pasdetrois

I adored this series and wish there were more of its stature.

This family tried to launch a similar series on another channel several years ago - maybe CMT? I watched and was disturbed by how controlling and driven the father was. I kept wondering if there was a Beach Boys and Cowsills dynamic going on behind the scenes. I'm very wary of parents who insist on shoving their children onto reality TV.

The fake therapist thing intrigues me. If I understand correctly, almost anyone can claim to be a counselor/therapist. One cannot claim the educational credentials or certifications if they don't have them, but one can hang out the shingle (maybe this is regulated by state) and treat patients. If that's allowed, it's not too much of a stretch to say that someone can lie about being a therapist, as long as he/she isn't in a therapeutic relationship with an individual. Which it appears the "Harry" show did, and got away with.

When I was growing up in the extremely racist deep south, some states flew their own flags on top of the US flag. Those state flags incorporate the Confederate battle flag motif - as far as I know they did not fly the actual Confederate flag on top of the US flag. I think MS and AL were the last two states to top the US flag with their state flags. I think there was litigation, or the federal government shut that nonsense down finally. I don't fault Thomas for not making comments about the shooting tragedy on social media. I definitely do not make the leap that he is harboring "friendly" thoughts about guns and such. Not everyone lives and breathes by social media. I would not be surprised if the Ravenel family has quietly made contributions.

I kind of like it - here in DC we have those uber-snobby, grasping, power couples too. But the lead actress is a bit manic for my taste. I'll hang in a while longer. Thanks for the shout-out about Grant Shaud - I never would have recognized him and it's good to see him again.

When Sue flew through the air and slammed onto the ice, I thought "broken collar bone and arm." She worries SO much about her personal safety, so it's ironic that this has happened. Thank goodness the camera crew was there. (As a former news videographer, it was interesting to me that the camera crew held back and continued recording while waiting to see if Sue would get up.) Sue needs to find an equally independent person to help her run her camp - someone who is content to be isolated and spend a lot of time alone. In a separate tent from Sue, 'cause I'm pretty sure she'll micromanage an employee to distraction. I wonder if Martha Mae is an Alaskan native. When I looked her up on IMDB, I noticed she and Erik are listed as actors. Do all the reality folks do that now? She and Erik are delightfully in love - he's just beaming all the time. How does such a young guy have so much property? He runs one or two physical camps (maybe the fish camp is very rustic and small, as they sometimes are) plus he has his homestead.

I've been to Murfreesboro for dance competitions. It's a college town - Middle Tennessee State University. A good friend is on the faculty. It's not a two-bit hick small town. Lots of hotel choices in the area. How would the underage Savannah have gotten into a Nashville bar? Lipscomb University (locally known as "David Lipscomb" sometimes) is affiliated with the Church of Christ. You know, the folks who brought us the Duck Dynasty brand of religion. I wish this series would lay off the clumsy script; this family doesn't need it.

I can't stand most of these people. Their snobbery and entitlement are extreme; it was especially apparent in the latest episode. Although Nick was clearly in the wrong, there's something offputting about how Morgan and Brendan threw themselves into reacting to the situation, blaming Roxy for simply knowing about it. Roxy is in no way responsible for what happens between Brendan and Nick, especially if it's not illegal. She's allowed to be as devoted to a man as Morgan is to Brendan; she doesn't need their approval. Grow up Brendan, there are sharks in the LA real estate market and you better learn how to deal with it without throwing a hissy fit. And Morgan, your recent engagement has nothing to do with what's going on between the four of you (as Morgan berated Roxy and played the victim card, she managed to reference her recent engagement - "this should be the happiest time of my life and you've ruined it" - or something along those lines). She's already turning into a loathsome bridezilla. Bobby is obnoxious and desperate to fit in, and it's uncomfortable to watch, but the group scene where they all turned on him was nasty. EJ thinks he's so cool with his finger snapping and threats - but he's nothing without Daddy's fortune. Can't stand his entitled show-off bullying.

Poor Daisy. All ready for her fainting couch scene, and Melyssa and Geneva steal the spotlight.

My original post was not about what has happened in the past, but about the lack of more predators captured by the cameras during production. I think Andy chased away and shot a black bear, and I remember the wolverine. I've often wondered that Glen hasn't been stalked by a predator, give his tiny rustic camp. Could be that the crews' presence is keeping them away.

I don't think they're having sex. But back in time, when Bedelia discovers a sexy naked Hannibal in her shower and she confronts him with her a gun, there was a moment when she gives him a quick appraisal as he towels off and she seems to enjoy his - uh - charms. Quick little grin.

