[The GCEh?C: Canadian Episodes (Spoilers for Non-Canadians)]

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She says she wants Billy away from Vic.  Jack points out that even if it was Vic's idea, Billy still made the decision to betray Phyllis.  He says that Billy is more loyal to BS than he is to Phyllis.  Jack says Phyllis is being a victim, and that he feels sorry for her.  She is furious.  He points out that she is also lying to Billy about her plot with Jack.  Jack says when he is done with Billy he will have nothing left and Phyllis says: he'll have me.  Oh, puke.

I've liked GT as Phyllis better then her predecessor - but there is no way that Phyllis would have this reaction to a man betraying her in this way. She would be hell-bent on revenge, not suggesting that even with all Billy has done, it's not his fault, Victoria made him do it, and when it all crashes and burns, she'll still be with him because of their twu love! Agree on the PUKE, PUKE, PUKE.

[S12.E14: Armenian Rhapsody]

Re - the bellydancer - Lydia's scandalous shock about her dancing was one thing, but I was more creeped out by Diko stuffing money into her waistband. I've seen these kind of performances before at celebrations and never have I seen anyone treat them like a stripper and load their g-string with dollar bills. Usually when you have this kind of entertainment at a celebration it is treated as a cultural art form (like hula dancers in Hawaii). These women work hard at their craft (not that strippers don't...) and belly dancing is meant to be a particular form of expression. Diko getting the ball going and then Shannon (oh so awkwardly, but with the intention of trying to be part of the celebration) and then Tamra (not so good intentions, just for attention) throwing money at the woman? That was all pretty insulting.

Peggy presenting her "Armenian" food choices at the party - baba ganoush and tabouleh? Two things: Are those Armenian? (Okay I looked them up and they are of the Levant - an area of the world that does include Armenia). And even I, mid-westerner living in Wisconsin, have been completely familiar with both of those dishes for many, many years. They're not that exotic.

[S12.E14: Armenian Rhapsody]

Others have commented on Vicki’s grabbing Koko and unloading her crap on him, but how about Peggy talking to him before anyone arrived. She told him to grab Auntie Vicki by the hand and bring her over to Auntie Tamra and ask them both to kiss him, or something like that. He was clearly freaked out by the idea and said no, then she offered to pay him. I do credit the kid with how he maneuvered to make sure he didn’t have to do it, but that was pretty gross on Peggy’s part.

And I know Diko was bummed that David didn’t show at the party. He made such a big deal prior to the party about how he didn’t know how he’d handle David at the party, but for sure he didn’t want David to cause any drama. All to build the dramatic tension and then David didn’t show up which foiled his plan. So he had to corner Shannon.

Shannon is overly sensitive, but both Peggy and Lydia (and now Diko) have been gaslighting her.

[Law & Order: True Crime - General Discussion]

I'm enjoying this a bit more then I expected to - which isn't saying a lot, since I didn't think I'd enjoy it. I do like finding out more about what actually went down with the people involved with the case, I think when it happened I didn't read anything in depth, only headlines, so a lot of this is new in terms of how they got caught. But man the character development is just so weak - other then for the two brothers themselves perhaps. Leslie Abramson is coming off like she's a cross between Betty Crocker and Rebecca of Sunnybrook farm. What's with her bringing food to all the criminals? Perhaps she does do this in real life, but here it just seems a bit much. And the Menendez dad? Could he be any more of a mustache-twirling villain? There is just no nuance.

I do wonder what the Menendez family thinks of the depiction of the murdered parents? This is an awfully sympathetic portrayal of the brothers - Eric more then Lyle of course, but even Lyle is being portrayed as a troubled young man who was protecting his brother. 

[S11.E02: The Retraction Reaction]

I laughed out loud at a few points during this one - so that alone means it was a stronger episode then most recent ones have been. I loved all the stuff with the Vulcan Ale, was laughing at Sheldon and Leonard being all depressed on the couch and Penny trying to cheer them up. Then Raj and Howard come in and she enlists them, but Raj calls Sheldon and Leonard big babies which reminds Howard he's going to have two babies soon and he sinks onto the couch and then Raj is crushed when he realizes he's the only one not moving ahead relationship-wise so then he's depressed and Penny now has 4 guys depressed on the couch.

