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Gonzo is one of my favorite muppets so I’m not sure I can be objective. On Sesame Street, I get more Bert (of Bert and Ernie) vibes but it’s likely just the fashion. 😉 So many of the women are beautiful but I just can’t get over how stunning Rachael is. She has this Isabella Rosalini thing going on (apologies if someone already pointed that out) I can’t stop staring at her face.

If Victoria was my roommate I’d probably be huddled in the corner crying too. Trying to calm myself. So me thinks she is projecting the manipulative MO onto that mild mannered woman. She doesn’t have the charm needed to pull off this role she’s playing, so it’s just coming off as crazy. Matt is supposedly friends with Hannah and Tyler, did they not give him ANY advice? Geez.oh wait I forgot that Hannah was all about the he said he said drama. Never mind. I get that the show wants to highlight the fall leaves but they need to give these women either better indicators of the activities so they can dress properly or provide them warmer clothes. All the dates gave me the chills.

This character is literally the reason I waited so long to watch the show. I finally binged the whole show in about a week (and that was using some restraint). Years ago I watched the pilot but the Roland Schitt character (and everything Chris Elliot plays, usually) bugged the crap out of me so I didn't continue. I'm super glad I revisited the show. I get that he always plays the fool but all the other main characters had growth except for him. Eugene and Catherine can do that kind of wacky goofy humor too but the show became more subtle as it went on but Roland never changed and at the end it was like he existed on a different show. I'm glad he was in the show less and less. By comparison, Jocelyn was great, she started out pretty campy but develop into a full person.

Hmm. Not him specifically, but when I see a man over 35 who wears a baseball hat all the time I assume it's pretty thin under the cap. I was confused about the bathroom configuration in the converted Dojo as well. I liked the mural idea and it was pretty but don't think that specific design really went with the industrial vibe. I understood adding color and some more whimsy to soften the space but eh.

Even in her first season she's less grinning & chirpy. Earlier this year when they did the Greatest Hits Themed clip episodes you feel the difference in demeanor side by side. I still like her I'm just bummed that she has to constantly smile and put her giddiness at 11. I made her pumpkin pie recipe filling this Thanksgiving. It's really good for both flavor and technique. I don't like pumpkin pie that much either (which is why I chose to make hers, when someone admits that, I believe them) but every few years I'll try a new recipe to see if I've changed my mind and if it's just that the classic Libby's pie isn't my thing. Anyone else do this? What I think is good about her recipe is that limiting the spices to cinnamon & nutmeg and using maple syrup helped with flavor. And the method of tempering the eggs and partially cooking the custard helped it not be a soggy mess with eggy parts. There's a lot of good in the recipe.

Do people actually know sociopaths in real life? I don't think I know any. Or is it the expression that if you don't THINK you know any sociopaths, then YOU are the sociopath? Am I a sociopath? Because if the answer is yes, that news would really ruin 2020 for me, it's been going so great. 😉 Honestly though based on the description upthread, I'm reconsidering someone I used to work with who I am pretty sure is NPD. She could turn on the charm, or in her case it was being sweet and using a girlish giggle, but at other times it was a complete disregard for anyone but herself, in ways that were out of step with basic norms and understanding. This thread is so informative! Back to the show. Generally, I enjoyed it. The ending was good if only to see Hugh show his acting. And I always love a good courtroom twist, even though it was obviously coming. I liked the costuming, the scenery. The actress who played Haley was great, I will seek out other things she's been in. If the show was called "The Undoing" I'm not sure I fully went on that journey with Grace. She seemed pretty convinced it was him until the prison visit when she decided to hire someone to defend him. And then it went away for a bit, and then came back with Katie the Kitten, and accusing Henry etc. Ok so maybe that was the journey of the undoing? I also still don't understand the detail of Jonathan's mother correcting Grace's grammar. To me that was loaded with class/educational references and possibly a clue at the environment Jonathan grew up in. And who's to say the mother was telling it as it was, that they surrounded teen Jonathan with love. Most people I know who are estranged from their families it's because the families are awful, not that they themselves are sociopaths. The photography was interesting but I don't really get it. It felt very specific. There was a lot of far away shots (you see people talking but they're 1/12 of the frame). They did this outside, in the courtroom, in Franklin's house (to name a few). But then a lot of really up close shots too. Curious as to what that was doing from a storytelling perspective or if they just wanted to show cool scenery and sets.

Saw the Mauro Provisions’ Giardinera on Jeff’s counter during the pizza pot pie (or whatever it’s called) segment. They’re sold out online. 3 pack for ~$30 with different heat levels. I’m sure he had to get approval for that product placement but good for him and his buddies. Their meat sourcing looks local which I’m all for. Jeff has grown on me since his FNS days, he reminds me of my brother, when he says something funny and awaits the response he gets this look on his face that is really similar to my brother who does the same thing. It’s amusing. I’m with Ava- I also don’t like Swiss Cheese and I am not a picky eater. Even gruyere is not appealing unless it’s paired with something to mask that alpine bitter nasal funk. A lot of things I didn’t like as a kid I now like but Swiss has never become yum. I liked the technique of that egg sandwich, I might try it with regular bread.

