SandyToes

I agree with all of this. And it is hard to say if this was producer manipulations, coincidence, etc. However, I think the fact that the owner couldn't really account for over one million dollars that had been "invested" was a huge issue. Giant truck? And still no money for payroll? Add in a Ponzi scheme, and it suddenly made me wary. I'm guessing that the money was also part of the scheme in some way. I think Marcus did a public service by showing that he didn't allow the check to be cashed until all the T's were crossed and I's dotted. Creepy vibe all around. What a bizarre work environment. Regarding the Ponzi scheme - looks like Youtube videos were part of the sales approach. Didn't Erik rip his "sales manager" a new one for not having reviewed their Youtube channel ads? (and criminy - he built a business on that ad?!) Youtube marketing in both cases sounds a little too cozy for me. But then, I'm old, so maybe that's the new way to build a business.

Will's whole body just smiles! Those little arms and legs a-flailin'! The time-out thing was hilarious. We had the same thing happen at our house. I was out of town, 5-year old daughter reported "Daddy was very bad", and told him to sit in time out. He did. I was on the phone, with tears down my face trying not to laugh. My colleague thought I was having a heart attack. Kids learn "the rules" and I love watching them apply them. I really appreciate that while this family/show may manufacture some events to be filmed, they are at least the kinds of things most of us would do (or have liked to do) at some point. And I totally would have snuck back in and rearranged the truck and car stickers, too. At least some of them. This family is just goofy enough and makes enough mistakes to be real and relatable. Especially considering what an extraordinary family they really are.

OMG! What a jerk! I'm glad Diana is out - hope she is doing well with a new company. I'm amazed that company made any money at all. I checked the the website during the show, and saw they were still using the old name and logo and figured either (a) they couldn't change until the show aired, or (b) Marcus bailed. Smart man. I'd be interested to know how the SEC investigation played out. Skakey business all around.

We got nuthin' today. All hail Soccer! (blech) And won't for the next two or three days. We are expecting more rain, you know. Enjoy! i will happily be awaiting the recaps and snarkishness. Just have to get Mr. Toes home from the airport tonight, and then we can settle in. AngelaHunter, heard on the radio the goons may be in Mexico by now. I'll keep an eye out if they float by. (And man, what a twosome to have on the loose! Bets on when we see this in a TV movie?!) In JJ news, I was watching oldies late last night. Had to mute it and ignore it - just icky people and cases all around. JJ did a lot of "parenting coaching" to some mom who's do-nothing son "smokes weed." Son was the def, and mom just sat there on the witness seat. Just yucky. I need me some good fashion, some good names, and some interesting cases. Maybe we should start trolling our own local small claims court docs and see if we can't send her some better cases!

Just getting to this one - loving Will making cookies. Wants his knife to cut the butter (just like Mom), and I thought his speech was right on. Too sticky, making cookies, stirring, lots of good vocabulary. Loved "Watch me!" hee. So very typical of kids. Thinking what their lives were like 18 months ago makes their progress pretty great, I think. Bill and Jen went from two to four nearly instantaneously, plus all the very serious health issues. Loved the Christmas light business - very typical in parts of Houston. It's easy to go overboard when you are so excited about something. In many ways, this is their first real Christmas as a family - Jen was so sick last time (and we only saw part of what she went through.) Loved Jen's reaction to all the lights and inflatables. :-) Everything we see them do as a "tradition" is brand new for this family - I feel honored to be allowed to watch them create their family memories.

The other twin baby went home recently. Just in time for Fathers' Day.

I wonder about this all the time. For the really, really old cases, yeah, there are new techniques, etc. But for those cases in the past 10 years, it often seems like there are BIG holes, or big witnesses who'd you think would have surely come forward if not at the time of the crime, certainly within the intervening years. (Like this case, or the one with the notary public who didn't witness signatures). It also seems like this season not only have there been more "the DA is reviewing the case" cases, but also a lot more questions left for us, the viewers. I wonder if that is a direct result of the few cases that have gone to trial after episodes air, and problems arise, therefore, less info is being shown on air. Hmmmm... Very frustrating to not see resolutions to some of these cases.

