auntiemel

See, that's the thing. Comparing adopted kids with biological kids is NOT "comparing apples to oranges." When you adopt that child, THEY BECOME YOUR CHILD. It doesn't matter what an agency told you before the adoption, just like it wouldn't matter what your ObGyn told you before the birth. You are their parents. No apples, no oranges. They are your child. Just the same as a child who came into your life any other way. If you think my take is an unpopular opinion, I invite you to Google the Myka Stauffer situation that this plotline was based on. I think you'll find that most of society feels the same way.

Yes, there are people in the world who abandon their biological children, health problems notwithstanding. But that's not really what's at issue here. The question is--would they have treated their bio kids the same way they treated their adopted kid? I think the show presented that as a no.

The parents "rehoming" the adopted girl was clearly based on the case of Myka Stauffer. And, yeah. It's not what they signed up for. But they're her parents. When they adopted her, they became her parents. Would they have given back one of their biological children?

That was my favorite part! Yeah, he's completely wasted here.

I haven't done a rewatch in a couple of years. I might start a new one now. I'm going through a phase of not watching anything new. Just rewatching old favorites. I think the uncertainty of the world has made me crave stability and comfort. FNL would be a PERFECT show to address those needs! 🙂

To me, that clip clearly looked like Camille's memory.

Just wanted to add that the dish breaking scene on the parking garage roof was one of the highlights of the series for me. When Cheyanna said, "Fuck that guy!" and threw the dish down, and you could see the legitimate surprise and delight on her face when the feeling of empowerment coursed through her, I got teary-eyed. Because, seriously. Fuck that guy. 🤬

I think Alexa nailed it when she said she has Daddy issues. She needs validation from a guy. But then it doesn't fill the void, so she tosses that guy aside and goes looking for it from the next magical guy. When he doesn't make her feel substantially different inside, she starts the process over. Pretty typical early 20s behavior. If she's self-aware enough at this point to understand the root cause, I have a feeling she'll have gotten some therapy and have herself sorted in the next 5-10 years. 🙂

Grindr guy pulled Kwame's pants down, just in the back and just enough to uncover his ass, while he was pushing him down on the bed. I'm pretty sure he penetrated him. Also, the most insidious part of the whole Zain thing to me was that he really didn't seem to think he'd done anything wrong. Otherwise, why even tell her? Why not just take the condom to the bathroom and flush it? What kind of person do you have to be to violate someone's ONE expressed boundary like that and think it's not a BFD??? I wonder if that was kind of a way of dominating her because she had experienced so much more career success than him, when he clearly thought he was more deserving. I've known a lot of guys who would have felt that was fine. Even funny. 😕 That would explain why he told her. It's not as satisfying if she doesn't know she was violated. But he can still pretend to be the Nice Guy (tm). Also, there's a good chance that he knows she was a recent rape victim. Her publisher is paying for the therapy, and she asked him "Good, or good considering?" and to me, that indicated she expected him to know. When he acted like he didn't, that was when I think she made the final decision to have sex with him. To do something that would make her feel "normal." With someone who didn't know what had happened. But, in my mind, there is a better-than-even chance that he knew, and he chose that particular way to even the scales between them in his mind precisely BECAUSE he knew. Again, I've known assholes who wouldn't see anything wrong with that. But if that's true...it's magnitudes worse, in my mind. To sexually assault someone that you KNOW FOR A FACT is still reeling from their recent sexual assault...and you know this because you've been hired specifically to help them with their work because they're not coping? FUCK YOU A MILLION TIMES. Seriously.

There's no particular kind of person who can be in denial about something like this. The brain is super self-protective when it feels threatened, and it doesn't always have much to do with personality.

I'm an author, and I SSSOOO related to the struggle to finish an almost-due manuscript in a mad rush of an all-nighter. Is it the most responsible thing? No. But I'm sure as hell not gonna pretend I've never done it! 🙂

Pretty sure it's a recent development...as in, the last few days.

I don't think medical shows need to go into Covid mode. I think of them like The West Wing when it comes to politics - an alternate universe. I wouldn't have expected them to address real-time political events. Those didn't happen in that universe. It's not a documentary.

Which is apparently now an option for Roku users! Woohoo! 😄 I'm pretty stoked. I'll start P&R over from the beginning.

And Season 5, while not perfect by any means, does have some of my favorite emotionally intense moments of the series.

I agree. I adore Maze, she's probably my favorite character, although there are several that I love (Maze, Lucifer, Linda, Amenadiel, Trixie, and Ella probably round out my top tier). And Lesley Ann Brandt is just So. Damn. GOOD! When those tears subtly shimmered in Maze's eyes while her words were saying Chloe was right, I just wanted to give her a big ol' demon hug! (Which she would probably want to take to the next level, and honestly, I would be fine with that, too! 😂) I actually loved the season when she had the storyline of having lost her faith...and really missing it, but still not being able to find it even though she was in pain from its absence, and becoming a little jaded about life and God because of that. Maybe it is just because that's a story I can relate to, and I think Aimee Garcia is adorable, and I'm a sucker for performances when generally-bubbly characters are in pain...I don't know. But I loved it.

Yeah, I reacted pretty much the same as Jen over the finale. Not ashamed. Not one little bit. 🙂

Great analogy!

Yeah, that was my first thought...hmmm...I'm sure both the committee and the union would be interested in a rundown of that conversation.

Don't you mean Honoré-ble mentions? 😄

I totally agree with this whole post! I am just now catching up on the season, and I was so annoyed that Joey was SSSOOO upset that Alice didn't tell them about Lindsay's different perception of the end of their previous relationship. If I had been in Alice's shoes, my response to the tearful why didn't you tell me would have been, "Frankly, because--and I don't say this to be mean, but--stirring up a messy situation from your relationship past is not something I plan to do in my workplace, and if I had it to do over again, I'd make the same decision. I'm sorry you're upset, but that relationship is over, and my work situation is ongoing, and the information I had was nothing that had any bearing on our present lives. PS--If I were crying to you about something I perceived you held back about my breakup with one of my exes, I feel like you would choose to place the emphasis on why I was still so focused on my past relationship and not on you. So maybe we should look at that, huh?" Yeah, I get a major Rose Byrne from Bridesmaids vibe from her. Like, she always has the be the MOST special in everyone's eyes. The closest friend, the hottest girl in the friend group, etc. And she'll make little passive aggressive digs at the people she's unseating in those positions, because that's part of the pathology. It's not enough to beat them, she also has to rub it in their faces.

Heck, yeah! Going to the movies alone is fun. I go to the movies alone, and eat in restaurants alone, too. That's another thing people seem to have a hard time with. But I figure - why should I wait until someone else is free to do something I enjoy? It's my life, my schedule - if I have a hankering for a leisurely lunch or a midday movie, I'm freaking doing it! 😄

Here's an out of the box idea...maybe she could have had some storylines that focused on, oh, I don't know...MEDICINE?

Stef and Lena are by far the most awesome thing to come out of The Fosters! I love them so much. Agreed that Freeform likely isn't the right fit, but it would be so great to see them show up somewhere!

I lived near Sherman Oaks, and worked in Sherman Oaks, for about ten years. It's pretty damn ritzy. 🙂 But it immediately borders Van Nuys and the larger North Hollywood area, and those are...not so much. 😄 So, depending on how the lines are drawn and what the overflow situation is at any given time, there could be kids going to the school who don't have as much money. ETA: There's also a big perceived ritziness divide between those that live north of Ventura Blvd or south of it. Basically, if you live in the "hills" or the "flatlands." But, damn, when everyone's house cost at least a million bucks, aren't we kinda just splitting hairs? 😂