Also the scenes between Leonard and Janine were also very funny. Regina King just has such chemistry with all of the guys. Each time she's been on an episode it's been funnier. In an early season Raj went to a faculty mixer (with Sheldon) and Janine was there. He commiserated with her about being alone (she was recently divorced) and mostly kept it at that level (though he later admitted to Sheldon or Howard that sure he was also sort of hitting on her). It seems far from possible, but I would love it if Janine and he did date, not for Raj's sake, but because I would love to see her interacting with the guys day to day.

[S01.E01: Burnt Food]

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I liked the show overall but it really bothered me that the effing doctors and board members in the opening scene seemed to never have heard of the ADA, which was violated in at least two or three ways. Yeah yeah drama, but the fact that it wasn't even brought up bugs. 

This made me crazy too. That all these people would sit around the table openly talking about not hiring the guy, recommended by the hospital chief, because he's autistic? The chief of surgery going into chapter and verse about how his disability disqualifies him from the job before they've even interviewed him? Beyond stupid. There is no way in a million years they'd have that conversation for fear of being sued into bankruptcy. And then when Shaun is standing there all they ask him is why he wants to be a surgeon? Really? Is that how hospitals hire their surgical residents? And then at the end when the surgery team leader tells Shaun that all he's going to get to do is assist in the most minor way going forward with any surgeries? In front of a group of people? Would never in a million years happen - again, can we all say lawsuit? 

I'm not saying that someone in Shaun's circumstance would have an easy time getting the job, but none of this would be out in the open. They'd interview him and then discuss how he might not 'fit the culture' or some other vague reason for not hiring him. And once hired, perhaps he'd be given less difficult tasks and shunted off to research things, etc. There are many ways discrimination could/would play out, but everyone openly talking about not hiring/training the guy because of his disability? Nope. 

Ranting aside - almost a deal breaker for me, I will probably give this one more episode (possibly two), since I did like Shaun. But I'm guessing this is going to tip too heavily into cheesy and schmalzy and heartwarming (not in intelligent ways, but in stupid ways, like Shaun managing to wander the airport for supplies, getting tackled by security, etc. and yet still making it back to the boy and save him - somehow still beating the paramedics).

[S12.E12: Farm-To-Table Manners]

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I do believe Peggy is trying to create controversy where there is none.  She had to have known the subject would come up when she took a camera crew to her doctor's appointment.  Today she gave a disconnected interview about the situation and claimed she was in denial about having cancer as her father had died in December.  As the prophylactic mastectomy becomes more common, I really don't think it hurts for anyone, if they are going to make it public, and televise part of their journey, to maybe coherent about the journey.  I think most people want to know if Peggy's cancer required chemo or radiation, I was, as I felt bad for her given her family history.  Meghan and her going into her family's history, might have opened the door for Peggy but she just doesn't see it.  Maybe she should have watched Seasons 10 and 11 to get an idea why being evasive is not a good idea.  I think the producers are trying to make something out of Peggy that just doesn't exist with this incredibly inner directed human being.   

I agree that since Peggy has been using her prophylactic surgery as a part of her story it's natural for the other women to ask her about it (Vicki's fake cancer story aside). If someone told me that they'd had this surgery, I would have questions about the whys and wherefores, many women would. We all want to try and make sure that cancer doesn't happen to us so learning about what other women have done/chosen is an understandable behavior. The only reason the women are persisting with questions is because Peggy has been cagey and I'd argue, deliberately confusing, in her answers. She's told one woman one thing and a totally different thing to another. And when she's asked directly and sympathetically by Megan, whose mother made the same decision, she gets even more obtuse in her responses and snotty to boot. 

