Pop Tart

I’d argue that while the deck hands have short, very physical bouts of work, the stews are doing the harder job. They are working pretty non-stop from beginning to end of their shifts. Before the guests are up they have to set up for breakfast service, then they serve drinks and breakfast, then clean up after the meal, then have to get into the bedrooms to get them cleaned, do laundry, then set up for lunch service and do it all again at dinner. They’re making about 50 trips (only a slight exaggeration) up and down those stairs, often carrying something. I’m not suggesting the deck crew don’t have hard stuff too, but you’ll notice that when they get all the toys out, they’re the ones who have time to jump on the trampoline or ride a jet ski. You never see the stews hanging out with the guests. It’s clear that the deck crew have spare time as one of them is usually assigned final kitchen cleanup at the end of the night, even when they are fully staffed, and that’s because the stews need to get to bed and do it all again the next day. So Hannah’s comments about extra work didn’t seem at all like whining to me but statements of fact. She wasn’t bitching about others just saying she was tired. I think it’s interesting that Jack, who is pretty universally acknowledged as being lazy, including by the crew, is considered adorable. But Hannah who is responsible for a smooth-running, friction-free experience for the guests is whining.

It seems like there are missing scenes between Tinsley’s dog dying and this final party scene where Dorinda is coming for her with a vengeance. Otherwise the push-back on Tinsley doesn’t make any sense. Clearly Dorinda, Sonja and Ramona had discussion among themselves prior to this about Tinsley’s financial situation because they were all on the same page from the moment T entered Luann’s event. Both Dorinda and Sonja made specific mention of her dress. Not just the usual “it’s pretty”, but more a sideways comment about how nice it was (which to me read as commenting on its priciness). A couple other comments were made and T said she was picking up an edgy vibe from Dorinda. Then later at Ramona’s thrown-together-to-spite-Luann party Dorinda was loaded for bear. And when she called Sonja and Ramona over they both joined right in without even needing to be caught up on what was being discussed. So something had to have happened towards the end of the season that put Tinsley on the outs with them but if there was footage, it got cut.

I’m calling BS on Bethenny’s “near-death” experience. Do I think she had an allergic reaction to fish? Maybe, possibly. But do I think even more that she ginned up the story for storyline purposes with the added bonus of using her “illness” to get out of going to Luann and Ramona’s events? 100% yes. For several years now she’s used various crises to get out of mandatory ho-wife events and I think this was more of the same. All the wives do it at some time or another. Heck look how many times Ramona hit an event only to scurry out minutes later because she had a “date”. I totally get why they’d want to skip things (who among us hasn’t ditched a work event at some time or another?), but these women are being paid beaucoup bucks just the show up. That’s like their entire job on the show. So Bethenny needs to suck it up and do so.

Luann has been incredibly self-absorbed (some of which I understand, some is just astonishing), but it seems the other women decided about mid-way through the season that Luann's state of being was going to be their storyline. And truly, otherwise what would they have had? Tinsley's sick dog? Bethenny's dead ex-best friend/fiance/ex-fiance/love of her life? Dorinda's new apartment? Sonja? Ramona? Barbara? None of the others really had anything going on. So it became all about how Luann was talking about her cabaret too much. They made their big joke about how much she mentions it, but they also made sure to push her into bringing it up even more by picking fights with her about it. Yes Luann has been behaving very, very badly - again some I get as I do think she is struggling with attempting sobriety. I think she did attempt to be sober but that is an incredibly hard thing to do even in perfect circumstances and these are far from perfect circumstances. But the thing with being sober when you haven't really been for years? You start to feel all the things you were drinking and dosing to escape and that's just so devastating to a lot of people. You've been muting your feelings with alcohol or drugs and then suddenly you're feeling them all in full. That's why people revert right back to their drug/drinks of choice, they don't want to feel all of that shit. What I think Lu did, and I don't think it was intentional, was try to make her new cabaret/show business success her new addiction/obsession. She grabbed onto it with a death grip in order to try and distract herself from all the other noise of being sober. It didn't work, clearly, but I understand the behavior. And I think it's why she ties supporting her cabaret show into supporting her being sober in terms of the other ladies and whether they're there for her or not. I've digressed into why Lu has been behaving as she has (outside of the self-absorption gene she shares with all the other women) so I'll return to my main point. I'm still on her side a bit because I think the other women have done this gang up for their own self-absorbed, selfish reason - which is to have a "story" for the season.

