pasdetrois

Something was really off about Juliet's Thanksgiving - as if she had a "real" Thanksgiving with her family off-camera and the one we saw was completely fake and scripted.

I wonder if there were earlier skirmishes about diversity, and Damon was loaded for bear should the topic arise on camera. He was so quick to dominate the conversation and try to shut it down and put spin on it. The choice of director seemed a complete mismatch for the premise and the script. And I was distracted by his extremely slender frame. He was wearing quite baggy clothes yet still appeared too thin.

Caroline seems completely detached from her business. She runs in, snaps out "what's going on," barely listens to her harassed staff's replies, then moves on without interacting in any way. Guess we know how that worked out. Juliet is very needy and I think she's distressed at how she's coming off on the show. She seemed genuinely unhappy at dinner with her husband and with Marissa. Her plan to appear as the wacky-but-lovable American girl isn't working, and perhaps there's marriage or money troubles as well. I thought Caroline F. appeared frantic and slightly unhinged. Is she trying to become a lifestyle celebrity? Because she has a title, wealth and a family in Denmark - why is she on this show? I cannot stand Marissa. She defines "smug." Not to mention "mean." The only time we've seen Annabelle show any interest was when she was at Mapperton. She summoned a little pep in her step for the titled viscount. The Royal Albert Hall sing-along looked gorgeous.

Kate is a self-appointed fault-finder and quite competitive. She makes snap decisions on whether she likes someone as soon as she meets them, then goes after the ones she doesn't. In my opinion, her radar is especially sensitive to people who don't take her crap, or who are skilled enough to challenge her queen bee status. She'll have a couple allies on board, to avoid the appearance of complete obnoxiousness, and she'll throw everyone off with her sly talking heads. She's quite disingenuous, sounding reasonable and funny in her talking heads. And she knows how to kiss the captain's ass. If you're on her side, then working for her is probably great. If not, then she's your basic nightmare, especially in such close quarters.

And Asking the Barber to Cut Your Hair? The scraggly hair is driving me nuts. As are the flat performances from Kim D. and others. I was laughing when Madison stood woodenly next to Susan in a stare-down contest. As others have posted, why isn't there more frantic calling of family members, neighbors and friends? If the writers wanted to pander to the audience, they could have kept the dog alive and had him become part of the family trying to survive. My Vietnamese neighbor has had the rambling wood trellis set-up for years - practically every inch of her property. She's growing her own food. But hers are not tall enough to walk under - she reaches in. I liked that the pace quickened this episode. But the constant waving of flashlights when there's a scary apocalypse happening bugs me. I've had a crush on Ruben Blades ever since The Milagro Beanfield War. It's good go see him again.

I adore David Simon but expected to be bored occasionally by this show's story. But I remained interested and entertained. Great actors really make the difference and I am so thrilled that many of them will now "do TV." We saw Nick's neediness in the way he kind of smothered his girlfriend/wife at night, in bed. And her portrayal was the one off element for me, at least in the earlier episodes. She just trailed along beside him, and the actress gave a little giggle every time she spoke. It bugged. But the performance was stronger later. My impression was that Nick simply manipulated the political tides that were handed to him in order to gain and hold office. I never had the impression he was impassioned about affordable housing. He loved the political game, and winning, and getting the attention.

I agree about the rigging - I think some of the candidates are kept on solely as cannon fodder for the TV show. The organization already knows which candidates will probably make it (as expected). But for some reason, they think we want to watch the endless drama of whether someone will make it. I think some of the candidates become frustrated with being used this way. Then Kelli and Judy are offended when some of them show their frustration. Megan B. clearly had had enough, and Angela was publicly humiliated but trying to hold it together as the camera stalked her for reaction shots. The candidates have a right to have realistic emotions and make decisions that are best for them - they are not robots. There's a lot of hypocrisy, too. Cassie clearly was not DCC quality, yet she skated through. They pretend to emphasize education and careers, yet don't really provide an environment that enables either (long hours, minimal pay). They expect perfect performance and behavior from the candidates, calling them out for every infraction, yet we frequently see snarky, mean Kelli, Judy and Kitty whose critiques are often vague and meaningless. I realize the series is about making the team, but I wish they'd tone down the nasty stuff and the fake deliberations (why would they consider someone so short her boots swallow her, or someone who cannot kick?). I loved seeing show group auditions, makeovers, wardrobe fittings, and even learning the choreography. This latest season seems especially bad. I think the tone of the show has gotten away from them and they need to re-boot. Less snarky judgment, more fun content.

My very southern mother and her sister used to say "step-ins." We say "draws" when we are being silly. We say "back seat" for butt. In my family, "butt" was considered very common. (I don't think that - again, this was all generated by an Edwardian-minded mama.) I can't stand the word "tit_ _ e" (for breast). I can't even type it and now I've freaked myself out by even thinking about it. "Moist panties" - laughing very hard at this one.

