pasdetrois

That's my animal shelter where I volunteer! But why is a PG County resident trying to adopt in Arlington County?

I think those two loving owners border on kitty hoarders. Anyone with that many cats should know the basic of how to provide the right environment for them. It must be wonderful to step out of that crowded, noisy, stressful clinic (not a criticism) and into the beautiful Colorado outdoors. What a reward and motivation to keep going. Hip dysplasia surgery has come such a long way, and I'm grateful on behalf of dogs. 30 years ago my Lab needed help, and the specialty clinic talked me out of the surgery. There were message boards full of posts on how dramatic the surgery and recovery were, with mixed results. If you don't get the surgery, your dog's body compensates in other ways, like Thatcher's loss of muscle tone. My Lab compensated by shifting weight to his front, which caused other serious problems over time.

I only know Matt Lucas from "Bridesmaids." I thought he did fine. So happy the show is back, apparently better than ever. Weird Noel is made for it. I spent yesterday churning through a pile of dreaded chores, and I kept reminding myself I would be rewarded by this season's first episode. By the time I watched it was raining, I was pleasantly tired, I had a cup of tea...perfect! I wonder if being sequestered helped mesh the group. There was lots of relaxed, dry humor and wit, which is one reason I watch. On to the next episode.

When she launched herself at a third guy, like a teenager in a cosmetics commercial, I threw down my remote and said "Oh for Pete's sake." All that was missing was her perching on tiptoe and cocking one leg back as she slammed her face into his. The series went from light and fluffy to annoying and boring, not to mention heavily derivative. As far as I can tell, Emily's day consists of her dashing about in fabulous clothes, punctuated by bouts of supposed marketing brilliance, at least one hijink, and lots of mugging at the camera (in place of acting). But I hung in there for Paris and the clothes.

Last night I watched an episode where they showed a little of the unglamorous side of restoring old houses. It was the episode with the fireman's Arts and Crafts bungalow. They showed a cracked drain line that would require tearing up the kitchen floor. They also showed old electric lines and Brett exclaimed "another electric fire," which indicated they were encountering dangerous wires. They also showed layers of old linoleum, including a pattern that I've seen before, and I noticed Brett and others were not wearing any protective gear as they tore up that floor. Perhaps the materials had been tested already for asbestos. I am captivated by the salvage and restoration stores that Brett visits. There is a wealth of stunning period-appropriate materials he can choose. We have a couple of huge salvage places in the DC area, but the stuff isn't as attractive or period-appropriate. I hope they survive the pandemic. The labor-intensive paint scraping is one reason why I question the costs quoted on the show. There is a lot of old Douglas fir trim in my house, painted white many years ago, and the work involved in removing the paint is mind-boggling. There is no easy or fast way to do it, even using chemicals. The costs cited for the fireman's restoration seemed very unrealistic; maybe I misunderstood what they said. Agree about Brett's hat. Guess it's part of his brand.

Rob's crafty plan worked like a charm: TV show + seasoned model (knows his camera angles) + buxom unhinged bed partner = maximized exposure followed by said bed partner handing him an excuse to bail one day before the cameras stopped. At my house at chore time we've begun saying "I can't do this. I'm too much in my head." Not to mention "Did you know I'm a model?" I'm not sure we've seen a more vacuous pair than Rob and Jess. She's one part silicone and one part sulk, with zero brains.

Gizelle and Karen tried to grab all the camera time. They are as disingenuous as Monique. Karen, quit trying to be saintly den mother. Looks like Ray is gonna put Karen in her place. And how does anyone know Karen gave Ray "half of all her money" unless Karen threw Ray under the bus and spilled the beans? I think the two of them are locked in a bitter money battle so they can divorce. Ashley's waiting to see how she can leverage this situation for herself. I'd like to see Candiace and Monique gone. Both have had violent moments. Actually Gizelle can go too. Actually, they all depress me a little bit.

Candiace isn't Monique's problem. Monique's problem is that she appears to be deeply discontented at this point in her life, has a domineering husband, may be hitting the sauce too much, has a temper, and privately believes it's OK to use violence when she thinks it's justified. She's headed for Dorinda Medley territory, with her obsessions about what's wrong with everyone else instead of facing her own life. She is thin-skinned and judgmental to a fault. At some point, an adult (especially a parent who models behavior for impressionable children) learns to grit her teeth and rise above the annoying mother-in-law, lazy moms, and trashy work environment.

It's reminiscent of Hollywood in the 40s and 50s, when people like Hearst kept dossiers on Hollywood stars, studios employed thugs to follow and intimidate people, and powerful gossip columnists trafficked in information that could destroy lives.

Thank you for posting! I still have the books and I loved the first production in the 70s. I'd never seen a moor until I watched Herriott and all the creatures go striding across them.

That comment was a true WTF moment. Several of my childhood homes in LA/MS backed up to creeks and bayous. We used to play "Baptism" in one, with a keen eye toward leeches, cotton-mouths (water moccasins), snapping turtles and of course gators. After Katrina there was a great real estate push to "north of the river" where there is less chance of flooding. I thought that some of the suburban homes were weird-looking on the interior, but the grounds were beautiful.

Wow to Sophie Okonedo. The series woke up in episode 5.

