Pepper Mostly

Love this, tennisgurl! Especially if we get to see Faith and Amy moving to a gay friendly city and moving into a duplex with Gran.

Well, my position vis a vis Adam and Rachel has evolved! Last week I was all "don't do it Rachel!" But now....in a weird way I think they could help each other. Each one knows where the other is coming from and they don't have to front at all. I even caught myself thinking "wow, you know, Rachel would be great in the hotel business! She knows what people want and is a genius at de-fusing a situation...." holy moly, show! She was kind to Faith and I really appreciated that. Chet was kind to Quinn, too! Huh. But now Jay is outed as another horrible person, and Shia--oh my god. Her ambition has gotten in the way of her judgment and good sense. Oh, and yes, Jeremy is a douchebag. Dude, leave her alone.

I knew she genuinely loved him when she crawled into his lap and curled up like a little girl a couple of episodes ago. She was looking for comfort and that's where she went. Who knows the history? But she loves him. That's the only way he'd have the power to hurt her so much.

See, I think he kept Faith mostly to fuck with production. Once he found out that he doesn't really have any control, he wanted to do something to mess around with the story production wanted to tell. He's got enough human kindness to feel bad about how the production views Faith as comic relief. But once he picked her, I kind of sensed a "oh, shit. now what?" vibe from him. He picked her to be a thorn in production's side, and now she has expectations, and he has to remember that she's a person. And he's trying to draw Rachel in to his story--he comes across to her as if they co-conspirators, with his sly glances to her and his flirtyness. She knows it, too. Sometimes she lets him believe it, since it suits her purposes. I don't think any other suitor has been able to go toe to toe with her in a battle of wits (probably most of them took the gig at face value, enjoyed hanging out with a bunch of beautiful women and did as they were expected to do) and that throws her off balance a little. I don't think either one of them is evil. I think Adam is very accustomed to getting what he wants, and knows how to work the charm. He's spoiled and narcissistic, and and opportunist, but I'm sure if asked, he'd wink and say he's a good boy, but sometimes he's naughty. Rachel knows what she does is terrible, but she is good at it and while she knows she's messing with people, she can't help but be proud that she's good at it. I'm sure they both tell themselves that its a cynical world and to get ahead they have to play by those rules.

It wasn't very clear, but I think only some of the women were picked for the winery date--they showed Faith getting an envelope with the invitation, but her roommate didn't. so some of the women were left behind? So the women eliminated were chosen only from the ones who went to the winery. I didn't have an issue with Anna not being featured this episode--its pretty common in reality shows for a person to be highlighted one week and barely shown the next.

I didn't necessarily think he'd kiss Maya, but Mary was the last person I thought he would choose! I think he picked her because he knows that the showrunners have cast her as the desperate single mother, not as a sexy contender, and he wants to mess with their paradigm. Poor Adam wants to feel like he's in control. He keeps getting put in his place pretty soundly, but he keeps trying. That's why I think he's playing Rachel. Its a game to him. He doesn't respect any of the women on the show. He thinks he can win any woman. Rachel's a challenge, he can't resist trying to win her (think of Valmont and Mme. de Tourvel). Not because he wants her, but because she says she doesn't want him. Anything like a romance between them would be a disaster, though. I hope for the sake of Rachel's tenuous sanity, she stays away. Nobody is going to come out of this unscathed!

Sooooo, Veeral's sister is a producer on a reality show, then? She must do something in TV, she was very practiced and smooth in her hosting responsibilities. I felt bad for her husband, though. He was probably told to sit there and look supportive, but not talk! He spoke up, what--once? All kinds of wrong having Christian's parents there. Why? He can't check in to a hotel but did they really feel that he and Maria needed their protection at the dinner? Maria works? She sells flowers full time now? Maria seems like a sweet kid and I think she definitely has a spine. I was glad to see her stick up for herself. Of course she wanted to get married--she was probably virtually in purdah at her parents' house. Getting married is probably a ticket to the world for a Gypsy girl. Once married, she can go out and have fun, either with her husband or her girlfriends or sisters. No wonder she was upset, she thought she and Christian would go out to eat, or to the movies, or to the mall. (like my young 20-something son and all his friends do, all the time!). Not just clean and sit around watching Christian play XBox. Oh, yay--Josh's poisonous mother again. What a horrible horrible person. "We train Meghan, we correct her" She's not a puppy, you nasty old hag.