The thing that underscored how affected Blake's perspective was was him claiming that he only designs for braless women. Every fashion designer has to factor in a woman's shoulders, underarms, waists, hips, behinds, legs...so why would you specifically exclude breasts?

Looks like Jennifer's campaign to be a cast member is still in full swing.

That's my bet, too. Ashley will have a bad day, they will auf her, and Tim will save her. And we will be treated to lots of tears and brave little speeches about how hard it is to be different. You notice we haven't had too many lip-quivering True Confessionals (e.g., HIV, cancer, bullying) like we've had in the past - I think they are saving it for Ashley. I liked that many of the models had less-than-perfect bodies. I mean they were slender, but they didn't have that starving heroin chic thing going on. I bet despite their youth and beauty, it was unnerving to have Heidi taking such a close look. We saw Tim with mussed hair! That was a first (I don't think his hair moves on a windy day) and made me chuckle. Plus, the pocket square in the bathrobe. Still, I feel that Tim has somehow been slowly relegated over the season to a performing minion. I wish we had more of the old mentoring and sage advice in each episode. When they dragged out the air mattresses on the runway, I thought we were going to have some kind of stunt challenge, with designers crashing around on the mattresses. Stupid.

I was a bit disappointed in the Clark Gable segment. My dad was in the same unit in England, and their bombing escapades are legendary. For example, on one mission over Germany, 16 of the 17 American B-17 bombers were shot out of the sky and the crews killed. (Watch for the next Hanks/Spielberg WWII film if you are interested in this kind of thing.) It was great to see Maya - I'm a big fan.

I suspect Rocky and Don didn't realize the positions they'd be put in - purposely misled by production in order to create drama. Don probably thought he'd be engineering much more, and Rocky probably thought she'd be outside more. Do we see her serving food to the guests, or working upstairs at all, or solely laboring down below? I'm with you on this. He appears to be knowledgeable and good at his job, but he's a prima donna. Kate's a close second with her efforts to spin her job as elitist just because she schleps after people on yachts. Not having the privilege of visiting the Florida Keys or the Bahamas, I ask: is it ever permissible to pronounce conch as "consch?" 'Cause if not, Leon really showed his lack of knowledge, even as he was trying to be a know-it-all.

It's just now dawning on me that we have a Julie and a Juliet. It's hilarious when two women are snarling at each other yet sneak in a quivery-voiced "I love you and I wanted to do this for you...." I can't take the aristocratic pretense too seriously when all of these folks are on an American reality TV show, undoubtedly with hands held out for that Bravo paycheck, as well as any marketing opportunities. I wonder if all of them are hurting for money. Caroline's business failed, Juliet alluded to downsizing, and the viscount's ancestral digs cost buckets of money to maintain. ETA: Juliet and Marissa are confusing "I really, really want something" with "things that are really important."

I can't fault Candice for attempting to be a leader. Someone has to try to organize these wacky team challenges with mis-matched personalities, and she probably thought that if things went well it would benefit her ranking in the competition. I like that she had the confidence to try. What I saw her doing in this episode was try really hard to stay on top of the competitive aspect of the game even as things were happening very quickly. She tried to lead while maintaining her composure and positive attitude. Her biggest error was in not pausing for five minutes to listen to what Ashley was suggesting: taking time to formulate a plan. I do feel in hindsight that this episode was deliberately manipulated by production pushing Ashley's buttons; giving the women crappy colors; and extremely selective and misleading editing. But having said that, the other team clearly excelled.

I'm pretty sure the very talented costume department can handle breast implants when fitting the uniform. After all, they do it for dancers and actresses all the time. Whether a candidate's breasts are big because she has implants or because they are natural has nothing to do with the fit in the top of the uniform. Kelli's just being her usual passive-aggressive self, trying to call out those who may have had implants. Either someone's breasts are too big or they are not - she doesn't have to ask why they are big. I understand it when she asks about padding, because padding shifts around.

This was one of those episodes where real life fed producer manipulation. There must have been a lot going on off-camera, because I didn't see any mean girl stuff leading up to when the teams were picked. It was suddenly "boom" - no one picked Ashley and we were abruptly immersed in drama. I wonder if the obese outsider/mean girl dynamic began earlier in the hotel rooms. Or, if several of the other women were simply enjoying each other and Ashley projected her fear of rejection onto the situation. I didn't see any overt nastiness, but I did see a bit of clique-y-ness. I do think the following is an apt description of what happened: Ashley will have to learn to negotiate the mean-girl world, because she's facing a lifetime of it. I sympathized with her situation deeply, but also was annoyed that she gave in to her emotions completely and wallowed in being the victim. At least she concentrated on putting together a decent product. On reality shows I always wonder whether someone's behavior was specifically cued by production, or if they try to give production what they think it wants. Laurie, Blake, Edmond and Kelly O. may have been doing this - they saw a storyline developing and jumped on the bandwagon. I can see Edmond defending someone, but not timid precious Blake. And Kelly's involvement made me hoot - she regularly engages in stupid childish social media battles with other women. But it does sound as if Laurie heard very specific conversations, off-camera, that the other women intended to "vote Ashley out." Are we really shocked at this in a competitive reality show? I noticed this from the first episode. They belong to that class of gay men who loathe women. I'm enjoying Swapnil and Edmond. I prefer watching cheerful, cooperative people. I'm also glad that Merline was able to have a positive experience - she lacks confidence and I want her to have a chance to grow. ETA: Amanda completely gave up in this episode and tried to avoid being aufed by laying on the comedic charm.