And once again with the not understanding a slang term? I am convinced she did know what peanut gallery means. She had a brief flash of almost responding directly to the comment and then you could see her suddenly remember that her schtick is to be the adorable (??blech) Armenian who just can't get all these English terms. Especially since she then proceeded to talk about how she goes to nice galleries (in her talking head), not peanut ones. Even if she'd never heard the phrase before this (which I don't believe), she could certainly figure it out in context. 

I really can't stand Peggy.

But I also hate Lydia - so I delighted in her realization that everyone was at the dinner except for Vicki and her. Loved, loved, loved. And it looks like next week she's still trying to figure out how she didn't get invited, so clearly it bugged her majorly. Total win. 

[The GCEh?C: Canadian Episodes (Spoilers for Non-Canadians)]

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Ravi tells Jack and Ash that it was Phyllis' computer, and Ash tells Jack to get that bitch out of the building.  But in previews we see Jack, Ash and Ravi conferring, and Jack says: they want access to our secrets, let's give it to them.

I've been yelling at my tv for a while that they should plant wrong information for the BS mole to find so that they go off on the wrong track. In fact I was hoping the 'Jabot going after the youth market' was a feint. I used to not mind Victoria, but lately her insistence that any business act by Jabot is an act to get her personally and Billy's sniveling, Snidely Whiplash support of that idea is just making my head explode.

[S12.E10: Loose Lips Sink Friendships]

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Lydia mentioning she was invited and accepted to Eddie and Shannon's birthday and then whining about Shannon not returning her text.  Collectively they were delighted wet blanket Lydia did not attend.  I am sure Lydia believes there is something in the Bible about eating and be served with oversized utensils  (or should be)  because it will somehow make her feel uncomfortable.

I loved how she tried to draw Peggy into her tale of woe. She was invited to Shannon's event, she accepted, then pretty last minute said she couldn't come because it was her son's birthday celebration (??? She didn't know when her son's birthday was?) and when she let Shannon know that she wasn't going to be there, Shannon didn't return her text (as a side note if you're cancelling last minute you at least owe your host a phone call). She told all this to Peggy who asked if she'd accepted and when she accepted the invite. When Lydia said a month ago Peggy was like, "yeah you should have gone" and Lydia was startled "you mean I'm in the wrong on this?". Peggy kind of shrugged that yes, Lydia was in the wrong and you could see that Lydia was stumped. She had a whole script all ready about how she was going to stir shit against Shannon and how rude she was for not returning the text and Peggy completely undercut her whining. The first and only time I've liked Peggy to date.

[The GCEh?C: Canadian Episodes (Spoilers for Non-Canadians)]

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Alice Johnson showing up is random.

She's calling the shots in the sex trafficking ring, isn't she?

And here I was hoping that Dina would end up being the head of the sex trafficking ring. 

[S12.E05: Moving In, Moving On And Moving Fast]

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Meghan was totally trying to start some shit with Vicki at the party. I, for one, am glad Peggy zipped her up. Go back to your baby, Meghan.  

I didn't see it this way. I thought she was just trying to make sure Vicki didn't get away with re-writing history and I thought she was doing so in a calm, reasonable way. Yes, if it also stirred up Vicki, I think she'd be okay with that. But mostly she was just trying to stand firm against Vicki's claims in front of the newbie, Peggy. I think Meghan wanted Peggy to get an idea of who Vicki really was. 

I really dislike Peggy. Usually with newbies I give them time to grow on me or not. But in Peggy's case, I think she's already moving up my list of least-liked HWs. And I can't even really pinpoint why. I think a lot of the feeling is arising because of her 'insta-friendship' with Vicki and how she thinks she's entitled to correct and judge the other women on their reactions to Vicki. You can't tell me she doesn't know the basic outlines of what happened in the past few seasons, so her defense of Vicki is even more egregious to my mind. And also very disingenuous. 