And when he wanted full custody of Faith (I think it was Faith), mostly because Sharon was with Adam (MM version) which Nick could not stand, he sicced Victor on the situation which is then how Sharon ended up being charged for murder by Christine for the death of Phyllis (???) in the volcano in Hawaii. I still remember very vividly when Sharon, Adam and baby Faith (?) were sitting eating lunch, a very contented group, when Christine marched in and had Sharon arrested and I think Nick was there to grab Faith.

Are we really supposed to feel sympathy for Nick because Adam wants to have HIS son back? Hasn’t Nick swooped in and snatched a child that he found out was his even though that child had been living with someone else? The kid that Dylan thought was his? The one Sharon thought she’d had during her mental break? As soon as Nick found out he was determined that kid was his immediately, didn’t matter that he’d only ever known Sharon and Dylan as parents. Nick was all about mine, mine, mine. In the case of Christian he’s his uncle and knows it. Yes he’s had him for the last couple years so a transition period would be best, but Nick deciding Adam can’t have his own child? Classic Nick. What’s okay for him is not cool for anyone else.

Yes and Celeste had bruising and lacerations on her face - and I'd think they would have gotten photos of her stomach and ribs too as several of the women told the police that Perry was kicking her. And I'd think enough people saw her at the party all beat up so that it would at least be known that on that night Perry was beating her, even if no one knows about any other time he beat her. With the Monterrey Five their big mistake is similar to someone who has hit and run. Often the initial act in a hit and run (the hit) might not be criminal or only minimally so, like inattentive driving or speeding or something, so that the person who killed someone with their car would be able to go on with their life. But if they run, that becomes the much bigger crime. That's what has happened here. If they'd told the truth in the moment then perhaps Bonnie might have been charged with some kind of manslaughter, perhaps, but would probably have not served any time, a deal worked out because she did it in defense of Celeste and the other women. But now they've all made it worse and made it seem like something far more nefarious happened because they lied. And they all could be charged at this point with obstructing justice or accessory after the fact or something. I do believe it's possible that Mary Louise might not know the extent of what happened. The death has been explained as an accidental fall - at least for now - by the police. And even though the detectives suspect something more, they're probably clamping down on any more details getting out as they continue to pursue the matter. Its not unusual for it to seem like the police are doing nothing at all because they don't announce what's going on, even as they're actively working through a case day by day.

Yeah I almost felt like he purposely tanked the added outfit because he just wanted them to put him out of his misery.

I had a question about the belts. When Christian visited him didn’t he say his dad had crafted the belts? That’s allowed apparently? I just think of the season where Laura accused Jeffrey of having his clothes sewn by someone else. And wasn’t there a designer who had a friend who designed shoes for their collection and when other contestants complained that designer was forced to give up the shoes? The belts are a pretty big component of Sebastian’s collection but it’s okay he didn’t make them?

I liked Hester’s three pieces as well and actually look forward to seeing the rest. I felt bad for Bishme but only sort of liked the one all black outfit. The fluted skirt was attractive but paired with a sequin halter top? As an outfit he’d done during one of the 1-2 day challenges? That would be understandable, but not as part of a collection he worked on for months.

I still think they were fully aware that they might be bugged since they made such a point of making clear that Ira was their lawyer. I think Chuck has at least suspected they were listening to him going back to when they were discussing the bank that had been taken off the restricted list. Something about that phone call felt very staged. And Seniors nonchalance when he was being questioned by Jeff oat makes me think it’s all part of a plan.

In the deal Taylor was making with Rebecca they wanted to go back to status quo with Salers buying appliances from the company Taylor had control of. Rebecca, because she had the fall back of Axe’s money, had a bit of leverage so she said sure Salers would buy appliances from Taylor’s company but that she wanted control of the company. But even though Rebecca would control the company, Taylor was to stay invested. Thus if Saler’s failed, the appliance company would go with it and Taylor would lose big time. Rebecca wanted Taylor’s financial fate to be tied to Salers so Rebecca would no longer be afraid of Taylor going after Salers. The problem for Taylor now is that Axe cares more about revenge then he does Rebecca and the nuclear bomb is going to be Axe taking Salers down and thus Taylor with it. That it will also destroy Rebecca in the process as collateral damage isn’t as important as taking Taylor down. I kept expecting that perhaps Rebecca had been working with Taylor all along. Seems that hasn’t been so. Until now. Axe is about to make her an enemy and I don’t think that will be good for him at all.

