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Or herself. Maybe because I live in DC, where I'm exposed to accomplished smart women from many cultures - writing books and blogs doesn't impress me that much. Demetria just had to take that little stab at Daisy as she left the theater. Just could not resist as she was slithering out the door, which is how a coward does it. Daisy's chemo scene was one of the few genuine moments I've seen on reality TV. I hate for her sake that we saw it, but seeing the three women supporting each other was very moving. I don't think Geneva has a sincere bone in her body. She's 100% artifice. Melyssa is definitely sending mixed signals about having left her old lifestyle behind. She doesn't seem very mature to me. And her wardrobe is all wrong.

The show's weakness is how it treats the female characters, with the exception of Lagertha and Siggy. I think it has to do with acting prowess. The various princesses are not pulling off their characters with any authenticity; they just seem like random actresses to me. As someone posted, it would be so easy for Travis Fimmel to overplay his role - to make it cartoonish and broad. He nails it week after week and I enjoy it immensely. Agree that the costumes are evolving to reflect exposure to other cultures, and it's brilliant.

I think we saw that big bow thingy in an earlier episode when Chyka was going through her closet. She said Bruce gave it to her. Being a cynical old reality TV watcher, I immediately wondered if it was product placement. Also, I'm beginning to be annoyed at so much product placement for her businesses. If Chyka would tone down the eyebrows, I'd be OK with her makeup. And I guess Strippergate started when the producers told Chyka to bring it up the first time. No sympathy at all for Lydia. Nice try with a plea for viewer sympathy with the dead baby story. Way to harsh the mellow, Lydia. I think Gamble seems to be a sloppy mean drunk, with the hubbie as her behavior enforcer. Honestly, is Jackie brain dead? Do we ever hear her say anything intelligent? I'm predicting that Ben dumps her down the road.

When I was in school in the deep south, several teachers would rail about the communists. Kruschev had made his comment about ""Your children will live under communism." One of my teachers used to scare me, insisting that the communists were just around the corner. School kids were warned about being bombed and we had duck-and-cover drills. Anyhoo...I found the big reveal and its aftermath to be unrealistic and anti-climatic (although the acting was fantastic). Paige's parents wander off to work and leave her alone for the day. My attention wanders. Until Neighbor Stan arrives for dinner. The look between him and Paige woke me right up.

It's not true that producers have total control over edits. Networks won't pay for whitewashed programming. While Whitney may have conceived of this series, I doubt he and Cameran have total control over what appears on screen. My understanding is that the content is negotiated. Plus, "executive producers" often receive that courtesy title as a way to receive more money.

I don't feel sorry for Katie Holmes. I think she knew what she was getting into when she married Tom Cruise. I think she knowingly made a deal with the devil in exchange for power and cash. I suspect she planned all along to have a child with Cruise and leave the marriage an extremely wealthy woman. She played the media and the public (and Tom).

Why did Maggie look so disheveled in this episode? She looked like she was wearing a bad wig (her own hair is thin and fine and shiny) and she had on drab bulky clothing. Very different appearance from the last time we saw her.

Charm goes only so far when an aging, drunken fool makes nasty cracks about his wife. Thomas, we're going to have to tie you to a front porch, hand you some sweet tea, and limit you to talking charmingly about history and food and houses and hunting dogs and stuff. 'Cause you've got a real ugly side, especially when liquored up. Kathryn wants to control and manipulate Thomas; she doesn't love him. I can't decide if Whitney really thought those campaign ads were a good idea, or if he passively-aggressively tried to sabotage Thomas' campaign. How could Thomas not recognize how godawful they were? I think Thomas and Kathryn arrive separately to events because they weren't living together during production. I think he was living in town and she may have been faking about living way out on Edisto Island. Gee, we finally saw a person of color at the Labor Day party.

farmgal4, my cowboy hat is off to you. Well done! And thanks for the background info. I can spot those whiny, dramatic, attention-seeking spousal enablers a mile away. Knew Mike's wife would cave in a heartbeat. Wonder what Mike's profession and income is. Or was, now that he's outed.

I really, really hate Claire, both the character and the actress' portrayal. It grates. It looks as if the patio of Hardy's rented home takes on sea tides every day. I wondered if he was going to drown in a half inch of water while passed out from his cardiac trouble. But oh to live that close to the sea. I'm actually enjoying the gorgeous scenery more than the wretched story and acting this season.

And American Indian children were sent to Indian boarding schools, beaten for hewing to their culture and language, used as cheap hard labor, and were abused and molested. Sigh. I've been watching the broadcast of the 30-year-old Jewel in the Crown. I finally realized that our wacky elderly Sister Monica Joan is played by Judy Parfitt, who played the evil mother Mildren Layton in JitC. We've seen horrific scenes in CtM before, and I'm a bit immune to horror-used-as-dramatic-effect, but the reference to the very real child migrant program was chilling. I also watched Oranges and Sunshine. Sweets and treats are one of the few things that people with dementia enjoy, with a childlike enthusiasm. I wonder how many meringues the actress ate in order to get the scene "just right."

My heart breaks for Daisy. That's a challenging diagnosis. I'm glad she has her parents' love and her faith. Was there no elevator to get her up in that building? And I doubt anyone will hire her for broadcasting now that she's outed her cancer diagnosis. I hope everything works out for her. Geneva has her funny moments, but did I hear her correctly? She had to downsize to a tiny apartment because her landlord wouldn't renew the lease, and she's no longer working the same job and is "on her own." Right away I suspected that she got behind in her rent and got tossed out, and that she lost her job and is now out of work. She sure tried to spin it otherwise. I thought Demetria's fiance was more charming and outgoing. He seemed downright sullen at the photo shoot. They were supremely uncomfortable with each other. Did Melyssa's show actually get presented, or was the rehearsal and all that talk smoke and mirrors? Mica looks fantastic and has great style. But boy her dramatic flailing around would wear me out.

