Avaleigh

Dave Lease interviewed Elena Bechke sometime back and he was asking her why the US haven't had great success in pairs in comparison with how well they do in singles (and dance). Her take was because most Americans want their kid to be a Nathan Chen or Michelle Kwan. The average parent wants their kid to be the best in singles. It isn't until they're older or aren't having as much success as a singles skater that they think maybe my kid should try pairs (or dance). In Russia they decide fairly early on whether or not someone is better suited to pairs (or dance) and they're quickly paired up with a partner. In the US not only are skaters making the decision to go into pairs later in the game but it takes awhile to find a partner. Looking at the pairs short program--honestly, some of those teams didn't even seem like they were senior level. I hope some young skaters are inspired by the recent success of Knierim and Frazier.

Happy for Starr and Gracie. I wish Amber had been clean but nice effort overall. Bradie's program was gorgeous. Isabeau was great but I think Bradie should be in first. Sad for Gabriella Izzo. Yikes Hope they all stay strong for the long.

Yes about Adam Sio Him Fa! I first noticed him with the Star Wars program and he's had my attention ever since. I feel like he's a full package skater. Glad to see others are watching the live Peacock coverage. So glad Ting is back! I wasn't sure if she retired or not. I heard she'd been injured. I can see she's not in top form but her skating skills are still excellent. Hope that she has the jumps by next season. Hanna makes me want to cry. She could be such a stand out if she didn't let her nerves get to her. She's not a skater that's talked about much but she's great when she's on. Makes me think of all the skaters who are incredible in practice but then can't deliver when the time comes.

Watching the Europeans now. Very exciting ladies event! First, I'm enjoying Adam's commentary. It's a nice change from Johnny and Tara. I'd love it if NBC picked up Adam and Polina as their B team for the next Olympics. As for the skating: I've been rooting for Olga Mikutina for a couple of years now so I'm glad she was able to have a nice performance. Her short program wasn't my favorite in terms of the music and choreography but I really like her skating so I'm hoping I respond to her long program better. She's definitely one to watch out for if she gets the entire package in terms of memorable music and choreography. The jumps and skating skills are definitely there. Nastia Gubanova--I know she's Russian adjacent (I think they said she's never even been to Georgia before--really? That's...meh.) Anyway, I think her jumps are gorgeous and I liked the choreography for the most part. My biggest complaint is her spins. That combo spin made me wince and the layback wasn't much better. On top of that, these are the elements she chooses to end the program with? Two subpar spins are the last thing you want the judges to see? That made no sense to me. My girl Loena is such a pleasure to watch. No one in this event has the same level of joy in their skating except maybe Kurakova. She has so much fun out there. Such a bummer that she missed that combo. I was practically holding my breath. I really wanted her to have a clean skate. Disappointing, but every other element was on point. Fingers crossed for the long for her to win. Kimmy Repond, wow. Considering this is her debut season, how exciting to already be in the top 3. I preferred Olga, if I'm being honest, but it was a nice skate. I wish she could get more height with her jumps. My biggest disappointment was Ekaterina Kurakova. I was hoping that she'd come in second or even be a surprise win if Loena didn't deliver. I love her short. It's such a fun program and she's another one whose joy for skating really shines through. Hopefully the long program is flawless.

I feel bad that it feels good to learn about somebody getting fired but she's more than had it coming. I hope Erika is next. Any news on when they start filming?

I binge watched this and am hooked. I'd heard it described as a Lord of the Flies with teen girls and wasn't really sold on that description. A colleague suggested it to me though and since we have similar taste, I convinced my husband to give it a try with me. So glad we did! Misty is such a big ball of crazy, I don't know where to start in unpacking all of that. Do none of the survivors know what she did to the black box? She might be one of the most evil characters on any series I've ever seen. Just a complete psycho. Her weird ass fatal attraction shit with the coach? She admits to wanting to poison him (?!) Injuring him so she can take care of him. Not to mention she has a case of the crazy eyes. Still, all that being said, what a good character. Both actresses are doing an excellent job. I love Christina Ricci and would like to see her get some attention. She's so darkly funny here. The way she described dating at their age "like looking for chips at the bottom of a bag" was both funny and depressing. Jackie's death. I'm in the minority in that I didn't mind her going out like that. I was so worried that she was going to meet a violent end and that they'd end up eating her and she just fell asleep and didn't wake up. She got the most peaceful death a character could have in that situation so I was okay with it. It was frustrating that Jackie didn't pick up any survival skills in all those months when most of the others did. At the same time, I value that she was the only one who called out their animal like behavior and the fact that they almost killed that one guy. Now there isn't anyone around except maybe Tai who is going to be able to stand up to Lottie and her cult. Last thing I have to comment on--Shauna having brunch every year with Jackie's parents. Jackie's mother was so rude and cruel. I can't decide if it was deliberate with her rudeness or not. I'm glad the husband stood up for her. I wasn't expecting him to defend her so that felt good. Basically, Shauna wasn't as pretty as Jackie and the mom is still able to use that to make Shauna feel like shit about everything else. Shauna was smart and talented and had a bright future just like Jackie did but Jackie's mother wants to act like Shauna was a loser because she hadn't settled down with a boyfriend at the age of 17 or whatever? Like, what is wrong with this lady? On top of that she resents Shauna for living and having the colossal nerve to not be out of this world successful. Shauna has a normal life and there's nothing wrong with that. If she wants more, she still has time to fulfill some dreams. She's not a waste of space the way Jackie's mother was more or less implying. Also, those gifts of Jackie's that the mom kept giving her. I hope she never visits them again.