And can I say I loved the reactions to the lamborghini. Kelly, Meghan and even Lydia looked extremely underwhelmed by the reveal. They all had kind of a "meh, it's a yellow car" reaction that I was laughing. And then there was Vicki oohing and ahhing and claiming to be a gear-head. It was so blatant an attempt to suck up to Peggy and Diko in hopes that they'd gift her with a lamborghini. Yes, Vicki, I believe you're a gear-head. Just like I believe Brooks really did have cancer. 

[The GCEh?C: Canadian Episodes (Spoilers for Non-Canadians)]

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Oh Lordy!  (Yeah, I just cannot let it go.)  This was quite the episode where Cane is finally outed for real.  But, but, but, how stupid was Cane to pay out $25,000 to the stupidest guy ever.  When Billy cornered Jesse and dragged him off to Victoria, they scared the shit out of him so bad that he agreed to another $25,000 from them, without having the money in his account.  LOSER!  And he spilled his guts.  MORON!

So Billy, Victoria and Juliet all had a mind meld this week, going, wait, what, the whole thing that started this mess was that whole BTS footage?!  What's with that?

I don't like Cane, don't hate him like some, but really just meh about him most of the time. That said, I can't be glad that he's been outed and will be dragged, because it's Billy, Victoria and Juliet who are doing the outing and dragging. Billy? Need I say more? Sure Cane manipulated the footage, but Billy is the dumbass who was joking about gambling with pro sports guys and it's Billy (who I do loathe). And Juliet? The gal who sued for sexual harassment even though she knows (and has admitted to several people) that it was not sexual harassment (and Cane could even probably make a case for rape due to his extreme level of intoxication), and Victoria? Her I just find annoying because of her being so super pleased with herself about her oh so powerful businesswoman smarts. Even Lily probably annoys me just a smidge more then Cane. So yeah, don't like Cane, wouldn't mind if he left the show, but these people? Really show?

[S09.E17: Tequila-thon]

Most has been said, but I did want to comment on how Bethenny kept proclaiming they were such tough bitches because they all got on the helicopters to go to the tour to the Agave fields! What? Helicopter rides to a tourist spot are not bungee-jumping off the Alps for pete's sake! She made it seem like this was just so ball-sy and showed what tough broads they were? Tough? Ramona couldn't even walk to the helicopter without putting a shirt over her face and then bonking her head on the edge of the door.

And once they got there? I call shenanigans again on Bethenny's big talk of meeting with her partners, blah, blah, blah, to show how big a deal she is a businesswoman. That was a tourist site from start to finish. I was cringing at the kids and dancers and all the other things put on for show there. It was all so cringe-inducingly done to be what white people expect the 'real' 'me-hi-co' to be. Carole's comment comparing it to Vegas was just about right. 

When they returned to the villa after Trip Tequila and were all hanging around by the pool all I could think about Tinsley's pink pool cover-up was that Mary Ingalls wants her apron back.

 

[S09.E16: Three Tequila…Floor!]

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Priced from $78,750 / week..  I posted a link earlier to a page that also gave the price.

Thanks. So $4000 a person for the week (plus airfare and food etc). That's a bit tougher...but for that gorgeous place could be a dream vacation. And you're in Butterqueen when we go. ?

And it's a deal CrinkleCutCat!

[S09.E16: Three Tequila…Floor!]

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Someone else linked to the main page of the company that manages (owns?) the property and many others.  God, they are mostly amazing places, wish I had that kind of money.

I was thinking about this and wondering about the cost. The website says you could have like 20 people at the villa, so if it's $20,000 a week and you got 20 friends or family to go then it'd be $1000 a person. Or if it's $40,000, then $2000 a person, still doable. I have a friend who has a woman's group that was able to rent a private island off the coast of Belize (I think). They were a large group so could really divvy up the price.

So I'd love to know what the villa costs so I can start making my list of 20 travel companions.

[S09.E16: Three Tequila…Floor!]

