mandymax

I've really gotten hooked on this show and am glad others here are finding it! My fear is that the season cliffhanger will be them finding Maddie's body, and then it'll get cancelled and we'll never know. Has anyone read the graphic novel it's based on? I've also wondered about the ghosts moving things around. Sure, everything resets, but do the living not notice in the meantime? Field Day, especially - that was entertaining to watch, but how did no one living hear the smashing of the vending machines or see the fire? And when they were all hanging out in the pool during swim practice, on floats, with drinks? No one saw that? Still, it's entertaining, and I love the humor, like the group thinking up fun things to do and movie night featuring "Ghost." I hope we learn the story of how the group therapist got there.

I went to rewatch the Homecoming seasons, and it turns out they've been removed from Paramount+. The regular seasons are still there (although my favorites are still missing - will they ever add Chicago, Seattle, Hawaii, and San Diego??). Does anyone know why? Will they come back?

It's such a shame about Kathryn. I have to confess that season 5 is my favorite season due to the Ashley drama, and you could see how clear-headed and grounded Kathryn was. For the most part, at least, she handled conflicts rationally and expressed herself clearly without going overboard, and she was committed to her sobriety and could see the benefits that came with it. I hope she's able to find that clarity again in the future. I can't believe I'm saying this, given that this was my favorite show for quite awhile, but I may not watch this season. It's not what it used to be. Although I stand by my oft-repeated declaration: if they bring Landon and Ashley back in the same season, put them in the same Charleston apartment as roommates, and turn them loose, I am so there.

I forgot about that! Yes, I think that was her. Wow. So now she's set to marry Stephen. I never read the book - is this all still aligning with the book, or have the writers taken it WAY off course?

That's how I took it. Refresh my memory, please - Lydia was Lucy's best friend back home, the one we met in the first episode before Lucy left for college?

I took it as a "Look - no wedding ring yet! I can still do what I want!" sign to Lucy. Like, "You still have a chance with me! Don't you still want me?"

If the entire season had been as dramatic and interesting as the final episode, this would have been my favorite show. Damn it.

WOW - that photo of Naomie at the beginning of the TMZ article? I would never, ever in a million years have guessed that that was her. She looks nothing at all like her old self. WAY too much work done. It's a shame.

My impression was that she copied and pasted the LiveJournal piece and submitted it as her assignment, thus the plagiarism. I think she brought the mom in to explain the situation, so the professor would understand that Lucy did indeed write both pieces because the situation was identical to what the mom described.

I'm guessing that was Drew's car over the edge? I was watching on my laptop and the screen was dark, so I couldn't see much. But I can't believe Stephen actually felt bad enough to CRY, like they showed, and I certainly can't believe he ran straight to Lucy and told her he loved her. What was THAT all about? At least things are finally starting to happen, now that the next episode is the finale. Is there a season 2 in the works?

Why on earth would Leva go through with this?? A smart, serious businesswoman wouldn't risk a successful business this way. There's a very slim chance it would show Republic in a favorable light, and a massive chance it'll show it as an ineptly-run disaster. And there's a very slim chance it'll show Leva herself as competent and a massive chance it'll show her as ridiculous and untrustworthy as a restauranteur. I have three business ventures of my own and wouldn't let a camera crew NEAR them, especially if I'd already had a few go-rounds with editing and seen the results - not because I don't think they're solid ventures, but because I wouldn't want the entertainment industry to wreck them for their own gain at my expense.

I felt bad for Taylor while watching this, in that I get why she wanted to unload on Shep (this might have been her first opportunity to do so since the breakup, so it's all been building), but the time and place wasn't exactly appropriate. Not that there wasn't truth in almost everything she said, but it really made everyone else feel uncomfortable, and it didn't make her look that great. I do think that Shep loved her the best way he knew how, and she WAS different than all the others. But I think his idea of love and commitment is different than hers, and they're never going to line up. I feel bad for her in that regard, too - I've been in love with someone who didn't want to be with me long-term, and it sucks while you're going through it, because in your mind, the two of you are "perfect!!!" together. It takes time and maturity to recognize the mistakes you almost made and be grateful that the other person kept you from making them. I'm still a Venita fan. If they did a show following her, I would watch. I think I'll skip Leva's show. And I felt bad for Katherine, too when she talked about how Whitney essentially wouldn't claim her publicly but was (pseudo) all over Naomie. She had a point - that was a crappy way to treat her, and I'd feel hurt, too, if I'd been in her position.

I kind of understand Diana's confusion - he cheated on Diana, who he loved to the best of his ability, but he's staying faithful to Lucy? Or is that just because he wants to hurt Diana for not-cheating with Wrigley before he even knew her?

It seemed like Taylor was waiting all this time to tell Shep what she thought of him, building it up in her mind to the point where she was ready to explode, and the first opening she saw, she let loose. I can relate to that. I think she probably thought that since she lasted so much longer than any of the others, that had to mean that Shep wanted to commit to her. I can't necessarily blame her for thinking that. But when he first began dropping hints that that wasn't the case, she should have recognized it and walked away then, instead of thinking she could fix it. I do like the idea of her and Austen together, but would AUSTEN commit? I don't know.

You're right - I totally forgot about the Pippa texting thing and that that's what he caught her doing out by the pool. That makes the whole scene make more sense. Thanks!