Count me in with those who thought this was a boring opener to the season. Not only was the episode boring but Beth is so one note. How is she not boring herself to death with her tiresome anger issues? She's a terrible human being like most of the people on this show. The other thing that I find irritating is how her alcoholism is treated like it's some sort of endearing character trait. She's not some wine with dinner or the overindulge at the occasional happy hour type of drinker. She's an aggressive, mean drunk who is unpleasant to be around (to put it mildly) when she's been drinking. Monica is even more boring than Beth. At least with Beth I can get a cheap laugh or two. Monica is just boring and sad and back in the hospital *again*. Sheridan seriously has no idea what to do with her character. The female characters on this show just aren't well written. It's too bad because both Beth and Monica could have had potential with better writers.

Dana definitely took Kevin's help for granted. I agree too that she didn't seem as concerned about his safety and understandable fear. I think because that world is safer for Kevin than Dana, she thinks he'll ultimately be okay. He isn't at risk in the way someone like Olivia is. That being said, he *is* at risk. Look how fast Tom pulled a gun on him. It's a dangerous world in general let alone for a time traveling fish out of water. I also felt how disappointed she was when he admitted that he didn't want to travel back there again. He explained that he didn't want to go back, he offered to be there for her in the present and be supportive in that way but I think she felt let down by his admission and I was hoping that she'd do a more convincing job of showing him that she genuinely understood why he didn't want to go back. It would be different if they were a couple who'd been together for a long time. In that case I'd want him to stick by her but by having them be two people who just met, I feel like your average person would want to run far, far away from that situation. If he gets stuck there for years can she really blame him if he ends up being upset with her? It's especially bad if they're aging in real time in the past because that means he's rapidly aging in the present without being able to live his life there.

I felt this way about Kevin too. Like dude, just don't show Tom how bothered you are. Keep your feelings to yourself until it's safe. It isn't going to help him or Dana if he gets on the wrong side of Tom. I really hope that Kevin doesn't change for the worst if he ends up being left behind for too long. If she doesn't go back right away, years may pass with him being stuck there. Who knows what he'll do while he's stuck in survival mode. I'm so glad that Olivia is back in the present. I hope she is able to get therapy and rest before she starts her new life. (I can't help but think of stuff like how she explains her long absence from the workforce on a resume lol.)

This makes me curious how it worked for the gens de couleur libres in Louisiana and Mississippi or the children born of slaves who'd been freed. Did they walk around with papers on them at all times? I'd be so worried about being robbed of them. It's not like they had photo ID or prints or whatever else the could use to prove they are who they say they are. That's on top of Spartan Girl's point that even if they have those things people could just choose to ignore it. Even if Dana could make it north things aren't much better there.

Yeah, I think in reality Kevin would have been out of there. With Dana screaming and scratching him and then she starts saying that her mother was dead and now she's alive... The Nightmare Neighbors are so OTT it's hilarious. Their cat goes missing and they immediately assume it has something to do with their new neighbor who lives across the street? No other possibilities? Lol. Wasn't expecting Kevin to go back to the past but it's an interesting development. Nobody in the past comments on how Dana got her black eye. It's just par for the course in their world. Sad. Kevin is the worst liar. Like why wouldn't you say you're headed north and that you're a northerner who was visiting southern relatives? Also, I couldn't decide if it was a good idea or a bad idea that he decided to pretend that Dana is his slave. I get that they didn't have the time but ideally they could have discussed which strategy would be better. I can't decide if it would have been more dangerous or not to say that she was a free WOC. What does she do if she's stuck there and something happens to him?