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However, Luann almost never gets drunk like this; also, she had spent the day traveling, swimming in the ocean, laying out in the sun, and (according to her on wwhl) drinking tequila which she is not used to, and it caught up to her. Please, hasn't this happened to everyone here who is not a teetotaler? And to see her be able to laugh at herself and be generally loosey-goosey rubber-legged lying in a bush - well, I still giggle to myself when I think about it. And I certainly don't blame her for what happened - life happened!

This was why it was just funny for me too (when I knew she hadn't hurt herself in any major way). The other factor is that she was in what I'd consider a pretty safe drinking situation. She's with a group of friends at a house party and the only place she has to go after all that drinking is bed. Sure there were physical dangers (steps, different levels of the landscaping and house, a pool etc.) but there were also a bunch of other adults around who could help her. I'd say the guy who helped her out of the bushes and the one who helped her to her room were probably happier to have that duty then doing anything for Ramona. 

So really it just all made me giggle. Her falling in the bush and Ramona barely reacting other then to laugh and then when she falls again, with Lu commenting that 'this is bad, bad' and Ramona gives her not only a physical demonstration but a running commentary of how she should have navigated the stairs (all while Luann is lying there laughing) made me laugh out loud. I also loved when she and Ramona are standing out on the patio looking in at the others still arguing/shouting and Lu comments "Bethanny is going to kill someone" and Ro just agrees. Ha! 

Everything else has been said about the room wrangling debacle, Ramona's epic rudeness to the staff, and Carole's horrible ensemble for dinner, so I'll stop here.

["The View": Week Of 7/3/17 (All Repeats)]

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It's ironic to hear the panel (esp Jed) excoriate Kathy Griffin for her violent photo in light of Trump's video yesterday of him beating up a CNN reporter.  Oh, I wish they were live today!

I'm convinced the producers chose this episode to air as a repeat specifically to mitigate Trump's actions in tweeting what is really an instigation for violence against the press. 

[S04.E13: Ain't No Thang Like A Chicken Wing]

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I agree.  Craig was acting very bizarre, imo, sitting there trying to preach to Landon about how she needs to say this and that to Kathryn.  Just shut up.  Not necessary.  Shep may have been buzzed, but, I thought his comments were more amusing than Craig's.

I thought Craig was totally in the wrong in that whole sit down and Shep and Landon were trying to tease him out of being an idiot. He wanted Landon and Kathryn to sit down together again and say all the the things they dislike about each other. That's when Shep said that would be like the Bay of Pigs (weird reference, but right sentiment). Craig's insistence that he's the one who's right and he's going to use his mad therapy skillz with Landon and Kathryn (this after telling someone else that therapy was a bust). I just found it so condescending and paternalistic. Both Landon and Kathryn said they were fine with how they left things after their talk in the Keys, so why did they need to sit down again? I'm sure the producers pointed Craig in this direction, but he's just douche-y enough to be convinced he knew best.

After watching Naomi and Craig's little reconciliation speech I'm more convinced then ever that this whole "Naomi's unhappy with Craig's lack of direction" was a storyline. When Cameran was telling Craig that he was coming across to others like a jerk, he told her Naomi was different in private and then Cameran used words (a script) to re-state what he'd said to suggest that Naomi was cruel to him in private and he was to her in public. Then when Naomi was making her apology (or whatever it was) she used almost the same words and phrases as Craig and Cameran had. It all just seemed totally scripted and robotic. 

[S09.E12: Regency Reunion]

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Moaner's redo?  I liked the hardwood floors.  The rest?  OK, but unmemorable.  At least it was sorta tasteful & nothing tacky like Jillzy did to her place.

Ramona's redo makes her apartment look like a hotel suite or one of those apartments corporations rent for their executives to stay in when they can't get home. Really cold and impersonal.

I would like it if Tinsley cut her hair, think she would look far better, so I was glad that Carole mentioned it as a good first step at reinvention. Generally I'm not a Carole fan, but I thought she was actually giving good advice to Tinsley. That repetition of old patterns would not lead to reinvention, so if that's what she's looking for then she needs to change some things. Cut her hair, get an apartment in a different part of the city, etc. In all of her scenes with Tinsley Carole has come across as genuinely caring and wanting to help Tinsley, which is kind of weird for me because I've never seen Carole as a particularly warm person. She showed Tinsley an apartment in her own building, which to me proves she actually likes her in a real way, not a reality way. If she only 'liked' Tinsley in a reality kind of way she'd never encourage her to move into her building. 

