30 Helens

But Peter’s goal is not to win! Peter’s goal is to ensure victory for the noble Faithful! Peter is the hero we need right now! Or at least the hero he wants us to need. I bet he climbs into bed at night wearing a pair of tight blue jammies with a big red P on the front.

“Family size’”, heh. That is not a family that makes good choices. I think I’ll stick with my Cheerios.

Glad to see Emma did the right thing and ditched both Ian and Dexter. Although the second part won’t last, otherwise the show would be over. I assume we’re about to see her star rise as his continues to fall. That Moriarty game was insane. What kind of family beats each other over the head for sport? Apparently the poshest ones, once upon a time. I checked and this is an actual Victorian parlor game that was (is?) played by the wealthy elite, including members of the Royal Family. According to an article in the Independent: So weird.

OK, I’ll start. I’ve been watching for two nights, and just finished e7. I think binging is the right way to do this one, any more spread out and I’d be bored. Things move a bit slow, even though each episode jumps ahead in time, but that’s really the charm of the show. You’re not getting a densely plotted story, you’re just getting brief glimpses of these two characters at different points in their life. How much I like or dislike the characters depends on the episode. I started out thinking Emma was annoying and Dexter was charming. Now Emma’s a sweetheart and Dexter’s a jackass. I assume my perceptions will shift some more as time goes on. I like the friendship angle, but I’ve never seen any real romantic chemistry between the leads. I get why Emma was into Dex at first: she was insecure and he was the kind of popular boy who seemed out of her reach. So she was flattered and dazzled by his attention. But I never understood why he was initially interested in her. Like I said, she was annoying. (Who stops a makeout session to ask you for your five-year plan??) At this point in the series, I don’t know why Emma continues to bother with Dex. His arrogance has made him unattractive, and he’s too self-centered to be a friend. She feels bad that he’s had a bad year, but he was a dick to his dying mother, too. Maybe he’s just a diversion from her terrible husband. (Talk about annoying.) I’m just hoping that by the end of all this, Emma will wise up and realize she’s too good for both of them.

0/5. GODDAMN YOU JANE EYRE AND EVERYTHING ELSE! I’ll be eating dry cereal this week. I don’t deserve donuts.

This was my guess, for the reason Clanstarling mentioned above. This was my husband’s guess. Don’t hate me, but I laughed and laughed at him.

Oh, definitely. I just meant the use of props. They don’t get access to pens or paper, so candy often plays a role in strategy sessions. But I guess Survivor has beads. Either way, billiard balls as human stand-ins made me chuckle. And made Sandra grow three sizes in Kate’s eyes, apparently. I guess they don’t need numbers on the boat show.

I didn’t see Sandra’s billiard ball demonstration as a Survivor move (although sometimes they draw diagrams in the sand with sticks). To me, it was classic Big Brother. All she needed was a bag of Skittles. Has any reality contestant gone from admirably clever to unbearably obnoxious faster than Peter? I would love to join Parvati in smacking the smug off his face. Phaedra was rude in mocking Parvati’s chilly demeanor, but she’s not wrong. Regardless of what people believe, if they don’t like you, they won’t care if you’re gone. It’s kind of surprising that Parvati hasn’t worked harder to appear friendly. Her charm has always been a big part of her arsenal, and good-natured flirting has gotten her far. I think she’s just been trying so hard to conceal her emotions that she’s inadvertently blotted out her personality, as well. I think it would be a mistake to eliminate Trishelle, because she’s mad at her group now and might not want to work with them next round. Bergie would be the next best thing to Peter, but also the most obvious. It would be like Dan all over again. The smartest play is probably MJ, although that doesn’t mitigate a threat. I wonder if the traitors will have the option to try another recruitment instead? If so, they might need to look at Sandra. She’s another one who could prove very dangerous. (Although if she becomes a traitor, she might put her focus on getting rid of Parvati and Phaedra. Sandra doesn’t like to share.)

I’m late to the Jagger recast (aka WTF?) talk, but I have a theory. TPTB also took delight at the idea of pissing off ASJ, so they intentionally cast someone who looks as little like him as possible. Unless they are planning to create a genetic link with some blond character who’s already on canvas, I am otherwise baffled. Anyone who has been watching long enough to remember Jagger Cates, and possibly welcome his return, also knows what he looks like. Or what he definitely does NOT look like. Here’s hoping that Jax is recast as an African-American man with a Boston accent.

Zac Posen!! Come back home!! Assuming there’s a home to come back to.

Any chance Jason is behind the attempted hits on Sonny? Although I don’t know why, unless he’s trying to take over PC and they’re setting up some mob wars bullshit.

