ladle

Is this just me?… When I saw the looks on their faces as Pavit was answering, I thought they were being judgey because Pavit was saying *the exact same thing Abe had just said.* I thought they were thinking, “Sheesh, he steals answers just like his wife!” So then to hear that, no, they were just judging his actual answer…. It’s odd! It was the same as Abe’s answer!!

Sai and Erin are exhausting.

Hey now, that's not fair. Someone likened her hair to a Muppet's hair. That is a major life event!

Fourth wall-- what fourth wall?? Wow, this was the most "a show about the show" reunion I've seen maybe across any franchise ever. And this reunion brought something into sharp focus for me: Tamra and Heather, in different ways, are just there to do a job. That's why they were so calm and normal to each other between takes. They're actors on a set. Tamra does that job viciously, scrambling and scrapping to stay on the show. She will do whatever, and she doesn't really care who she hurts because it's all a performance to her; she's able to dissociate like that. And I have long suspected that Heather is consciously playing the role of the uppity pill (a role which may align a bit with her actual personality, but which she amplifies for the show). Heather isn't vicious in the way that Tamra is vicious, but they're both in performative mode.

For real. Has all that exercising made Emily more limber? Because, seriously, the contortions! Somehow Tamra is not to blame for saying Emily is a fake lawyer, but Heather is to blame for not critiquing Tamra for saying Emily is a fake lawyer? Just...whaaaa?? Emily is scared to go against Tamra. It's so transparent and ridiculous, especially coming from someone who's always telling other people to own up to their actions.

I enjoyed that, and also the quick cuts of Emily and Shannon screaming at the chiropractor's. This show's editors truly are spinning straw into gold this season.

These ladies really do swim in a sea of douches, don't they? Yes!! Thank you for this! I wondered what people were talking about when they mentioned Heather's Taylor impression and Shannon having dinner with John. I was like, did I pass out from boredom and miss these elements? But no, I guess they were chopped on Peacock?

Why did the little summaries at the end of the episode look like they were done by a middle school student using PowerPoint for the first time?

Oooo, that reminds me of something I was thinking earlier in the season. When they were in Montana, Tamra was stirring up shit about Shannon and John. Tamra said something like, "Isn't it weird that they haven't moved in together yet?" and Heather, in response, said something like, "Maybe they're not all in?" So, of course, in Mexico when Tamra retells the story it's just "Heather says you and John aren't all in!" That shit was quintessential Regina George. EDITED because it was Tamra who said these things, not Shannon. They all look alike.

I'm really at the point now where I actively dislike all of these women, to varying degrees. And not in a fun way. The only exception would maybe be Jenn, who does seem like a nice person, but I'm just not invested in her story at all. And every time her boyfriend is on screen all I can see is a Ken reject from the Barbie movie.

I don't know where you're getting this information and, again, I'm basing my observations just on the show itself. I'd be interested in knowing the source for this (Is it Emily and/or Gina? And if so, why are they so unimpeachable?), but I think we'd get bogged down in social media receipts. Not to sound too Tracy Flick, but that's likely why there's a rule that we're supposed to confine our discussion here to stuff happening on the show, and not in real time. If this all comes out on the reunion and it's believable? Then okay - sure! I'm certainly not ride-or-die for Fancy Pants Dubrow. Also, I think it's fine to hate on Heather, but I also think we all need to keep our eyes on the ball here. And that ball has "TAMRA SUCKS" written on it. My sense was that Emily and Gina plotted the takedown of Heather from the beginning. They were "friendly" but from the start of the season, they were just picking on every little freaking thing Heather did. I think Tamra had set her sights on Shannon, but when Tamra saw what was happening she turned to Heather like that guy in the meme checking out another girl. Shannon already hated Heather (for valid reasons!) and drunkenly fell in step.

Yeah, I mean, I think she objectively ... is the smartest person on this cast (with Emily a close second, probably)? But that is not a compliment. God is dead.

Erin is honest about her negative points?

I can’t speak to any of this because I only watch the show itself. So I’ll reserve judgment. However, we did see Emily talking to production about Shannon’s relationship on the actual show so at the very least that seems like a “glass houses” situation.