I really hate how everyone is actively trying to sabotage Luann's marriage. I get that Tom may be all the things they say he is and it's totally understandable that they think the marriage is doomed. I've known people who have gotten married and thought to myself (perhaps even expressed it to a close friend or two) that the couple was doomed. Wouldn't make it past a few years, etc. But I didn't actively try to cause strife in their relationship because of that feeling. Ramona, with the egging on of the producers I'm sure, is actively trying to tank Luann and Tom. Not because of any deep caring she has for Luann, but because she hates that Luann might have one jot of happiness when Ramona herself is so very miserable.

Oh and I appreciated that Tinsley acknowledged that $9000 was a lot of money for rent and that even though she could afford it, she wasn't sure she needed that much space, should spend that much money... I think some of that was because she was looking for excuses to not get an apartment on her own just quite yet, but it was nice that she didn't just la-di-da it. She wasn't mentioning the cost as a brag about how much money she had, she seemed to be honestly assessing how much she wanted to spend and how big a space she needed. I contrast that with the way the other women mention price tags on things, which are almost always brags about how much they spent, like Bethenny with her $40,000 bar and the $10,000 moth removal. 

[S04.E12: A Tribe Called Key West]

After tonight my biggest question is why on earth is Cameron on this show? She reveals less about her personal/family life then Bethenny on RHONY and her storylines are setting up Shep (gag) with Chelsea and talking about how she's maybe, kinda, sorta ready to have a baby now. Exciting stuff. She seems like a pleasant enough person, but there's absolutely no reality about her. 

I know many are on Naomi for talking down to Craig when they're in public, but I don't think there's anything worse then when he called her a moron and stupid in front of a group of their friends. I know a lot of this is probably being played up for and manipulated by the producers for storyline purposes, but I'm team Naomi. It would make me crazy to be out there working hard every day and come home to this guy who's sleeping until 1 in the afternoon, sewing onesies (really?!) or talking to his cat, instead of pursuing an actual career path. I've known couples who will switch off over the course of their relationship in terms of who's the primary breadwinner, but in each case the person who's at home is still working. It could be work as caretaker for the kids, or working from home, or whatever, but something is being accomplished. 

The other thing with Craig is he seems to think he's right in everything and if Naomi shows one scintilla of skepticism about what he says or does, she's not supporting him to the fullest extent of his requirements and he pouts. This plus his inserting himself into the convo between Kathryn and Landon are why he's way more annoying to me then Naomi will ever be.

I know that Landon's apology to Kathryn was made more for the sake of ending the stupid stuff and to get in good with the rest of the group, but I do think she had a genuine, drunken moment when she said that Thomas was using her as a weapon against Kathryn. Of course he is. And I thought in that moment that Landon, who has played all season like she'd actually want to be with him - which I don't think she would ever want to be, was like, "I'm done pretending to want Thomas, I'm just going to straight up say it like it is". And when she followed it up the next morning to tell him to lay off Kathryn, I thought she was just fully going for it. The season's almost over, she can just be done with that storyline. I never believed that she was actually pursuing him, she just always looked all kinds of uncomfortable when Patricia pushed the idea or when she had to spend any time alone with Thomas.

Shep's apology? Not buying it or him (find him so gross). 

[The GCEh?C: Canadian Episodes (Spoilers for Non-Canadians)]

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I feel like this entire lawsuit is on Victoria for firing Juliette and not the person she should have fired, Billy. All because she wanted to keep him around.  Now she's whining about how all this is detrimental to Brash & Sassy. 