Looks like I picked the wrong week to run out of blood pressure medicine. Criminy. Hellllloooo Ben and Jerry! Almost as therapeutic...

We do something similar to this, for exactly this reason. You want me to come change a light bulb? Sure. That'll be $100. Oven goes out? That's on us. Junior Toes and I saw this today on the previews - backed it up and watched it a couple of times. Howling!! More fun than the actual case! She looks like a real charmer.

Honestly, between the rain,the snow, the ex-cons (and scary business, that!), soccer and whatever other sporting event, it's like we need to create out own episodes. We could take turns. Everyone create an episode within their individual realm of "expertise", and being mindful of course, of the drinking game rules, I'll bet the stuff we'd create would rival the real cases. Imagine the snarkable opportunities!! I'm beginning to wonder if JJ even works one month a year. We got SOME new eps for May sweeps - has there really been that much else that has been new? I love the comments here about the old eps, but the true gems come from the new stuff. Carry on comrades.

Never mind. My server is on the fritz. Surgery confusion all cleared up.

AngelaHunter, I'm just gonna have to trust you on this one... (wink, wink) If any guy I was two weeks into dating was unemployed and asked for $800, I'd have hit the road but fast. Dimbo.

Hey, AngelaHunter, maybe you need to organize a road trip! It would get me out of the rain (gad! perhaps an "ark trip" ) and Bratinella out of the way of those scary T-Things! I think we would all make an excellent audience. And none of us would get thrown out! Well, except maybe ToasterStrudel if she started throwing those gavels around.... Or Teebax if it was an insurance/not-insurance case... ;-) Big ole' hug of welcome to Mondrianyone. Love the name and the photo! hee!

Loved seeing them all back, and the kids flourishing. Just babbling and learning all the time. The Jell-O "ad" didn't bother me - it seemed like what I would have done when my kids were learning their letters. Wouldn't surprise me if the show didn't contact Jell-O after filming and say, "Hey, have we got a deal for you!" I saw Bill and Jen on the Kelly and Michael show last week, and they were asked about being filmed all the time. It seems production is more often invited in to film "interesting" things, rather than just non-stop filming that is spliced and put together. Dog walking not usually an interesting event, but with two toddlers, parents roughly the same size as the kids, and one injured, and THAT becomes a show. Just day-to-day things that are taken for granted by many of us become real events for this family. Heartwarming and just a little bit hysterical all at the same time. One of the twins got to go home for Mothers' Day. It was big news here, but I didn't know Jen had been a part of it. Surgery was back in February. It is remarkable to me how at ease she is in that environment. What a gift to the medical community. And to us viewers!

I think our dear JJ was confused, too. She doesn't usually ask litigants for their FIRST names. She wasn't sure if it was Mr. or Ms. The halterview was a surprise! The story about the state's attorney from Baltimore (?) who was a JJ plaintiff is making the rounds on national news. Ha. Glad she was at least on the winning end, and not one of the wackos who normally grace the stage.

Googly Eyes! I found her, all my ownself! (Lhasa Apso vs. PIt Bulls and some Mercedes car flap.) Although, watching the Mercedes case, it was hard to tell who was googlier - Googly Eyes, or the Plaintiff. This whole episode would have also made a good "makeover" episode on Oprah. Between the Pit Bull owner/non-owner's teefs and momma's hair color, everyone could have used a tidying up. I am so shallow. It is good that I am so perfect that I can pass judgement on everyone else. :-/

I had a hard time at first with the Mr. Landy case. Just kind of sad. I was greatly relieved when Sugar Baby got the smack down. Justice! And that must have been one helluva TV for that much emotion! Yowza.

Hookah! Fluka'! Wooten! What a bunch of weirdos. Party boy hangin' with a bunch of 18 year-olds, and come to find out he's married? Hope wifey watched the case and hit the road. I cannot even imagine choosing to sue someone when I was 18 years old. Of course, times were different back in the dinosaur days.