Well, we finally got some actual story, after all the thrashing about in bedsheets and navel-gazing. I appreciated the military battle scenes. I distantly remember reading that the red coats were accustomed to orderly, gentlemanly warfare and would line up like toy soldiers, exposing themselves to the enemy's more aggressive tactics. Having more horses and mounted cavalry later changed things for everybody. We saw both sides get mowed down in this battle. I wonder if the hand-held cannon was a restored antique or a fake. When one can clearly see the glue holding a wig onto an actress' Botoxed forehead, it's a problem. Did Abe and Anna really meet in the basement of his burned-out home? Because all of that striding about and banging open cellar doors in broad daylight makes no sense. Arnold is coming off like a comic buffoon. Every time I see his big ol' slab of a chin, I am reminded of a cartoon character called Duddly Do-Right. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dudley_Do-Right If the show is not renewed, I'll miss Andre, Simcoe and Hewlett.

They've really cleaned up this show. No more conspicuous consumption while having filed for bankruptcy. A smaller house in the suburbs (was the other one foreclosed on?). Todd less "flamboyant" and less nasty and controlling. No more drug addict son. No more fake sexual banter with Julie. Whatever happened to Todd's plans for the luxury retail operation? Now if Todd would lay off the Botox and eyebrow pencil he might resemble a human being. He's very clever and has the famous southern way with words, but I was very uncomfortable with his earlier behavior and have not forgotten it. I hope his remaining kids at home emerge unscathed. Savannah's probably enduring the show until she can leave home and perhaps land an entertainment career.

The way she handled the prayer vigil sent a mixed signal. On the one hand she was saying how happy she was that the treatment had concluded, yet the prayer vigil was somber and overly dramatic. When I go to prayer vigils, they are somber occasions held because someone is in trouble. They are not celebrations. And I've never known anyone to arrange and stage-manage her own prayer vigil (with the help of her staff). Maybe she didn't call it that and I am confused.

For or all this talk of predators, apparently there's never been one around during the hours and hours of video recording. I'd be curious how much time all these folks have for leisure. I mean, don't they ever sit by a toasty fire and read books? Basketball is popular in many of the native village schools (yes I know the producers would have to get releases from all those people). We've seen Sue use the Internet to stay in touch with her kids. I'd love to see Agnes and her kids at a village celebration. Give us an episode with nothing but fun. All of Andy's dogs are magnificent, but there's one tawny one that is so beautiful. And I love the one that insists on a head rub with each feeding.

Didn't they trap a lynx? Or am I confusing my Alaska wilderness shows? It's one thing to instantly kill an animal; it's another to leave it suffering in a trap for two to three days. That's unspeakable suffering, and in the case of the lynx, all for a pretty pelt, not food.

I'm not a regular watcher. This gang's vapidness and stupidity are kind of remarkable, even for reality TV. I love me some glitz sometimes, but Asa's turban-jewels-earrings combo, and MJ in ANYTHING, is jaw-droppingly awful. Reza drives me to rage. The whining and the drama. What's up with his one lazy eye - it doesn't blink the way the other one blinks. Maybe too much Botox? I immediately wondered about the sex trade when I realized Reza was headed for Thailand. I figured those tigers were doped up. Once I helped care for twin cubs that had been rejected by their mother, and I was severely restrained from physical contact with them - only the minimum allowed to feed them and teach them to pee and poop (wet wash cloth to mimic mama's tongue). I remember an animal show - maybe Jeff Corwin's? - where the monks had a tiger conservation reserve and they took the younger ones on walks through the wilderness every day. Since tiger numbers are severely declined, I tried to tell myself it was OK. But forcing cubs to interact with tourists all day? Foul.

Daisy looked stunning with her very short natural hair. I know that will lift her confidence as she recovers from treatment. My friends who have lost their hair during cancer say it was profoundly upsetting and surreal. One friend's hair, always stick straight, grew back in like Orphan Annie. Daisy's slightly maniacal cheer as she confronts her cancer seems very forced and odd. The constant joke-cracking and patter and drama seem off, even for someone trying to keep her spirits up. As others have posted, she claimed she didn't want the cancer to be a focus, yet all her actions have been to draw attention to it, and not in a "I'm educating the public" kind of way. Also, she seems to literally worship her father in a child-like way and be ambivalent about her mother, who said that Daisy never calls her even though her mother was by her side for six months of treatment. Daisy seems really immature. Loved the doggie agent essentially telling Chantal "don't call us, we'll call you." For once, Chantal didn't have a comeback. Melyssa stirring the Geneva/Demetria pot is boring and predictable. Guess we all know how it turns out. Mica's new friend seemed quite grabby; you could see she was uncomfortable as he held on to her. But then he seemed to calm down. She's had a lot of loss in a short time, but it appears she has strong family support. It's always hard to know when an elder is going to pass - sometimes they unexpectedly slip away. I kind of feel sorry for the guy who designed Demetria's original wedding dress. I don't care for the dress she fell in love with. Maybe once it's tailored for her it will look better. Arzo has THE most nasal voice on reality TV.