I think the gang is sick of Martha's antics, but they know production is encouraging the "character" so they go along with it. When she was flailing around in the cab they were all ignoring her, with the exception of Tiffany and Hannah, who have been cast in the roles of Martha-soother and victim. How many times over the series have we seen Mattie bring out Martha and then repent later? Eight, nine times? Plus, I get the sense that Mattie is phoning in her performance. She no longer seems engaged with any of the others. She and Lyle are showing up for the paycheck, and Mattie is hoping for an entertainment career. I'd enjoy listening to some of the conversations that go on when the mics are off. I bet Murray, Walt, Lyle, Tiffany, and Lauren have a lot to say about Mattie. For a guy who talks about sex all the time, Daddy never appears to actually have any.

That's what I've been wondering, although I can't see Kelli letting go any time soon. I love the makeover episodes. But I thought some of these makeovers were failures. Several of the hair colors were still harsh and roots were showing. Some of the hair looked flat and lifeless from too much processing. But it could be that we saw only a part of a series of makeover processes and that the final team members will be fully "transformed" by game day. I also loved seeing the former DCCs. A Belk runway show - not so much. It occurs to me that the decision-makers already know who will be on the team, long before we are shown the final choices. They may prolong consideration of a few true on-the-fence candidates during training camp, but I'm pretty sure the extended "will she or won't she make it" is solely for the show. For example, I question whether Madeline and Colbi were ever true candidates; instead I think they were show-fillers. It takes a long time to shoot those individual meetings with Kelli and Judy, and at the end of a long day and night. It's expensive and not productive in the long run. I wonder if these extended "counseling" scenes are purely for the show.

I love the show, but I do sense the drunk storytellers pandering to the camera. Jenny Slate especially. I guess it's inevitable with actors.

It's weird how there was no reference to Amy using, other than her own statements about past use. Maybe they offered her help and she refused and denied her use? Or, aren't there people who use off and on? Maybe she really was sober for a little while, during the intervention. We have had other episodes where family members are using, but usually they are confronted or offered help.

Very true. It's clear she's a good stew, but her self-regard and aspirations are skewed - she's essentially a glorified waitress and a maid. Amy handles the obnoxious guests so well. She is always gracious and never loses her cool, even when a drunken idiot is breathing toxic fumes in her face and trying to paw at her. It's very bizarre. She rarely looks the camera in the lens, or at the interviewer. It's like she's looking for flying insects, or something. Plus she's jumpy as hell. Hmmm.....

Unbelievable. Either she started using again, and needed Kayne's street hustle income and drug supply, or she's the Queen of Co-dependence. ETA: I watched this episode after Fear the Walking Dead. So when the two brothers came staggering into the house, hunched over and mumbling, my mind went to ZOMBIES. Justin was surrounded by well-educated (but smug) family members, and he seemed to have a native intelligence, despite his lack of higher education. Maybe that awareness will empower his drive to succeed. Yay for Josh for keeping off a lot of weight. I recall how much I HATED his bullying father, who taunted Josh with fattening food. I think in an earlier update Josh came out of the closet.

The setting of the two guys against the stormy gray skies was stunning. I had to pause my DVR and take it in. And it was the only time I can recall Hannibal's facial expression as something other than impassive, smug or amused. He was weary but at peace. I never saw a traditional romance or homoerotic love between them. They were two people who had extraordinary, rare - um - talents and they found a deep kinship in each other. Will resisted as long as he could, and I think the cliff fall meant he could not live with the fact that he had succumbed. Hannibal let him do it.

It was worse - it was broadcast on television. I forgot to say that I love the candidate with the great sense of humor. Pretty brave of her, considering that everyone is usually all cowering with yes ma'am and no ma'am. And the guest choreographer looked horrible with her Botox and heavy spray tan and fake boobs and skinny frame. I guess she feels the pressure to try to look young in her profession. I thought her choreography was a jumbled frantic mess, but that may have been editing. Maybe if the Cowboys organization would pay these women a salary, they wouldn't have to work other jobs and try to cram so much into a single day.