Bratinella, I was wondering last night if you had any wine and cookies left! It got just a little soggy in my neck of the woods last night. (Woke up this morning to 25 different weather advisories, most of the "River flooding" variety!) JuniorToes has at least learned to park in the driveway when it rains. We missed the bulk of it last night - hit our side of town a week or so ago. Thanks, Intocats for your kind thoughts. Hurricane season starts on Monday (woo hoo!), so keep 'em comin'! Hopefully, Bratinella will be done with the Very Bad T-things very soon. I grew up in the land of Oz, so remember those, too. Not so many here, but just so much water. Missed all of the afternoon eps, except for the two gals arguing about drinking in a bar. Cool magenta hair. Shows were "pre-emptied" by talk about water, flooded cars, more water everywhere. Like it (or me) was going to go anywhere... Sigh. Missed the African Queen again. Hopefully can catch Esther the Queen some day - that sounds fun, too! Stay safe everyone - whatever your particular hurdle is this week!

That would be perfect! I missed it the first time around. Off to set the DVR, just in case...

Argh! Idiot on the rerun today. Uses a random friend's credit card (but can't pay it back), then borrows cash from same friend (because she couldn't cover rent.) JJ: Why don't you get a job? Idiot Litigant: I don't need a job. (!!) JJ: You can't pay your bills! Get a job! IL: I've never had a job. He supports me. JJ: You have children? (yes) How old? (2) Why aren't you married after 7 years together? IL: We are TOO YOUNG! OMG. And so pleased with herself. I need a funny case. Please?

Bratinella, I'm virtually sending you a bottle of wine and a package of Oreos to keep you sane in your weather bunker. Stay safe. We get your weather a little later, and not usually as bad as what you have. Got makin's for soup and tres leches cake all ready for a day spent in the rain. I also have my box of Clairol Perfect 10 in Butterscotch all ready to go. Sigh. Need to look spiffy just in case you see Mr. Toes and me on JJ as the nasty landlords, ya' know. Hugs.

Absolutely. For as painful as Elliot was for many of us to watch, I think he really understood his boat, his job, and every part of the process. Something breaks? HE was usually he one down there with the fix. Alarms went off on the CM, and Casey heads down below, Josh lights up. As I recall, Josh wasn't even that much into working the deck the seasons he did that. I remember Phil being surprised that it was his son Jake that showed such an interest, and there was conflict between the boys later when Josh did show up and had less seniority than little brother. A sign then, to me, of "entitlement." But that may be my faulty memory. When I worked at a restaurant many years ago, new managers had to to learn and work every job in the joint for several days. They bussed tables, they ran the dishwasher, worked as bar backs, tended bar, cooked, waited tables, every job for several days. If they were going to lead, they had to know how everything worked. They were generally well-respected for it, and the bonus was when things got really rough, if needed, there was an extra hand who could REALLY help, not just bark, "Hurry Up!" I always enjoy the DC shows where the old-timers are challenged by the crew. Was it Phil who did the rope coiling? He showed them young whipper-snappers he still had the goods. Can't see the same kind of respect/admiration for Josh at this stage. Maybe in time, but he'll have to earn it. As for Jake A - just love that kid. Do you remember way back, when Sig gave him the jacket? All he wanted was that jacket. He did every awful, horrible thing they threw at him in order to prove he was worthy of that jacket. I hope when Sig and the brothers finally hang up their hats, Jake takes over. Mandy can run the business end, but let Jake run the boat.

Espresso Gal is one of my most faves. Just her whole attitude. hee.

Loving the car hits brick wall case. Best litigant name in a long time: Tashma Body. Sounds like the name of a rap song. And totally groovin' on her hair! As a WASP with boring, dishwater blond hair, I am amazed at the architectural hairstyles that others can create. Not being cheeky here - I really am amazed. Trailer Park seniors - I got the distinct impression the lady was a scammer. ETA: Oooh oooh oooh! "Did you have a triple shot of espresso today?" "No, actually it was five." in the previews for 'next time!'