Agreed. Stephen did something to Macy. And did he do something WITH Pippa at the lake house? The way they stared at each other as he dunked the camera made me wonder if they'd taken pictures of themselves IN THE ACT or something and he was destroying THAT evidence - it almost looked like Pippa was smiling at him.

Really? I remember seeing Leva on quite a few episodes in the earlier seasons, and I thought Cameran had said she and Leva had been friends since they were younger. That's a shame if they no longer speak. Does anyone know why? I hope it wasn't because of the show. It's a freaking TV show - it's not worth losing lifelong friendships over.

Wow. At least now I understand the reports that Leva unfollowed everyone after filming ended. Good for her. Was this the same place that hosted Patricia's "Winter Wonderland" party at the end of the Ashley season? It looked like it from the outside. And that one was sparsely decorated, too, just like this one. There's so much you can do with that theme - why do they make it LOOK like the staged event it probably is? At Patricia's party, at least, the drama was more entertaining and over more legitimate issues than "you won't let me sit at your table!" That was ridiculous. Shep's cousin did look great for just having a baby - I'll give her that. Everyone's dress looked beautiful, and Katherine looked less tacky than usual, which is a step. Reunion should be interesting.

Yeah, no - can't say any of us ever did that.

To be fair, I kept in close touch with my college friends for years after graduation, and most of us still sort of keep tabs on each other through social media nearly 30 years later. Eight years isn't very long in the grand scheme of things. I'm REALLY wondering what the point of this whole show is by this point. I didn't read the book, so I don't know if there's supposed to be a plot, but I'm not seeing one. All we're getting is a bunch of college kids doing things they'll look back on in the future and roll their eyes over, and two of them are more messed up than the rest. That's basically it.

I don't know - to me, it seemed like once we got past the initial opening-scene arguments, we actually had the old pleasant vibe going for awhile. The drinking game was hilarious. The morning after, once everyone had calmed down, they all seemed to be getting along with each other and joking around, even into the dinner. And then the Craig/Naomie buzzkill again. I don't even care who started what, but I do think that Craig is incredibly hyper-sensitive to Naomie, to the point where she could sneeze and he'd blame her for the pandemic and shout that she needs to cut it out. Naomie is by no means perfect, but I don't think she's really done anything to warrant the level of unleashed vitriol that comes from Craig every time he gets triggered somehow. I blame Craig. As for Venita, I actually enjoy her. And I don't think she was "starting" anything so much as trying to show some maturity and say, "Look, just apologize. His feelings were hurt [even if he was being a wuss about it], so say you're sorry and let's all move on. No biggie." It was a grown-up thing to do, and I agree that there are three sides to the whole thing - Craig's, Naomie's, and what's really going on - so what's the big deal about apologizing? But by that point, I think Naomie was on edge and unwilling to hear anything from anyone and preferred to wallow in martyrdom. Austen didn't drive me nuts for the second week in a row, and I kind of like him and Olivia and the buddyish relationship they have going on. They might not be all mushy gushy, but there's still a kind of chemistry there.

It was interesting to get that insight into Stephen's home life (and I had no idea he was Katy Segal's son! I adore her). It was also interesting to see/have confirmed that Lucy is a real brat. But I hated the way she discovered the rose drawing: there's a memorial at Macy's house, which seems to simply be a handful of people milling around the ground floor, no one greeting the guests or even answering the door, no one making speeches or sharing memories of Macy, nothing to indicate this is a memorial in any way whatsoever, and then Lucy just shoots right upstairs with no one stopping her, locates Macy's bedroom immediately, and there JUST HAPPENS to be an open box sitting on Macy's bed (for the last four months?) that JUST HAPPENS to contain the rose drawing only three layers in? That was such a lazy reveal that completely defied any sort of imagination. Shame on the writers. Are there really only 5 episodes left to cover 8 years' worth of stuff? I hope this isn't a huge lead-up to just have the final scene be Lucy and Stephen smiling at each other and saying, "Long time no see."

I did have to laugh when Austen called Olivia to ask "What's the deal with the tennis situation?" and Olivia said, "Uh, we're gonna play it." Incredibly, overall, I didn't mind Austen that much this episode. I think he has genuine feelings for Taylor - possibly IN LOVE feelings - and truly wants what's best for her, and he sees the humor in Shep being infatuated with his butt. I kind of liked him this week. As for Craig, I think he never accepted the fact that Naomie had legit reasons for breaking up with him (remember the "You're really reaching to come up with a reason why we broke up and you can't find one! You threw away a good thing for nothing!" tantrum?), and now she's back, and in his mind, he's punishing her. In reality, though, he's still struggling with the fact that it just plain didn't work out. They weren't good for each other. It happens. But Craig thinks he was/is in control of who decides that.

At least the interviewer seemed to put Stephen in his place without even saying a word. I was excited for this show, and I'll still see it through, but now I'm starting to wonder whether I should just read the book. Nothing is happening except all kinds of unmentionables.

And that was what's-her-name's only appearance the entire episode. What was even the point? Rare duck sounds incredibly unpleasant and unhealthy. And the accomplished chef didn't even know HE was supposed to call everyone to the table - he thought they'd just migrate there on their own when they got hungry enough and he'd just hang out and wait for it? And if you're going to spend thousands on brittle old chairs, it's not exactly the best idea to have a dinner party and tell your guests to sit on them. I do like Katherine's hair - the red just makes her entire face look better. And it was nice for her and Naomi to not be fighting.