Ah! I didn't actually now that. Thank you for the correction! Now I have another rabbit hole to go down with why the expression of "drink the X" is as it is.

LOL. Someone should make a cult-finder quiz, Buzzfeed-style: Like hummus and volleyball? You'd be great in NXIVM! Wardrobe full of reds, oranges and pinks your style? You might enjoy following the Bagwan. Like Kool Aid and South American travel? People's temple is for you! (Ooof. That's pretty dark. What did I eat for lunch?) Not to get too off topic but you raise an interesting question about if there is a scientific cult, and it reminded me of Theranos & Elizabeth Holmes. (HBO Documentary The Inventor: Out For Blood) Theranos could be considered a modern science version of a cult. You have this person/leader who is clearly very intelligent (but in a delusional way), sees themselves as a visionary, starts a "game-changing" business, gets a lot of high profile investment and big clients through a series of lies, deceptions and falsehoods. You have very smart people who were suckered in financially and/or left very lucrative positions to be part of what she was building because they believed in it and her. The fallout comes from whistleblowers, then there are legal threats, a suicide related to the business etc. There are some parallels. It's not the same thing as a cult, it's a fraudulent business, but at peak they had 800 employees and a huge amount of investment. I'm sure there were a lot of employees who stayed at the job because they believed in the goal (which is in theory an amazing product) or maybe they suspected things were not legit but they stayed because were getting paid. I truly hope that by being a skeptic, critical, self-aware, introverted and not a joiner I'm not as susceptible but if there's someone out there intent on deceiving me and studied in those techniques, they probably could. Maybe that's why I'm into these cult shows. To arm myself with awareness of the techniques used so I can watch out for them. I was into learning about cults before the Landmark experience I mentioned upthread and I know that helped with my flight response from those crazy weirdos.

I like that they showed some one room makeovers because that is a more realistic scenario than full house renovations which is what I thought it would be from the title. Shay did try to explain her design decisions which I appreciated but the end result is the same grey, black and white homes under the moniker of modern traditional. It's pretty, it's popular, it's inoffensive, but I'm bored already. I normally am not amused by children on TV, I find them annoying, but the younger daughter was cracking me up especially getting caught in her hair cut lie -- " I didn't really cut my hair". Then the find scissors and lock of hair. LOL. I'll have to try that sometime "I didn't really finish the last of the wine" she says with purple lips and stained teeth. The donut negotiation was also classic. They tried to attempt diversity with the Bachelor's movie room but mostly this show was one Mormon McMansion after another .

Premiering in October on Netflix.

I guess it’s just general wrong reasons guys who are on every season? I don’t think there are any more than usual. They all knew who she was and how old she is and presumably had months to bail on the show, not return to filming. Especially since there’s no traveling this year, why would they bother? Wrong reasons I guess. ETA: agree that the volleyball date was inappropriate.

Refresh is just 30 minutes into watching and there’s a lot of speaking in the 3rd person tonight. Yipes.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-socialite-india-oxenberg-escaped-the-nxivm-sex-cult-and-leader-keith-raniere Interesting article not sure if it's new information from the show (don't currently have STARZ) but India does describe KR's appearance as like a "Teddy Graham" which is amusing.

There is another lawsuit filled in the beginning of this year with 80 plaintiffs that's more specific to the pyramid scheme/MLM. (NYT Article) The early classes of NXIVM remind me a lot of the Landmark Forum, which is another personal growth group that says they're not a cult. I knew some people in the early 2000s who invited me to go to a free evening event and I was too nice at that point in my life to say no. However, 20 minutes in I had a visceral reaction to the environment where I basically started shaking and crying, had a panic attack and left. About the evening (which I remember very well) Landmark started off with a big group of everyone (maybe 75 or so people) for about 10 minutes, where one of the first things they staged, was someone in the audience asking "Is Landmark a cult?" to which there was a resounding laughter, and of course denials. Then a few more BS questions. Then they separated us into smaller groups of less than 10. I was, of course, was not put in a small group with anyone I came with. Then there was some new age babble about how to remove blocks from the life you want to live etc. and they're trying to sell their $300 weekend seminar. Then after that the next seminar they suggested was a Money seminar where you were supposed to learn about your relationship with money and they had someone tell a personal story about how it helped them. Immediately I think to myself, uh -- they're trying to figure out who has money! And that's when I started freaking out. I left the little room, found the people I came with and they saw I was freaking out and I said I was leaving with or without them, they left with me. One of the people I went with was an actor, he was the main one interested in it, after watching this I'm like, heh, go figure. There are so many similarities between NXIVM and the history of groups like this. Landmark, EST, Scientology, Manson, Jim Jones, Bagwan Rajneesh, Branch Dividian etc. and yes, they're on a spectrum of awfulness but I'm sure in my lifetime there with be another one that does shady and illegal shit where people are hurt. It blows my mind sometimes. This show did not do a great job of telling that Cautionary Tale of how it's done which I think is a responsibility with this subject matter.