Couple of things. Though they are trying to make me sympathize with Wendy and her pain and anxiety about repercussions from the medical board, it isn't happening. She very deliberately weaponized the information she'd gained from Taylor during their sessions to help Axe with his revenge. And while it still feels totally out of character for her, that's the way it's been written this year so she can miss me with her woe-is-me worry, especially since she still at this point seems not to be fully capable of owning it. And speaking of out of character - which I've done for many of them, many times this year - when Wendy gets home to Chuck making dinner and asks him to tell her the moment he knew he wanted to marry her, he pauses and then tells her he can't remember in a fairly dismissive tone. All of which is meant to show Wendy that Axe is the only one who gets her, truly cares about her, etc. But Chuck's response did not ring true at all. Even if he honestly could not remember the specific moment, he's a politician. And one who's been trying to work his way back into Wendy's good graces. It was clear that Wendy was importing some meaning to the question and answer and Chuck would certainly be able to read that in her face. His answer might be, oh there were so many moments and he lists a few, or even picks one as the moment. His answer would not be, 'nope can't remember'.

So Naomie has opened a restaurant and has started a fashion business which has its own office/workspace but isn’t using her education in an ambitious way. While Craig (not using his education) has to pay someone to nag him to work and then says they can’t take any more orders because they can only make ten pillows a week and the woman working “for” him has to explain a W-9. And yet he’s adorable? Though I used your quote Emmeline, this is more a general grumble about the show. The women are all pretty with it (even Kathryn is trying to get there) and the men wander around being all “aw shucks,aren’t I cute” and that’s all they have to do. The producers and editing are easier on them and we viewers are too - and I include myself in that. And yet I keep watching, so here’s me in my guilty feminist corner.

I realized tonight, with Camille getting married, that all the women on this show are actually housewives. Most of the other RH shows barely have any actual HWs, heck NY doesn’t have a married woman in the bunch. Oh and that lie detector test was a joke. That’s all I have.

I think that's the root of their frustration. I think to the group it must feel like James is almost exclusively nasty and mean to them. Even when someone is on his side he comes at them with pretty devastating snark and sneering. Some of that is because his "humor" is extremely sharp, sarcastic and goes for the lowest blow he can think of in the moment. I don't like James, but he is definitely the quickest wit and none of the others can match his quickness. And the more on the defensive he feels, the lower and dirtier he goes. So to me it's understandable that they feel frustrated that he got this sympathy edit with the whole family thing. They have to work with him, the audience do not, so they get frustrated. I also think they get jealous and frustrated that Lisa, their den mother, is clearly on board with creating a storyline for James that garners sympathy. She outed herself last night as someone who has some control over storylines when they were talking about his parents. The others were getting on a rant about how they all had stuff going on and how they all helped support their families, etc. Then Lisa said they had to include the stuff about his family otherwise the balance of the show for his character would have been all negative. She was talking about it like a producer/writer - how they needed to craft a more "balanced" story for James. That's where all her coaching and coddling of him comes from too. She's trying to make sure he remains a viable cast member. That's why Raquel is going to work at Sur as well, not because Andy and Lisa are interested in making her a full-time cast member but because it means James can be more present at Sur, whether he's working there or not. Lisa is all about the Benjamins and she knows James makes for good tv, no matter how hateful he is. So I get the frustration of the other cast. Here's this guy who makes everyone around him feel bad - and I totally believe that he does. But that said, I also believe they're being very dumb in how they're handling him at this reunion. Let him talk - he invariably digs his own grave when he does. Stop giving him cover as a "victim" of the group. But the funny thing is is that his behavior and theirs in response is why I consider this one of the more "real" reality shows out there. This is a group of people who really are friends who hang out together outside of filming (they all bought houses in the same neighborhood). That is very different from any of the HW shows or other Bravo entries. And all that togetherness makes them continue to be messy. Which keeps me watching? 🙄

I just wanted someone, anyone, to point out to him how he'd feel if his own mother treated him that way. Sheldon never gets something unless he can relate it to something in his own repertoire of experiences and memories so how about Amy point out how necessary his mom's love is to him? That's not that long an explanation. Or how about just saying "don't be an asshole, your friend is in pain"? That would work too.

