Melina22

Watching this episode I just assumed there would be at least two or three more episodes this season. This didn't feel like a finale at all! So I was shocked to read here that this season is over! So unsatisfying. Ingrid was terrifying in that scene where she screams that Nathan was all she had. Yikes! At the end, is she planning to clone Nathan to grow another body for him? Or to somehow have a clone baby? The season ended on such a creepy note, Nathan's mother about to die, his head about to explode, the afterlife of millions of people blown to smithereens, possibly along with Lakeview. Meanwhile poor Ingrid and the Lud boyfriend are forced to watch the people they love being in love with someone else, right in their faces, while Luke mourns his BFF. Cheery.

Before watching tonight's show I assumed this was hyperbole, but no. He really is Frenchie all over again, and he'll almost certainly meet Frenchie's fate. Moose will stay, and he'll be SOOO MAD! And no one will trust Kyle now he's shown what a loose cannon he is. It was interesting to see how well Kevin and Jess managed him. I must be getting used to Jess, because they don't annoy me any more, particularly after seeing them use so much insight to talk Kyle into keeping them. But I laughed when they said "Kyle believes in the universe like me." Someone said that last week too, and I mean, who doesn't believe in the universe? I guess the idea is that "the universe" is inexplicably invested in giving people what they want especially if they "manifest" specific things. I'm all about freedom of religion, but I find this concept so incredibly vague! And it requires so little of a person except to wish for stuff. Maybe to also avoid mass murder and the use of plastic straws. (Sorry to be so snarky. I know Jess means well, and people have a right to believe whatever they want, but New Agey stuff brings out the snark in me.) This was an entertaining episode. I'll be disappointed when King Kyle gets sent to the guillotine.

It was so funny to see how they handled the effect the two year gap had on the two child actors. They're actually fortunate they didn't grow a lot more, especially the young boy. It was pretty dark watching the Luds disconnecting uploads randomly. You can tell we're headed for territory where the Luds want to disconnect Nathan and /or Luke, people Nora actually knows. The symbolism of Nora leaving a package to go off in a public place, where it could possibly destroy random uploads and ruin their families' visits was pretty obvious.

Agreed. On the plus side, this show isn't plagued by horrifying wigs like so many are.

I don't really understand the point of this. I found his fat suit distracting. Overall a fun episode. I really enjoyed alt-Ingrid, but I got confused by the various ring drives. What ring drive did Craig throw in the garbage? Also, are ring drives a real thing?

So did they replace the actress playing Ingrid's grandmother? It's impossible to figure out how Ingrid thought she could get away with pretending to be uploaded. She can't live her entire life in a bathtub.

Same. I couldn't believe how much I'd forgotten. It's been a long pandemic.

Excellent point, Cinnabon! Not everyone who takes Oxy gets addicted, for the reason you describe. Also, people with past trauma are apparently more likely to get addicted to various substances. It's all very complex and individual. If this show helps people to be less judgmental about addiction, that would be good.

A couple of years ago a young man I know here jumped off our town's bridge to his death because after multiple stays in rehab, he was so certain he could never overcome his opioid addiction. Naturally everyone who loved him felt so devastated and helpless. So Dopesick held my interest from start to finish. The few times I myself was given oxycodone, I found the pills so nauseating that I wondered how people could get addicted. Maybe they stop feeling the nausea after awhile. Watching Dopesick reminded me of reading the autobiography a few years ago by Kristen Johnston from Third Rock from the Sun. She graphically describes the opiate addiction that almost killed her. After the chronic abuse caused her intestines to rupture she ended up near death in a London hospital for weeks, and barely survived. It was horrifying. Fortunately she lived and was able to get clean. I think what made this show so powerful for me was seeing a kind, smart, good person, Michael Keaton, get reduced to taking his patients' pills and begging for drugs from his visitors in rehab, in a creepy way. Society judges addicts so harshly, and often makes fun of them, like they're less than human. Dopesick showed how the best of us can be totally degraded by addiction, but hopefully we can eventually recover. Suboxone seemed to play such a big role in recovery in this show. I'd be curious to know how widely it's used in treating opioid addiction.

If The Challenge has an interpersonal component as well I'll probably give it a try.

Interesting. I thought I was the only one. Well, I don't completely skip them, but I often FF them, unless my husband is watching because he enjoys them. Personally, I'm way more interested in the interpersonal dynamics of the show. To each his own. Anyway, because of this, I'm questioning how much I'll enjoy The Challenge since it sounds like it's all comps. My husband would probably enjoy it though.

This is one of my all time pet peeves. They can spend millions making a movie or series, but then they stick Brillo on the actors' heads and call it a day. That one thing aside, awesome series! Michael Keaton and Mare Whittingham were stand outs for me, but there were many other fantastic actors. I teared up seeing Mare at the demonstration. She had so much rage, and Michael's character had so much guilt. I'm with those who thought the female sales rep was cartoonishly evil. Apart from that, why would a normal, attractive young man be so besotted with someone so truly shallow and nasty? Was she really the best he could do? This whole show gives me insight into why doctors and hospitals where I live are so loathe to dispense narcotics. My friend was discharged recently after a major injury, and they told him to take Tylenol. After suffering for a day, he went to a military doctor (he's in the military) and finally got something stronger, which he took for a few days, to his great relief. I feel like the opioid crisis has led to the pendulum swinging too far the other way at times.

