[S08.E14: Trawlin' and Brawlin']

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.

[Season 1 Discussion]

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."

[S08.E13: St. Simon Says Fight]

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.

[Season 1 Discussion]

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.

[S08.E12: Guys and Dolls]

12 hours ago, Kiss my mutt said:

I could have done without the pregnant lady squats. 

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.

[Season 1 Discussion]

Already hooked!  This kind of has a "Dare Me" vibe to it, if anyone else has seen that show.  How often are they releasing new episodes?

[S08.E11: Guess Who's Coming to Friendsgiving]

I have to defend Katherine's meatball recipe.  Those were a staple at my house for years on New Year's Eve, and they're actually really good.  And I confess to being curious about the Mello Yello pie.

All the Thanksgiving food looked great, and I liked the outside setup.

Those are about my only "likes" from this episode.  

It used to be that I couldn't wait to watch each episode and wouldn't budge till I'd seen the whole thing.  Now it takes me several hours to get through one, with plenty of pauses to go to menial household chores.  It's a shame.  

[S08.E10: Walking on Eggshells]

I have to be honest - when Whitney commented on how nice Naomie's gait was, I totally thought he was alluding to how she was walking after spending the night with him.  I don't know why my mind went there.  I'm sorry.

It truly boggles my mind that in the first few seasons, Shep actually seemed like a nice, compassionate, easygoing, harmless doofus who could laugh at himself, and now they aren't even the same person.  I can't believe it.  What a shame.

I never had an opinion of Olivia, but I'm really liking her after the way she stood up to Shep.  She has a strong sense of self, which shows the way she calls Austen out on the things he says and does.  Which makes it all the more amazing that she actually wants to be with Austen.

[S08.E09: Auldbrass Glitters is Not Gold]

21 hours ago, Starlight925 said:

 I don't care how much mailbox money you get.  You know what I'd be more impressed by?  A guy with zero mailbox money but who works under kitchen sinks as a plumber, or up in hot attics on A/C units. 

I'd be even more impressed by a guy who has mailbox money and still works under kitchen sinks as a plumber or up in hot attics on AC units anyway.

[S08.E09: Auldbrass Glitters is Not Gold]

Is Naomie doing all of this to try and make all her exes jealous?  

Did she beg to come back onto the show so that Metul would see her on air and read about her in the tabloids and see how "great" she's doing and regret letting her go?

Was her reasoning the same for Craig - so that Craig would see how gorgeous she is and regret not shaping up to meet her terms and keep her?

And is she hooking up with Whitney as backup ammo to make Metul and Craig miss her?

That's the only reason *I* can see for her being on the show.

[S08.E08: Holy Mutt-rimony]

I'm probably in the minority, but I thought the dog wedding ceremony was the most authentic part of this episode.  Yeah, the idea was likely engineered by production and they were told to do it, but once it got going, I got the sense that all of them decided to relax and go with the whole ridiulosity of it and actually had a good time with it.  Whitney going over the top with the guitar solo, Peaches refusing to walk down the aisle, Charles jumping in to "steal" the bride - all the laughter seemed genuine.  Given the fact that they were forced to sit there in the rain on top of it, I give them a ton of credit for making the best of it and having fun.

Then came the reception and it all went to sh*t again.

[S08.E07: Clean Slates and Secret Dates]

I'm liking Venita more.  Not as much as I enjoyed the old cast members before they left, but more than I did.

And I finally put my finger on who Paige looks like - Winona Ryder.  It was driving me crazy.  Also driving me crazy was her fuzzy 70s-ish getup at the end while drinking coffee out on the porch with Craig.  

[S08.E06: Shuckers and Sinners]

On 7/31/2022 at 9:26 PM, Sage47 said:

I like Whitney too! He seems harmless and nice and he’s funny too. I like watching him a lot. He’s way more interesting than the newer cast members. 

I actually like Whitney, too.  The older seasons, when his mother says something embarrassing or controversial, his reaction is always "Oh, God," in this tone that sounds like he wants to crawl under a rock.  And when he was Cameran's partner with the birthing coach and Cameran accused him of looking down her shirt, his "I'm not looking down your shirt!  Okay, now I am" was hilarious.  He makes me laugh.  I didn't like the way he shamed Katherine after sleeping with her a few seasons ago, but overall, he's good comic relief, and I don't get the sense that he's malicious like some of the others.  

[S08.E06: Shuckers and Sinners]

Having watched Austen's explanation as to the times his family experienced in the house, what with his sister's traumatic death and the family's healing with the arrival of Katie, I have to say that it makes a lot of sense now as to why leaving it is so hard for him.  Most families don't go through something like that, so I can understand why he has an attachment, even if it's not an entirely pleasant one.

I had to laugh as they were driving through the neighborhood: "I tried to beat someone home by driving through this front yard, but I didn't beat him." "One year we TP-ed this house, but we got caught and had to clean it up."  An entire neighborhood full of failures!

And did anyone else cringe as the U-Haul was pulling out of the driveway because it looked like it was about to run over Austen's dad's foot??

[S08.E05: Exes and Uh Oh's]

I have no use for Marcie (I didn't even know her name till I happened to be watching the screen when she came on this episode).  Nothing about her interests me whatsoever.

And while Venita doesn't intrigue me, either, I think she's beautiful, I actually love her apartment, and I can relate to being a neat freak.

Shep used to be so grounded and down to earth and just plain NICE in his thoughts and actions - what happened??

I really miss the seasons when you could tell they were all friends and there was actually some sort of common connecting thread throughout the season.  This season feels like, "Crap - we have to film something.  Let's go round up a bunch of people and just follow them around with cameras."