I read the book years ago so it isn't super fresh for me but I remember finding the story to be very intense and engaging. I'm glad it finally got an adaptation. It was long overdue. Some initial thoughts: I like the actors and think the actress playing Dana is doing a great job so far. The aunt is an interesting addition. She isn't fooling anyone--she's 100% jealous that her niece got the house. I think it was a smart decision to have the mother be stuck in the past. It really raises the stakes because now it isn't just about Dana trying to rescue herself. I'm less sure about the decision to make Dana's modern relationship so new. I mean, they just met and now she's disappearing and having what sound like hallucinations. I just feel like the average person would run or call the police or even think that *they* were the ones sleepwalking or hallucinating. I feel like if they'd had a more established relationship it would make more sense why he isn't running out of the front door. Regarding the scene with the mother (Olivia?), I get that she's in shock, I just feel like Dana should have had more questions at that point. I'd have so many! At least Olivia was asking the right questions. Do you remember me? What happened to your dad? Who raised you? How'd you find me? And, most important--Can you show me how to get the hell out of here? I wonder if there's some significance to the showrunners choosing for this to be set in 2016?

My guess is that she only regrets it because it ended up costing her daughters modeling gigs.

I'd like to see Deniss be a surprise win. Unlikely, I know, but that would be my preference. As long as he medals, I'll be happy. Alexa and Brandon in first again after the short. They must feel amazing this season.

I liked Anne's reaction too, but the facial expression that had me dead was John Major's. I think Pryce is the least Philip like of the actors who've played him on this show in terms of voice and appearance. That being said, I'm really enjoying his version of Philip and thought he killed it in his dressing down of Charles. Having Philip speak to him that way in front of everyone was more humiliating than the leaking of the tape itself. This is a time when his family should be a source of comfort to him, but his father just goes and makes it all worse. How horrible too for Diana to hear that level of intimacy between her husband and Camilla. Also, I realize that Andrew Parker Bowles cheated on Camilla too but wow, imagine having to make small talk with the guy who is having an affair with your wife *and* having to call him sir and be polite AF. The whole situation is beyond awkward.

I typically like a mixture of old and new. I feel like an entire cast reboot would be too much. I'm looking forward to RHNY whenever it debuts, but I don't know that it was necessary to give the entire cast the chop. With Beverly Hills I think I'd like to see two or three familiar faces. Let Garcelle bring a friend on and give her a chance to have someone on her team. Kyle always gets to have people on her side. It'd be nice to even out the playing field.

I agree that it's helpful to see who is being quoted. I might not remember the full context of the original quote, so it's nice to know the username of the person who made the quote if I want to look back at their quoted post. It makes for a better understanding of the conversation in the thread. At least it does for me.

Was Joyce a one and done? She's the only one of the one and dones I wouldn't mind seeing return. Most of the ladies treated her terribly for no reason.

I know this idea was floated back when Rinna made some comments about her, but what about Nicolette Sheridan? This would be an interesting kind of justice, no? She definitely has some Hollywood credentials.

I probably would have watched the final season but that's mainly because it's hard for me to quit a show if I think it was good at one point. I kept thinking that the show would get its groove back but between seasons 3 and 4 I think I maybe liked 3 episodes? I'm definitely not bummed about this. I would've been fine with them ending it with season 2 if I'd known what the story for the next two seasons would be. I'll acknowledge that season 4 was better than the dumpster fire that was season 3. The episodes in season 3 just hit the same beats over and over again.

I thought since Portia hasn't had an acting gig since 2017 maybe she'd be up for trying something different. I agree with you though that the best housewives are people who are unknown to the public. There have been some notable exceptions though. On this show I would say Eileen and Garcelle fall into that category. I also agree with you that the housewives environment has a high level of toxicity in general. Still there are a few housewives who have used the opportunity to win people over. That's what I meant when I said maybe if people saw her at home and just being herself it could maybe end up letting people see another (positive) side of Ellen. Some of the spouses on the housewives shows end up being very popular. As for annoying Kyle, I was being facetious. Probably should've used an emoji lol.

She opened with the triple flip in sequence with a double axel. Ideally she'll have the triple triple combo later in the season. Disappointing that she isn't confident enough in the lutz to include it but at least she did a clean program. It's been so long since I've seen her have a great skate.

Hmm, what about Portia? Maybe they could see it as an opportunity to change people's mind about Ellen being mean and toxic? If nothing else having another Portia on the show might annoy Kyle. She's kind of an enigma, right? How weird would it be to have a low key Hollywood life only to suddenly have a megastar for a stepsister who is similar in age?

I am freaking out over here! I've wanted a performance like that from her for so long! Awesome job, Starr!! <3

I didn't know that Alyssa Milano had a reputation for not being nice. Rinna Lite sounds vaguely terrifying lol. I just know her from Project Runway Allstars and I thought she seemed nice enough. What about Clare Vivier? She's a fashion designer who is based in LA and has some notable celebrity fans including Rashida Jones and Jessica Alba. Appears to be self made too. She's a couple of years younger than Kyle.