37 seasons??? Good grief. I can't believe I've never seen it. I'll have to try to find it and watch.

Can someone please tell me what The Challenge is about? Is it a contest between past BB players?

I deleted this one after the first couple of minutes, because I could tell the case had no resolution. Nowadays, I delete all shows I can tell aren't solved. There's no reason for me to spend one or two hours watching a depressing story with no ending. This might sound horrible, but lately I also delete stories I know will be "The husband/boyfriend did it." I just don't have anything to learn from these, about psychology or human nature. There's a reason people are so fascinated by Black Widows and people like Pam Hupp. It's because they're such an anomaly. Men who kill their mates? Sadly, they're all too common.

What kind of medication was Kathy on? I didn't know that this was why she left.

Remember I said I thought Arisa's stylist was doing a great job with her this season? Okay, scratch that. I wasn't sad about how the vote went. I found Jay quite unlikeable from the start. It wasn't just the constant attention-seeking, I don't think Jay likes people. They actually admitted to not having any friends outside the house. Marty said tonight that Jay had a strong social game, but I never saw any sign of this, apart from Josh. Maybe I'm wrong. I can't read Summer. She's often hilarious and super quirky, a born entertainer, but it's hard to know who she really is. I'm enjoying her though. Maybe we'll get to know her better. Ika and Dmitri are getting married! I'm so excited! (Just kidding. I didn't see their season and only know Ika from other things. I actually expected it to be the couple from Newfoundland, assuming they're still together.)

I kept reading IKEA too! On RHAP, a doctor said that lithium can be toxic if the person taking it becomes dehydrated and/ or doesn't eat, two things that are almost certain to happen on Survivor. Plus apparently Jackson had been feeling really dizzy. They couldn't risk it.

This is my favourite Survivor first episode in many, many seasons. It held my interest for the whole two hours. And for the first time in many, many, many seasons I have a tribe I'm rooting for. I love Taku, primarily because of their ridiculously strong giant and Maryanne, who had me smiling right away from her adorable excitement. I could tell her happiness really set the tone for the first meeting. Meanwhile I also really enjoyed the optimism of... dislocated shoulder guy, and found myself tearing up over the way the team was so devastated by the loss of their teammate who was on lithium. (Wow! I can't remember ANYBODY'S name! But I know their tribe name which is a first.) I'm sorry to see the destruction of the Skinny Guys alliance. That could have been great TV.

Isn't this the one with Nicole Kidman? Possibly the best thing I've ever seen her in.

I'm sure you're right, and yet many people see immediately asking for a lawyer as proof of guilt. I've seen it often. Then again, I don't suppose that would work against you in actual court, versus the court of public opinion. "Your Honour, we know he did it because he immediately asked for lawyer." I hope I never need this advice. 😬

Couldn't agree more. People here keep commenting on how one-note the characters are and its true. It's like each person was assigned one main characteristic (ambitious, meek, conniving, feisty, etc.) and that's what you see whenever they're onscreen. This is mainly a writing issue, since most of these actors have shone in other roles.

I wish this was true, but I've always been under the impression that the families have zero control over what true crime entertainment is made from their tragedy, and get absolutely no remuneration, whether from books, podcasts, shows or movies. Maybe I'm mistaken in this belief. I just know that when watching Dateline or similar shows, I often think how much I'd hate it if someone made this kind of show about someone I know. I actually do know some people who were murdered or involved in murders, I'm shocked to think of how many. A friend was murdered. My dentist was murdered. I'm suddenly getting chills remembering sitting at a pleasant dinner in my apartment years ago with a seemingly normal man who later killed himself and his family. How would I feel if they were the subjects of a TV show, with all their family's dirty laundry being aired? I do think very worst of all would be a comedy made from the murder. But at least the victim here and her children aren't being mocked. So far they've made her seem like a good person with a nice family. Only Pam is being made fun of. Sigh. Watching true crime is such a guilty pleasure for me. So many mixed feelings about it.

You should watch! The whole thing has such a comical, OTT tone that Rene's appearance isn't nearly as distracting as it would be in a show that was trying to be realistic. I hate to say this about a show about a murdered cancer victim, but it's pretty fun!

I watched the story on Dateline and listened to the podcast, but I was really looking forward to seeing this. I never expected it to be narrated by Keith Morrison. That cracked me up. I feel bad for the victim's family, having their terrible story presented in such a satirical manner, but at the same time I'm really enjoying it. Rene's fat suit is bothering me less than I expected, probably because the whole show has such a comical tone. A whole week till episode 2! Too long.