[S08.E04: It's My Party and I'll Fight if I Want To]

59 minutes ago, Dirtybubble said:

There appears to be no leader or voice of the show anymore on S.C. and that's really sad.

Yeah, having Naomie do the narration at the beginning of each episode doesn't do it for me - she's so flat, and it's not like she really contributes a whole lot overall.

It's so sad - I used to love this show so much. 

[S08.E04: It's My Party and I'll Fight if I Want To]

1 hour ago, Dirtybubble said:

I'm confused who's actually a cast member on this show.  Shep's cousin, Chleb (I pronounce Shleb), Chelsie (who is smoking hot), Leva, Pringle, Madison, are these people cast members??  I remember it used to be if we saw them filming in their homes and interacting with family they were full time but know IDK people just sort of appear and show up...this season just seems to be off and not making a lot of sense.

I actually bought the season, so I get the episode the day after it airs, and there are no opening credits.  I keep watching and waiting so I know who's a cast member and who isn't, but they never show, so I'm as confused as you are.  I get the sense they're just trying to throw everyone in in the hopes that something catches and takes off.

[S08.E04: It's My Party and I'll Fight if I Want To]

On 7/15/2022 at 11:13 PM, Peachyqueen said:

Ok, it’s been bothering me so I’ll just say it…and listen, I’m from the south and grew up in Georgia, so I don’t know if it’s a regional thing or I’m truly out of touch or just an idiot…but EVERYTIME I see his name, I read it like Kleb. Just me??? 

You're better than me - I see "Shleb."

[S08.E04: It's My Party and I'll Fight if I Want To]

It takes a lot for me to give up on a favorite show, but I'm about ready with this one.  It doesn't even have the same vibe it used to.

I did like "I feel like drapes."

Otherwise, I'm not feeling this season's new people AT ALL.  I like Taylor, and I used to love Shep, but Shep's pretty much run his course, and there's not much else to Taylor without him.  Craig actually seems well-adjusted for a change, so no drama there.  If I didn't know that was Naomie, I wouldn't recognize her.  Katherine is just a pitiful tragedy.  Austen appears to have nothing left to contribute, which is a shame, because he could really showcase himself trying to grow as a beer-preneur, but it looks like that won't happen.  And no one else is worth commenting on.

I miss Cameran, Chelsea, Danni, Shep when he was still somewhat endearing, even Thomas and Landon and Ashley - at least they kept it entertaining being people you loved to hate.

[S08.E03: Barbecues, Breakups & Betrothals]

20 hours ago, kristen111 said:

I’d still like to know why a nice guy like him got divorced.  When will the secret come out?  They looked like a nice couple, and he looked like a great Father.

I thought he said last season that they got married and had kids too young, or something along those lines.  But they're still good friends and get along well.

[S08.E03: Barbecues, Breakups & Betrothals]

11 hours ago, goofygirl said:

I thought Whitney driving Miss Patricia to the local farmers market was absolutely hilarious.  Seriously.  I hope Patricia had a 401k plan or something so that Michael has some $$ to spend on himself.  I'm so sorry that happened to him.  What an adorable guy.

"I miss Michael.  And I want bacon."

Best line of the entire episode.

[S08.E02: Suspicious Minds]

Chleb actually seems like a really decent guy - I enjoyed that whole segment focusing on him.  Maybe he thought he could help Katherine by giving her some stability and treating her well.  It's a shame that that doesn't seem to have worked.  I just feel bad for her, on a basic human compassion level.  Who knows how her life might have turned out by age 30 if not for the show.

Regarding the Madison with the gray streaks: several seasons back, she had natural gray starting, just a few threads here and there.  It looks like they've multiplied through the years, as with all of us, and she's just not covering them.  Good for her for embracing her natural aging.  I've never been sure how I felt about her personally - I liked her reserve when she first started showing up, and the way she measured her words and was always careful to not phrase things aggressively, but I also wondered if that was masking a deeper not-so-nice side.  Jury's still out.

Does Naomie still have that online boutique whose name I could never spell?

[S08.E01: Great Ex-pectations]

15 hours ago, chick binewski said:

I don't like Craig. At all. But I always felt he was picked on during the early seasons by people who were born on third and it always felt extra. 

Craig would drive me nuts if I had to deal with him on the regular.  But even at his worst, what I've always liked about him was that he clearly has compassion.  At the season 5 reunion when they were all calling Ashley out on her behavior and staying with Thomas, he did it pointedly but in such a way that wasn't belittling and that showed it came from a place of concern for her well-being.  In season 6, when they were all at the ski resort and Katherine was supposedly upset that Whitney denied having relations with her, Craig's point in confronting Whitney on it was "What does it cost you just to go talk to her and make sure she's okay?"  Even when he orders at restaurants, it's always "May I please have" and "Thank you very much."  When they're all vacationing together, he cooks for everyone.  Little things, maybe, but they all show that he was brought up right and taught to have manners and be nice to people.  Granted, that doesn't excuse his treatment of Naomie, but we all have our moments, and maybe that was the Adderall.

[S08.E01: Great Ex-pectations]

Is it bad that I still want Ashley and Landon to come back and be roommates or something on the same season?

[S08.E01: Great Ex-pectations]

I honestly didn't recognize Naomi.  Lip injections and so skinny she looks like she'll snap in half, to the point where her head seems disproportionately-sized.  It's a shame, because I always thought she was so attractive.

I was never a Leva fan - she really left a bad taste in my mouth last season - so I'm not thrilled that she's back.

Why is Madison still around?

I guess I was one of the few that had hopes for Katherine - she was so level-headed and grounded during the Ashley season, and then came the slide.  I still want better for her, because she is so young.  I hope she turns it around.

And I'm ashamed to admit that I always thought her boyfriend's name was pronounced "shleb."