That isn't quite what she said. She said she thought it was a bit much that they were saying Bethenny's "feelings were hurt" by the bedroom switch. Lu said she responded flippantly to that because she just couldn't care/believe that Bethenny actually had hurt feelings about it. She then mentioned the tough things she's had to handle in previous years at the Berkshires - i.e. Bethenny's screaming rant about her being a whore - and how those were things that could hurt feelings. Lu was definitely parsing the language of the viewer's question and the situation - but I kind of agree with her in a literal sense. I don't believe Bethenny had hurt feelings about the fish room switch. I think she was aggravated that Lu wasn't allowing her every consideration since she'd helped her get into rehab, yada, yada, but feelings hurt? Nah.

I don't think Luann believes she is. Often people who are alcoholics and attending AA for themselves might also attend Al-Anon because they've experienced other alcoholics in their families. So Lu might attend Al-Anon for an alcoholic parent and talk about all the issues that came with that and she might also go to AA meetings as an alcoholic herself. No idea if she really is attending any meetings - but it's not unusual.

I loved how the visit to the bunny artist showed the deep narcissism of both Sonja and Bethenny. He’s trying to show his artwork and on the one side of the room we have Sonja pointing out all the pictures he had of her. And on the other side of the room is Bethenny putting on a big show of being shocked and amazed by the birds. Anyone walking in there would be surprised by all the parrots, but she’d exclaim and then look for artist guy and Sonja to see if they’d caught her dramatic reaction. Then she saw they weren’t paying any attention so more exclamations. Still nothing from her audience so then big react to the parrot whistling at her. Nothing. And so it went until she got to the point of claiming the parrot bit her. Sonja: “look a picture of me, and here’s a picture of me, and me...” Bethenny: “what? There are birds! WTF?” pause, pause, pause “Only in New York” “this is crazy” pause, anyone looking at me? “That bird whistled at me” pause, anyone? Artist guy: “anyone want to look at the art?” and “please don’t stir up the birds” Cut to Sonja and Bethenny shaking their butts at the birds.

No, not a new love, that parrot’s whistle is a sign from Dennis himself, her one,true love (except when he wasn’t).

I actually believe him about this. Jax is self-centered to the max but he’s also often incredibly inarticulate. So even before seeing his explanation I kind of thought this was what he was trying to express. And I know that cast members often blame the editors, but I believe it here. VR is a strange hybrid of a reality show. Here most of the cast members are friends and coworkers outside of the show so I think their relationships are far “realer” than any of those on any Real Housewives show. But I also think that because they’re all mostly friends at this point, the writers and editors have to work a bit harder to create storylines. I think because of that the “stories” are a bit more scripted and produced. Krazy Kristen is a constant story-thread, but when any of her cast mates are interviewed outside of the show, they rave about what a good friend she is. Just tonight on WWHL Scheana said she’d make the best maid of honor and that Kristen had got her through her divorce. Stassi and Katie have said similar things and even Ariana seems to be looping in that direction. But editing on the show would make it seem she’s nothing but a train wreck all of the time. I think the same storyline effects have hit others as well. And that’s fine because they all know it’s part of the deal. There have to be heroes and villains or there wouldn’t be a story.

And this is the thing that made her leave Chuck the first time around - he'd looked at her session notes with Axe and used them to get at Axe. That, to her, was a deal breaker plain and simple (more, apparently, than Chuck outing their sex life to the world). So for her to use her session notes and hand the information to Axe so that he can take Taylor down in the most devastating way possible? Doesn't ring true for me. And that's an issue I've had with Wendy's characterization all of this season. I did appreciate that they added some nuance to Taylor's dad's characterization - his loss of his previous invention and his job was more complicated than his just being taken advantage of by a big corporation. And his trying to manipulate Taylor into going into debt to pay for his new idea? All made him a more interesting person. Though for a moment there, when he left their celebration, I had the thought that he was going to meet up with Axe (or someone connected to him) to get back at Taylor for not supporting him. And that would have been a million steps too far for him. While I enjoy the legal scheming Chuck, Connerty, Sacher, and their boss all do, I thought last night got a bit silly with the moves and counter moves where everyone seems to be able to figure out in an instant what the other side is up to.

Don’t know about Lala but Jax and Brittany were on WWHL last night and they mentioned how bad the reunion shoot was. Andy asked them if they’d gone out drinking after filming the reunion and they said they’d gotten trashed. I know they all do that all the time, but it sounded like this reunion was particularly tough and it sounds, unsurprisingly, like the bad revolved around James.

Oh and I’ve hosted two puppy showers, one for my aunt and one at work for a good friend. Both were way, way more fun than any baby shower I’ve been to - because there was a puppy there!