Chet cracks my shit up, he's SUCH a slimeball. The fact that Quinn seems to actually truly love him humanizes her for me. Chet doesn't give a shit about her or anyone--he's all about being on top, being the king of all her surveys, even if all he surveys is a crappy reality show. He continually extracts his pound of flesh, even if he doesn't benefit or couldn't possibly need it, which is why I found him demanding a quid pro quo from Rachel credible. He has to let everyone know who's boss. He does a lot of coke so he's even more of a legend in his own mind. I agree with this. When you're watching a real reality show, different people are highlighted at different times. We caught a glimpse of Maya, and Faith, and Shaniqua. I love that attention to the the little details like that. Great moments: When Athena grabbed that magazine out of the trash my heart stopped and I was all "oh fuuuuuuuck....Rachel is done for" but of course not!! Like she'd ever be that careless. The look of disgust on Adam's face as he was "doing his duty" with Kelly. Man. He thinks he's in charge and gets put in his place repeatedly. You have to give the lad points for confidence but every single time he thinks he has the upper hand he gets snapped back. The women vying for his attention are the only ones he seems to be able to influence. I think he was positively gleeful at eliminating Athena. And picking sad Mary for the onscreen kiss. He knew she'd be the most grateful.

I KNOW. I watched the whole show with my mouth hanging open. "I loved him. I still love him. he's dead". How is it ok in anyone's world to marry your molester and have kids with him? How do the mother and daughter have any kind of relationship? Where was the boyfriend/husband all those years? Were they having Saturday night suppers at the family home? Movie nights? my blood runs cold, really. There is enough fucked-upedness there for a slew of Lifetime movies. Ruthann's affect was really strange. I mean, most hoarders have a strange affect, but hers was especially so--she ducked her head and giggled like a middle schooler. She did that flirty, sidewise glance. She was like Bette Davis in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane. Creepy.

This is an excellent point. The contestants and the workers in the trenches are all hosed. Equal opportunity exploitation.

Thanks to all of you for the great discussion! I've been playing catch up all day. I have just one tiny thing to add--as I was watching I was musing, while watching Ryan D. in action "I bet Goodfellas is his favorite movie." then Jess confronted him with the mystery Valentine's card, and he answered JUST LIKE Ray Liotta does when his wife confronts him about his girlfriend visiting him in jail! "I can't control who comes to see me!" he protests. Ryan says "I can't control who sends me mail!" in the exact same tone and inflection. I laughed like a hyena. Oh Ryan. I'm firmly team Davina right now. I think she's gotten a bum deal. She behaved like a lady and never lost her cool. If she has high expectations, well, so what if she does? Many a single woman has heard "You're too damn picky" more than once. She has a right not to settle. She has a lot of loyal friends and that says something. Where are Sean's friends? Jaclyn is still my fave. What a great girl, I wish her the best.

And that was what Rachel was expecting and she engineered that exchange so that Anna would ask for them. Rachel is very, very good at her job. Sadly her job is being an absolute moral cesspool. No wonder she's messed up. She's not a bad enough person to glory in it. She at least sometimes realizes that the contestants are real people.

I agree and one of the things I find fascinating is that we're talking about and relating to the characters like its a real reality show! Bitch Britney, sweet Faith, misunderstood Anna. Its hilariously and horribly meta. These are actors playing reality show contestants--its totally messing up my head, in a great way, LOL.

This show is without doubt my crack for this summer. I love it. I watch a lot of reality TV (though not the Bachelor/Bachelorette) and I love seeing the devious, soulless manipulation of the production staff, the desperation of the cast, the slowly dawning realization of the "suitor" that he is in way over his head. He was so cocky! It meant nothing, he could handle it, he was sure that he was smarter than a bunch of American TV hacks. I agree with feverfew that both he and Rachel wish they could be better people but haven't really made the decision to actually do the work to make that happen. Well, Rachel had started, working with a therapist, doing community service, paying back the damages, trying to take responsibility and get her life in order. Its so easy to fall back into old grooves. I do like her, even when I'm watching from behind my fingers. She IS good at what she does, and I can understand why she takes pride in that, even as she recognizes that she's doing something despicable. Her manipulation of Anna is masterful, and horrible. The show is far, far darker than I expected, and I am totally OK with that.

I want him to burst into tears and run from the room, calling for his mother. But I'm mean like that.

If any of them have straight jobs I'll eat my hat. We've only ever seen Nina hustling flowers in bars. That whole "roofing" scene was so staged it was ridiculous! None of them looked as if they had the slightest idea what they were doing!