This is exactly right and the ironic thing is that if Juliet were pursuing her lawsuit on this front, she'd actually have a case. She's not the person who was harassed and then fired, she's the person who suffered real job consequences because her boss wants to sleep with someone else. So Billy got to keep his job because Victoria wants him in her bed and Juliet paid the price instead. That could be an actual leg for her to stand on in a lawsuit. There are real sexual politics going on in this workplace and they did have a detrimental impact on her career. And they have nothing to do with her having sex (or not) with Cane in Tokyo.

[S09.E11: A Countess No More]

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I loved her dress!  She comes up with the most unique dresses and sweaters. I also loved Bethany's sweater when she was in Chinatown and Carole's outfit in her talking head. I wonder what they do with no longer wanted clothing?

I think Dorinda wears a lot of vintage fashions and would bet that the dress that she wore to Lu's party was that. Not sure it was the right dress for the event, but didn't hate it. I do wonder if Dorinda gets fashion items from John's business in some way. Doesn't he do cleaning of high end fashion and the like? Perhaps there are clothes that never get picked up? I could definitely see D. benefiting from that kind of largesse.

Someone else upthread mentioned how Dorinda went from trashing Ramona in one scene and then in the next was having lunch with her and making fun of the wedding prep. I think Dorinda is stealth back-stabber and shit-stirrer and so far hasn't had to own either of those things. And she's a major grudge-holder, she just doesn't let it control everything she does. She remembers everything. I guarantee she will be mentioning Ramona's damaging the Berkshires bedroom for seasons to come, all while also being polite to her face. When Dorinda saw Ramona at the party after the Berkshires (think it was the art showing for Carole's friend) and made mention of the damage done to her home and Ramona blew her off, the look on Dorinda's face was "I will cut a bitch" and I knew that she will never, ever, never forget this. She has a very long memory. And she will seed comments about the event into conversations for years.

I'm not sure if Lu has had a past hookup with Frenchie, but if she did, I bet she won't throw it in Sonja's face. Lu will throw digs like the rest of them, but she does not go out of her way to dwell on anyone else's misery/mistakes in order to have a storyline for herself. Last year when she was under attack by Bethenny and Ramona and Sonja she could have gone on the offensive about their failed relationships, Mario cheating on Ramona, Bethenny's disastrous marriage to Jason, Sonja with pretty much anyone, but she didn't. She stood her ground, and yes perhaps over-extolled the wonders of Tom, but didn't dive down into tearing their worlds apart. Heck, she hasn't even used her own failed marriage with the Count as fodder for storyline. I think Lu is the opposite of Dorinda and really does not hold a grudge.

The interesting thing is they both my favs of the cast. 

[S09.E11: A Countess No More]

The thing that got me about Carole's response to the dim sum lunch was not so much that she didn't want to try the food, but that she didn't even seem to know about the concept of dim sum at all. Like she'd never heard of eating in that way in a Chinese restaurant. I grew up living outside a city of 20,000 people in central Wisconsin in the 70s and 80s and I knew what dim sum was back then. We didn't have any place you could get it in Stevens Point WI, but my mom and I dreamed of visiting somewhere where we could eat dim sum. I think we'd seen a travel show on PBS or something (one of the four channels we got living out in the country). We even made a dim sum meal once for the family with about 8 different appetizers from a chinese cookbook (and wow the chopping that entailed!). All of this to say, how the heck does Carole have so little knowledge? Didn't she travel the world when she was a serious journalist? She just seems to have so very little curiosity about anything outside of her insular world. 

I'm totally convinced that Lu's not-invited-to-the-wedding party was purely a producer production. There's no way that that was something Lu came up with. If you think of her hostessing in the Hamptons and how well organized and gracious her wedding seemed to be, it's clear that that sad little party was not by her design. I think the producers wanted another chance for the other women to go in on Tom and Lu and their relationship - since there's so little other drama going on this year. And we're getting more of the same next week (it appears from the previews) where someone has brought the woman Ramona pursued as another ex of Tom's to some event with Lu and Tom, so that once again it can be thrown in Lu's face. 

