’ve hated this crap story mostly, but I’ve hung in there, and I’m ready for some payoff.

I’m just going to go ahead and admit that a part of me enjoyed Chad fuming about the Stephan/Abby development. I mean, I’m not proud of it, but I was all rub it in his face a little. It’s not even rational, I know. He should absolutely be down for having Abby committed, believing what he believes and all, but ever since he left her because she chose to keep her baby, a baby he supposedly believes is a product of a sexual assault, he pisses me off. “Hey, Abby, let me make decisions for you, even though I won’t be living with you as your hubs for an indefinite amount of time or maybe ever again.” Whatever. I could live with this story if it was explicit that Stephan is just a means to an end for Abby, but that’s so not what this going to turn out to be. Barf. I actually enjoyed the five minutes of Brady realizing what a messed up douche he is. Sarah is what I like to call perky. I don’t know how much of that I can tolerate. The actress seemed competent enough, though.