I know. I'm willing to suspend disbelief and go along with bizarre magic unreality for the sake of the story, but my sensible brain keeps asking "why is he being shoved into a motel room, then allowed to roam at will all hours of the day and night?" If the writers handled this more carefully - less erratically - it would make for a much more enjoyable story.

I'm just catching up via DVR. The huge fence thing reminds me of the French version of The Returned. Melissa Leo is killin' it. And Terence Howard as the avuncular threatening sheriff is good, too.

I'll tolerate the prolonged film school artistry for one or two episodes. I often am rhapsodic at this kind of thing; loved the imagery in Wolf Hall. But the long periods between Hannibal seasons and my appreciation of the Will and Jack characters (and actors), not to mention the kooky FBI lab techs, leave me with a need for the continuation of that story. I can't quite put my finger on it, but Mads' portrayal of Hannibal in this first episode seems kind of remote and checked-out. The flat intonation doesn't help. (But I loved his teeny subtle little snit about earning his new job.) Maybe I'm just missing the connection, however sadistic, he had with Will and Jack. The only time we see any trace of humanity in Hannibal's eyes is when he smiles and enjoys someone else's torment. I don't see the chemistry between Mads and Gillian. I'm not a GA fan, but I appreciate the role her character plays in relation to the abomination that is Hannibal. It was weird that in one scene the lighting made her look "old," otherwise she is ethereally beautiful. I actually laughed out loud when she appeared in that turquoise 70s Super Fly get-up.

The poor casting and acting are keeping this series from being great. Emma's mother looks too young, the Manson portrayal is weak (Steve Railsback nailed it way back when), and everybody looks like they are playing dress-up in 70s clothing and hair. Once scorned by "real" actors, TV now routinely gives us skilled A list actors sharing scenes with less accomplished (cheaper) talent. It makes for a very unbalanced show. Whether one likes a seasoned actor or not (I'm lukewarm on DD because he seems to play the same smug guy repeatedly), there's no denying the talent on the screen. At this point I'm watching for him. Charmaine would have had it very tough. The wide-open misogyny and sexism in the 70s as women poured into the workplace were persistent and often threatening. She probably had to make a deal with the devil - give a BJ to the creep in order to remain undercover and also earn the respect from her peers. Who would have been kind of dismayed on her behalf, but not really. And who might throw the incident back in her face some day, and disrespect her for doing it. It is interesting to remember all the gurus, communes and counter-culture charlatans that were out there. Young people who were born in the 40s and 50s went from buttoned-down, repressive traditional families to radically different lifestyle choices. There were houses in every neighborhood where drugs were plentiful and all kinds of transient people wandered in and out. There were usually guitars and earnest music-making (grin). In most cases these were fairly benign scenes, but sometimes not. In my own small southern town, there was a hippie guy who hung around college kids, offering drugs and claiming to have relationships with musicians in Muscle Shoals. He brutally attacked two students he had lured to a supposed musicians' jam session, killing one of them. So even though we all rolled our eyes at our parents' concerns, those violent weirdos were out there, taking advantage of the cultural shift.

Kathryn's just going through the Acting School 101 motions now - desperately trying to reel in Thomas as well her Bravo career. I don't think we're seeing a single genuine moment from her. His sex-addled brain is finally figuring it out. When I posted that Thomas will figure out a way to pay for Kensie's support while bypassing Kathryn, I hadn't seen the reunion. As they were hurling legal threats at each other, Kathryn said that he had offered to pay for housing, a car, and I think she said insurance. This method of support is increasingly common with shared custody; it ensures the money goes directly to the child's benefit. Kathryn's money grab is going to fail. Kathryn isn't entitled to anything - Kensie is. Whitney, your efforts at dignified aristocracy are going to fail if you keep snarling comments like "I don't care where Thomas sticks it." Cameran's hair was gorgeous. She has a very skilled colorist. She cleverly stays out of the fray. I found myself FFing through the more viscious arguments. I can't stand too much of that kind of thing, and it's going to ruin this show's delights. The lighting didn't do some of them any favors. It was especially unflattering to Thomas, Shep and Landon - they were all sitting on the same side. C'mon Bravo, spring for a better set than that shabby little "clubhouse."

Demetria and Daisy cannot stand each other - they push each other's buttons. Daisy is essentially demanding attention from people because of her cancer, and Demetria is steadfastly refusing to give it to her.

I thought this was a mixed bag. Garner clearly nailed the MM impersonations, but the actual acting was hit or miss. I thought her scenes with the new psychiatrist were the strongest. I wonder if she was ALWAYS on - always vamping, flirting, posing...years ago I read an MM biography that stated she had periods of extreme sloth, such as going to try on clothes without good hygiene. I also wonder why this production completely avoided the abuse that Marilyn suffered as a child, in foster homes. Maybe because it wasn't proven, and some of those people are still alive.