Hahahaha, guess not, mojito! Here in Boston we only swill down Sam Adams and Fenway franks, while wearing Patriots t shirts and Red Sox caps.

Oh, the Perfect Southern Cocktail Party, with elegant nibbles like real Ritz crackers! Klassy! none of those cheap, knockoff crackers, mind you. Dear lord. And those two hags cackling over the banana pudding! Godawful. Did I hear Nina say there weren't any "broads" at the party for them to scope out for Peter? Broads? She's in Guys and Dolls all of a sudden? My theory is that the word is out in the Gypsy community about what a living hell it is for a young bride in their family, and the whole community is locking up their daughters. Veeral and Ragini are completely, totally staged. You can see that the parents can barely contain their mirth in the talking heads. Even Ragini can hardly keep a straight face sometimes. Don't you sign the marriage certificate with your maiden name? The whole thing was ridiculous.

haha, ChicGirl, I love that movie! "I hate veiny veal". I'm making it my life's mission to introduce my son and his friends to the great movies I love from the 70's and 80's. I hope Lovers and Other Strangers is on netflix!

Agreed. It boggles my mind that in the United States in 2015 people are living this medieval life. Time to join the 21st century. Maria won't leave. Where would she go? Her parents won't take her back--they've probably already spent the money Christian's parents paid for her. She's 17, no education, no resources, probably a deep distrust of any gadje (non-Gypsy), who she's been trained to avoid since childhood. And if Christian can't even be arsed to talk to her he's not going to be showing her much consideration in the sack. They had an opportunity to open a door to a culture we don't know much about, and they give us this sad, sordid little story. Maria probably lived her whole life with her parents very, very sheltered, and looked forward to marriage so she could go out and have fun. Poor thing. How long before the inlaws are harping on her to get pregnant?

What was with Christian DEMANDING that the cameras be turned off? He said nothing in that conversation he hasn't said before. And why does Maria dress like a 40 year old file clerk? Is Christian the only one allowed to wear colors too?

If I had that poisonously sweet MIL Megan has I would jump off a bridge. She is AWFUL. They just drop by with groceries to show her how to cook? And needle her mercilessly? Poor Maria, part eleventy billiion. That poor kid. She seems pretty sharp for someone who's been isolated and probably minimally educated. Christian's parents are worse than useless. They remind me of the parents in that old movie "Lovers and Other Strangers" (1970, star studded, really funny, worth seeing!) who keep asking their son, who's getting divorced "what's the story?" Sample: Richie Vecchio: Don't you understand, Joan and I are just not happy together. Frank Vecchio: You hear that, Beatrice? They're not happy together. Bea: I heard, Frank. Frank Vecchio: So who's happy? Bea: Who's happy? Frank Vecchio: What, do you see me running around dancing in the streets? Bea: Do you see your father running around dancing in the streets? Frank Vecchio: What are you, better than me? You think your mother and I are happy? Richie Vecchio: You mean you and mom aren't happy? Frank Vecchio: [together with Bea] No! Richie Vecchio: Then why did you stay together? Frank Vecchio: [pause] We're content. Bea: We're content. Frank Vecchio: These kids today, all they're looking for is happiness. Bea: Don't look for happiness, Richie. It will only make you miserable.

oh god, that was embarrassing! Jesus Megan, its a beverage, not your lifesaving heart medication or your week's supply of heroin. Does she think she'll be kicked out of her Southern Belles local if she doesn't guzzle sweet tea? My heart breaks for poor little Maria. I bet young Gypsy girls are kept on a short leash, so when they get married, they look forward to being able to go out and do as they please. She's said so many times "I thought we'd go out, have fun". In a way, getting married is probably freedom. They can go out to dinner and to the movies and to the mall with their good looking young husbands, no one to tell them they have to be home by ten. She thought she'd have a companion and a circle of other young couples to hang out with. Instead she has pouty Christian, who can barely be arsed to have a conversation with her.

Read "Hastened to the Grave" by Jack Olsen. He talks about that very thing. And really-homeschool? Did you see a SINGLE BOOK in that house? I bet those kids can barely read and write. And the cousins dropped off the kids with no books or toys or videos? Sheesh.

I have both of Anne's cookbooks and flove them, and her. I make focaccia from her recipe all the time and her braised short ribs recipe is beyond. She is amazing and her food is to die. She is a tad over the top on teevee, but I still love her. That said, I love Hung too and I was SHOCKED that he lost.