Demetria is pretending to be the wise, experienced, successful I'm-above-all-of-you woman. The behavior we've seen onscreen fairly shouts otherwise. She is disingenuous in the extreme, and deeply insecure under all that posturing.

The king is a practical guy. He prefers Athelstan to his own son - we can see why - and he saw his chance to have a better heir than what he believes he will get if his own son fathers a child. Literally, like father, like son.

I spent part of several summers on Fenwick Island. It's largely a national seashore, so it's quiet, natural and beautiful.

Is somebody buried under the bluebell field we saw in the photo? Does Beth own anything other than that teal blue shirt? I've got a little script running in my head...DT's pronunciation of "Mullah" and "Peppuh." (Miller and Pippa)

I don't understand why Craig is on this show. His presence makes me think of those childhood puzzles: which object in this picture does not belong with the other objects? If they removed him from the cast no one would notice. If we want obnoxious or snarky, we've already got Thomas, Whitney and Patricia.

Show's getting more ham-handed. I'm feeling the manipulation. But am still enjoying it. Maybe Martha's so furious at Clark's betrayal that she's going to try to bring him down.

Gina is insecure about her looks. She probably thinks her legs are too short - thus the obsession with wearing high heels and the makeup poundage. I do like that we're seeing her a bit more relaxed in this season. Gamble looks malnourished and unhealthy. I suspect she starves herself. I know some women are thin naturally, but she has no body tone and has made comments such as "eating only carrots." Either Jackie was hamming it up or she's one of the most uncoordinated people alive. Her husband looked disgruntled at the restaurant advertisement - uh, dinner party. Me thinks he's had it with the show. Probably only went along with it to sell wine. Chyka looked fabulous in her golf outfit.

JD borders on being a sycophant. Plus, I think he's kissing some behind because he wants his restaurant featured on TV.

I've formed a theory that Shep has more responsibility than what is seen on camera. I don't buy that all he does is sleep and party every day. I don't care for perpetual frat boys, but he's notable because he has true good manners and he's not desperately striving to be something he's not. He occupies a very enviable and rare position in the world - apparent wealth and security, along with confidence and a good nature. Craig on the other hand is trying to work his way into a privileged life. That's cool, but he's got a mean, resentful streak. Kathryn and Thomas are beholden to the siren call of the ancient southern lineage. That's what's drew them together and what's keeping them together for now - two dynasties coming together. I don't agree with it, but it would work except Thomas is the one who's going to mess it up. He's very self-destructive and he's projecting his demons onto Kathryn big-time. He has Mommy and Daddy issues (his father strikes me as an overbearing jerk and boasts of being an unreconstructed southerner - look it up). Oh, and I suspect Mommy's hot dinners and beautiful home were prepared by servants who worked like mules I'm callin' it - I think Kathryn will pull out of this situation and land on her feet. She'll either bag another wealthy southerner or she'll have a political career of her own. She's just marking time right now and lining up her ducks. Meanwhile, I don't like how the rest of the cast makes her an object of fun. It's clear she's unhappy, and regardless of whether she put herself in that position, it's not fun to watch condescending "friends" take jabs at her on national television. (It's so tacky.) I was embarrassed for Whitney as he tried too hard to be the hipster musician who is fashionably late and under-dressed. If he weren't such a snob I'd feel sorry for him. I agree he wants to be Thomas. I'm pretty sure Cameran's husband is determined to stay off camera because medicine is a conservative business, especially in the south.

Oh candall, an Intervention cross-over! Linda who could feel electricity over the telephone. Good times. I'm so captivated by Chuck's story. Originally it was because I wondered how he got to be so incapacitated, now there's tension as to whether his brilliance is re-emerging, and whether he will do the right thing by Jimmy once Chuck has regained his powers. I can see it going either way. Jimmy waiting for his brother's approval after finally passing the bar broke my heart. Was this latest episode the first time Jimmy referred to Chuck as his brother? So perhaps Mike's daughter-in-law is another criminal-in-the-making, another Lady Macbeth who drives men to commit mayhem for financial gain. I once had a temporary office in ABQ that was high up and all windows, like the attorneys' offices we're seeing. It was divine to be surrounded by that endless blue sky all day. I'm evaluating assisted living for a family member and it's quite daunting, as one knows there are opportunities to be taken advantage of by The System. There is pressure to let them the assume representative payee role, or to hand over lots of money for all their services.

There was something curiously flat about the new format and the Katie episode. Although I don't doubt her family's anguish, everyone seemed to be going through the motions. I guess the Skype sessions are to save money on production costs, but they fell flat for me. I have watched every damn episode of Intervention, going all the way back to the beginning. I'll keep watching out of loyalty. Allison looked and sounded fantastic - yay for Allison! Candy will always and forever rock.

I laughed very hard when Daryl and Aaron were creeping in the woods...Daryl all mangy and bristling with his muscles and monstrous crossbow, and then Aaron behind him trying to look tough, all clean Lands End and pointing the tiny little gun. As I posted last week, I think Maggie, Glenn and Michonne are the new moral centers for our group. Glenn or Maggie could emerge as the new Rick. Michonne has been portrayed as less a leader and more of a power lieutenant. And I can see Rick being pulled back from the brink of utter madness by his children. Carl looks so much like Lori.

Wait, Whitney's cousin is that thuggy guy Vergara was engaged to? If memory serves, the former fiance has a rumored criminal past (and present). The rumor is that Vergara's relationship with Joe M. is a PR move to distance herself from the thug. Every once in a while I am suspicious about the source of Whitney's and Patricia's wealth.