I binged these first 6 episodes in a couple of days, and it’s been frustrating to wait a week for the next chapter. I probably should have waited to watch until it ended. Watching Dan be the poster boy for How Not to Play Traitors was both hilarious and cringe-worthy. I mean, did he even watch an episode beforehand? Or did he really think this was just Big Brother in a Castle? I had high hopes for him at the beginning because I’ve seen him be devious and manipulative, but apparently he can also be spectacularly stupid. I can’t even get into his multi-point presentation on How I Unmasked Phaedra, because that wouldn’t have swayed a toddler. Parvati is not doing much better, which is disappointing because I love me some Parv and I want her to stick around. But she’s another one who hasn’t really adapted her game to this setting. In Survivor, it’s good to hang back and listen. As long as you’re friendly and don’t present as a threat, you can go a long way. But here, hanging back and listening just draws suspicion. Has she learned nothing from Dan’s mistakes? At least she knows better than to immediately target someone who floated your name. Phaedra is the traitor who probably came in with the best skill set. I’ve never seen an episode of Housewives, but I get the sense that all they do is gossip and talk trash about each other, which as it turns out, is wonderful cover for a traitor. It took Jeff Probst 4 whole seasons to get it right.

I watched this over a couple of nights, which is honestly more time than it deserved. It was fine in that Netflix superficial binge kind of way, but nothing I’d urge other people to watch. I liked Talu, and I thought most of what she said was perfectly reasonable. But don’t plant your flag on being open and transparent right before you undermine the group, ok? And note to Bryce, it probably wasn’t the millionaire status that made everyone turn on you, it was likely the gleeful unleashed flaunting of your favorite branded accessories. At least, that’s what did it for me.

Nice story roundup, @DanaK, but I think you forgot one: https://www.soapoperadigest.com/content/joshua-benard-adam-wraps-general-hospital-stint/ Wow, they ended that whole SL in a hurry, didn’t they? Not that I’m complaining. But I figured we’d get more Adam angst, maybe he and Joss developing feelings, or that he would simply become part of the young adult crew. But no, he gets a moment of standing up to his father and that’s a wrap. Again, not complaining. Except for enduring the pointlessness of it all to begin with.

Glad to be back! I’ve missed you guys. Just 1/5 for me (Jimmy Buffett). And you know what that means!

Given Chavez’s popularity, it makes sense for the show to wait as long as they can before recasting. Pre-taping is certainly a viable option, especially if they limit Spencer’s interaction to a very limited number of characters. (Nik? Esme? Maybe even Trina, if she accompanies him on some Ace-chasing expedition?) He could travel around the world while the set dressers swap out the decor in that same damn hotel room. It also makes sense for Chavez to explore his options. Ryan Murphy is known for using the same actors over and over, and if NAC does well here, he could become a part of that stable. It doesn’t sound like he’s burning bridges anywhere, so I think he will just fine whatever happens. Im just going to watch and hope this show doesn’t screw it up too much.

My guess is Spencer will take off to find Nikolas and warn him that Esme is hot on his trail. Although I think it would have made more sense to have Spencer abscond with Ace himself, once he realized Bad Esme was back. If nothing else, that would have saved us from that head-scratching about-face where Spencer suddenly found Nik to be a worthy parent while also allowing Ace to be out of his sight for more than an hour.

And seemed a bit taken aback when nobody else jumped on her Trash Amanda bandwagon. I don’t think she was trying to be just a villain, I think she was angling for the role of Lead Heather. I’m glad Amanda was not intimidated and that she received support from the other girls. Maybe when she realizes she’s just ostracizing herself, Plane Jane will tone it down a bit.

2/5 (LL Bean, Lady Gaga) My DVR decided Friday’s episode wasn’t worth recording, so that answer was more of an insta-read. I was torn between bringing Maine Baked Beans and Ladyfingers, but I decided to ditch them both and, instead, make myself an early birthday pie. (Tuesday) Ill try not to set the table on fire with all the candles, but no promises.

Your face recall is much better than mine! I’ve recognized maybe 4-5 people total. Most people have to stick around for several days to make an impression. That’s partly why I haven’t really been able to get into this tournament.

The only Oliver Stone movie I could think of was Platoon. I don’t know any character names from that movie, so I abandoned that half of the clue and went to football. Which is not a welcoming place for me. Joe Theismann? Gary Hogeboom? I had nothing. I’ve never seen Scarface. Tried once, but I was bored to tears. Post-Godfather Al Pacino is always hard for me to watch anyway, with all the scenery chomping.

My parents were addicted to LL Bean, even though they hadn’t been camping in decades. Took me about half an insta to get that one.

You mean the Carly that had layers? The scrappy little schemer who was also vulnerable and often fallible? Who wasn’t worshipped by everyone in her orbit? If he can put just a little tarnish in the “Carly Brave and Strong” halo, I’ll be thrilled. (And yeah, I still miss SB, too, but mostly I just miss the character she used to play.) Nuance is what this show needs, and Mulcahey can deliver. I remember how devastated so many fans were when he left. Even the best writers tend to wear out their welcome, eventually, but I don’t think Mulcahey ever did. As for Korte, I didn’t realize her reputation had dipped. IIRC, she started around the same time as the Liz character, and she was the main writer for Liz’s rape story and its aftermath. And yes, that was a very long time ago, but she has proved she can write good stories with sensitivity and heart, when given the right backing. Despite her tenure, she may not have the clout that someone like a Patrick Mulcahey may have. Here’s hoping he gets to exercise it.

I thought it might be Lincoln, so I guessed Illinois. Sigh. Right track, wrong lane.

Yes! This frustrates me with all the word challenges. I don’t know why they don’t employ a split screen on these occasions: half on the contestant’s face, half on the clue. Or just leave the clue in a box in the corner of the screen.