Omg, so good. Thank you for this. Truly.

I actually didn't get the sense that Heather cared about the "whale trainer" comment at the time. She just brought it up as a counterexample when Emily started with "You poke fun at my appearance!" I swear, I don't even like Heather that much, you guys. Why do I keep defending her this season? What is this show doing to me???? Maybe I need a shaman. I have a theory that Shannon mentioned it a few times to folks in production, thinking that they'd get her one, but they didn't because they forgot/hate Shannon/wanted to create a storyline.

The invisible tagline for this show. I actually got the sense that Emily was leading the attack on Heather. Tamra saw what was happening and jumped in. But at the beginning of the season, Tamra seemed to be looking to smear Jenn and was cozied up with Heather.

I don't remember her saying she got bored? I remember her originally saying that her husband had basically been emotionally checked out of the marriage for a long time, they were sleeping in separate bedrooms, etc. And then Ryan started showing her some attention and she gravitated toward that -- but it seems like was a symptom of the issues she was having in her marriage and not what precipitated the divorce. Anyway, none of these women should be accusing her or judging her for walking out on her marriage. Especially since it seemed like her husband had figuratively "walked out" long before she did. Didn't he say as much in the brief scene we saw with him in it? Now that I think about it, it might have been Tamra who framed the situation as "Jenn got bored in her marriage..."? Some communications scholar needs to study Tamra Judge for insight into how misinformation gets transmitted.

I hope I'm wrong, but I could really see Jenn getting embroiled in a domestic violence situation. I'm not saying that's happening with Ryan -- I don't see any hint of it on the show -- but just in general. Again, I hope I'm wrong.

I agree that Shannon has legit reasons to dislike Heather. Heather has treated her pretty poorly over the course of multiple seasons. That said, it appears that the reasons Shannon dislikes Heather are not those reasons -- they are specific reasons that have no basis in fact and have been manufactured by Tamra.

Same. There were some light and funny moments (most of which were brought to us by the editors) but this was a really toxic episode. I wonder if Emily, Shannon, and Gina will watch the season and realize that Tamra is the true villain and that they owe Heather a real apology? Or are they just going to double down??

Thoughts on the episode: Shut up, Vicki. And shut UP, Tamra. There is no world in which Jenn should be trying to "move toward" any kind of friendship with Tamra. Certainly not the world in which we live. If you had told me during Season 1 that Vicki would evolve into someone who gets happy-ending massages, I would not have believed it! I remember when she was still pretty buttoned-up about sex. I actually understood what Emily was trying to convey in this specific instance (i.e. "You complain that you don't fit in with the group, but part of that is on you because you do things like unfollow us") but at this point Heather isn't going to respond well to any criticism because they've been picking at her all season, with Mean Girl Emily leading the charge. I haven't always been a Heather fan, but nobody likes a pile-on. Heather: "Should I be confiding in Taylor? Probably not." The deadpan way she said this line had me rolling. For the love of God, Jenn, why are you apologizing to Tamra???? I like Gina's haircut. Kudos to the sound editor who added the yowling cat noise after Heather said, "What is her problem? Did I run over her cat??" The show is a dumpster fire, but this editor is fiddling while Rome burns! RESPECT. Re: Vicki: "It's very uncomfortable for me to be around people fighting." Thank you for that montage, dear editor. You are truly doing the lord's work. Aww, I kind of mildly liked Vicki for a moment or two when I saw her so upset on Heather's behalf. Christ. This show.

True!

I don’t know the specifics of Brynn’s situation but if she was raised in a single-parent (grandma), low-income home it is likely that she qualified for extensive needs-based scholarships.

I actually feel like Brynn is naturally very funny, smart, and quick-witted. I've laughed out loud a few times at things she's said! She also doesn't seem mean or cruel. I think I might like her a lot if she could move past the constant innuendo/sexual harassment-- but, alas, that's most of what we see. I completely buy that there's more to her than that, but unfortunately she's either not showing it or the editing is not allowing us to see it.