Where I live, a gut and re-do of a 5 X 7 hallway bath is a minimum of $25K, without luxury finishes. It's insane. Essentially contractors refuse to take the work for less, and it's become a price-fixing scenario. Skilled immigrants from other countries are getting their licenses and breaking in to this bubble. I ended up finding someone from "the country" who was willing to drive 90 minutes each way, and I purchased all of the (inexpensive) materials myself, but it still cost me $20K. Why do the shows hide the true costs, not to mention the ugly expensive battles with asbestos, lead, cracked sewer lines, etc., that is part of the restoration of old properties? Very misleading not to spend two minutes on these issues in at least one episode.

This resonates with me. Many people have accepted the suggestion that they have to have luxurious finishes and a lot of space. They acquire a lot of debt to do so. And perfectly fine properties are destroyed to make way for these huge homes, while healthy mature trees are removed and so.much.stuff goes into landfills. Watershed areas are impacted, as well as the character of old neighborhoods. It seems like wretched excess.

Family member takes for BP. 12.5 mg 2 X daily. Taking 25 mg 1X daily is common, but it made him very dizzy.

Absolutely. I'm convinced he exchanged his visiting rights for no child support. I think that's the way it was explained in the media.

Because we all watch reality TV, even while criticizing it (e.g. Housewives, Honey Boo Boo, John & Kate, etc.), producers are lulled into thinking we are stupid. And they pull the nonsense like they've done with this show. In my first post I stated that I thought Brittany might be a good realtor despite her mindless babbling and twirling. I take it back.

What a treat to see these familiar faces back, practicing smart, affordable animal care. I love that they haven't Gone Hollywood. Me too. The world needs more people like Dr. Baier. I continue to love that Dr. Jeff lives simply, above his practice. In my dotage I understand that the pursuit of trendy huge real estate is an empty dream. Dumped senior dogs are a heartbreak. Somehow they endure despite their own confusion and sorrow. Were it not so damned expensive, I would rescue senior dogs. Speaking of which, over the past 10 years I've heard many people say they don't have pets solely because of the cost of vet care. At the shelter where I volunteer, it's one of the primary reasons why people give up their animals. There's a trend of investors snapping up vet (and human medical) practices, and it's driving up costs while limiting the length of appointments. My friend's father is an esteemed physician treating complex conditions at a nationally-known facility, and he complains about corporate pressure to limit his patients' appointments to 20 minutes. Here's hoping Dr. Jeff has a succession plan in place. In fact I wish his business model would be adopted by other vets in other cities.

So Mary married at 16, was widowed, had a child, had a second short marriage that was unhealthy, returned to LA and had a long thing with one of the Oppenheim brothers, then married a very young third husband, and agreed to pretend that marriage hadn't yet happened so she could have a show wedding. Sounds like Mary has quite a history.

Collin was Kate's abuse scapegoat. A very common scenario with abusive parents. Kate is a true villain. When I first watched the original show, I was charmed by the children, but thought the parents were "off." Very soon there were confirmed reports about Kate's determination to birth a huge brood despite her ability to have more children the regular way (I don't recall the medical details). The local media reported that while the babies were infants Kate applied for public assistance and was confrontational when denied. She began rejecting intimate family members right and left and controlling John's relationships as well. She was a taskmaster, not a mother. And spineless John did nothing to intervene; he has the emotional maturity of a middle school kid. He abandoned the children and pursued his entertainment "brand," which I heard him discuss in an interview. They are loathsome people.

Monique and Chris are locked in a lifestyle/marriage/family power struggle. They are both controlling, and they want each other to behave a certain way. I think being on the show unleashed some things in Monique and it's upset the balance they once had.

The shows are heavily scripted in the sense that the participants have storylines and, after all of these years, know exactly what production wants in each scenario. When they produce crocodile tears, earnestly proclaim "I love you," rip off their clothing, pretend that they are just stopping by a location, attack a fellow cast member over and over, talk to a family member about another cast member...they automatically know the best way to get the camera's attention. Leah knew this coming in. The housewives are pandering to production in order to keep their positions. It's a form of scripting because it's not real. I'd say that 95% of the scenarios are scripted in this way. Dorinda's meltdown is a rare, truly realistic situation, yet even that is scripted in the sense that production used it to pull ratings. Everyone knew she would do it, and everyone had their own planned reactions.

I immediately wondered whether any of the gorgeous old properties had been restored by Brett of Restored. Also, I'd happily camp out in that seaside motel, with its two-room layout. First episode was a visual delight - color, scenery, wardrobe. Judy Davis! The acting ranged from hammy to stilted. Louise Fletcher was incredible as the first Ratched, so this new portrayal is a bit jarring.

In the old days, bored rich housewives got their husbands to finance a little gift shop that steadily lost money. Monique's project is the modern version of the same. Chris will cut off the funds when the losses are too high. And that marriage is doomed. I think Ashley and Michael have an on-camera marriage and go their own ways off-camera. Michael's shenanigans are convenient fodder for ratings. Last week Ashley drove up and down Arlington's little downtown just to record her conversation with Michael. In reality it takes about two minutes to drive through it.

I agree. This is a calculated move by the parents and their attorneys. Plus, how much money can Jerry possibly have, after paying for attorneys, and then if he goes to prison?