They should have called this episode "3 Sad Parties" - you had Ramona out with her daughters, Bethenny's big Xmas bash of what, 6 people?, and the basement for the wedding rejects (or as we like to call them the cast of RHONY)>

[The GCEh?C: Canadian Episodes (Spoilers for Non-Canadians)]

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Jack and Ash team up to separate Graeme from Dina, and Jack tries to persuade her to stay and wants to know what is really going on.  Graeme shows up and that is the end of that.  But then later Dina tells Graeme that she won't go and he can't make her!  And he refers to their plan which is all mysterious. 

I really like how they're rolling out the Dina story. At first it was just Dina comes to town to sell her business and maybe reconnect with the kids, which causes more conflict between Jack and Ashley because of how they both view their mother. And yes, that's how it was playing out. Which didn't thrill me. But now we have Jack and Ashley teaming up (love that) and we don't know what the deal is with Dina and Graeme. The writers are hitting the beats of the story nicely. Loved the goodbye scene where clearly Dina wants to stay but can't for whatever reason and Ashley and Jack hugging her. Then the moment she's out of earshot Jack saying "there's no way I'm letting her leave with that man" and Ashley agreeing. 

This is what I want to see in the Abbott family. And what I'm really loving about the new regime. They have made the Abbott family seem like a family again, not a bunch of slightly connected people who move through the same town. Sure there's still the horrible Billy stuff, but he is not a part of this Dina story at all, and that's great. I love that just as Victor's family has imploded, the Abbotts are banding together. And it's nice that I don't know what Graeme is up to. Is he a total villain? A partial villain they'll redeem? A good guy who's trying to protect Dina from herself? We just don't know. Nicely done.

[S09.E10: Black Out and Get Out]

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And why does Bethenny always run away after someone fights just as dirty as she does. I would have more respect for her if she had stayed in the Berk's and stood her ground against Ramona. 

I think there are a couple of reasons Bethenny took off. First and foremost is she just didn't want to be there in the first place. She's forced to participate in some of these group HW events, so she shows up, but over and over she takes advantage of whatever insulting thing has happened to take off as fast as she possibly can. And the thing is she knows that something insulting is likely to happen, so she has her get out of jail free all planned. If Bethenny had her drothers, the only thing she'd film would be her talking at or berating her assistants about something that proves how fabulous her life is. She doesn't want to go out to dinner with these women, or go to a sleepover, she wants the exposure of the show and the paychecks, but that's it.

The other reason she took off in this case is that I think she's being extra careful this season not to lose it on anyone the way she did Lu last season. She knows that was a major PR blunder and if she wants her new real estate show to be successful, she has to at least seem like she can be a rational person. 

With Ramona I think a couple things have happened to her in terms of the show and her place in the group. Around the same time her marriage was imploding Bethenny came back to the show. So she lost the bragging rights of being the happiest married woman on the OES and she lost top dog status in the group of HW's and in the filming. Suddenly Bethenny is back and it's all about her and Mario's cheating and the divorce were all over the news. Those were double blows to Ramona and I don't think she's recovered from either. 

I think her going in on Bethenny this season has been an attempt by her to get B to go after her in the same way she did Lu. Ramona saw what happened there. Initially she was all in with Bethenny and the others as it played out on camera. But when she saw how perceptions of Bethenny were drastically changed by her attacks on Lu, and how Lu was getting major sympathy and support from the fans? That's when the switch flipped. I bet in her tiny, lizard brain she made the decision to try and get Bethenny mad enough at her to lose it and all out attack her (Ramona), so that Ramona could be the "victim" of Bethenny's bullying. 

What's so funny about the whole thing is even though so much of the show, the events, the interactions, etc. are scripted and set up by the producers, this scheming by the two with their divergent agendas is all too real. Bethenny is making an all out push to recover from last year's debacle by being calmer and as absent as she can be and Ramona is making her push to push Bethenny too far. And because Bethenny is smarter (she is a bully, but she's a smart one), she's running rings around Ramona.