Souvlaki

While writing a long-winded post about my observations vis-a-vis Ramona dating Tom, Dorinda introducing Tom to Luann, Dorinda and Ramona's friendship, and Sonja's past with Tom, and then pondering, doing a brief Google search for a few items of press, and pondering some more, I think that the mechanics of this show are either getting sloppy or I have too much time on my hands, but either way this repeat of the Harry Dubin Love Triangle is just plain weird to me. I'm going to attempt to sift through everything, because apparently this season's drama is not quite as interesting for me so much as the possible motivations behind it all. I apologize if I'm repeating anything mentioned, and reading the posts from you guys has been a major help. When I say the mechanics of the show, I mean the result of these women trying as hard as possible to insert themselves into drama for camera time. Of course they will, they always have, but this Tom thing is just ridiculous. Every one of the ladies who is involved in the current drama over Tom fought for more money, including Dorinda who lost out. That's more than half of the cast so it doesn't necessarily mean anything, but I have to start somewhere. It also seemed to piss Bethenny off, but what doesn't these days. Bethenny and the blow up with Luann : This was what first confused me and took me out of what I was watching and pondering about what I wasn't seeing. Like I've said, I've always been able to follow Bethenny's logic on the show, even if I don't necessarily agree with her. Most of the time I find her very observant. At the time, there just weren't any good reasons for her to blow up at Luann that they showed, but one thing was for sure — with all of the cursings and derogatory sexual remarks about Luann sleeping around, it probably had something to do with men, or specifically a man. So why was Luann's personal life anything that Bethenny should lose her shit over? It didn't make sense and there was plenty of dancing around in their scenes together, and excuses were thrown around in a rather passive aggressive manner, probably because it all came down to the show again. Ugh. Ramona and Dorinda's friendship and the wonderful matchmaking skills of Dorinda: Dorinda is coy. I like her more now than I did the first half of this season. She doesn't try to repeat herself 18 times about something because she knows about editing and needs her bleeding vagina problems to make it on air (I guess the producers now find it funny to air every mention. Music to your ears, no?). Instead, she goes around planting seeds and being so wonderfully sincere in her efforts because she just cares, she can't help it, and then she just sits back and waits to see what will bloom. If her and Ramona were close, and Ramona and Tom dated, and that fact was in the press (interestingly enough, when other relationships of Ramona's were not) would Dorinda not stop to consider that Ramona might react ... well, like Ramona? Are we to believe that she didn't mention it to Ramona at all? That it wouldn't seem like a bit of a set up for television? Not if it is, and not if it helps everyone involved, essentially. But I guess we can't get to that until the reunion, if ever, because it's a lot of fourth wall stuff and that's annoying. Ramona hasn't proven herself to be the most astutely self - aware person, and I guess that's fortunate for her because I really cannot tell when she's amping things up for television and when she's just overreacting, but she's trying a bit too hard to be hurt over a guy she dated a few times over half a year ago. Her clumsy attempts can be amusing but ultimately I'm left wishing that there were other things she would busy herself with. Sonja is pretty much doing the same, but she tends toward wistful, which just makes me sad for her. I've been sad for Sonja for... gosh, maybe every season since she initially appeared, and it can be exhausting. I like fun Sonja a lot, though. I wonder if Sonja realizes the sad clown archetype that she's portrayed as, poor thing. So I guess what I'm asking myself now is how much I believe in the authenticity of Luann's relationship, or how authentic Tom is knowing what I've read about the contracts and knowing the circumstances of Luann and Tom meeting (being introduced by Dorinda being suspect in and of itself) , and his alleged relationships with her costars. She really seems quite happy. I totally bought it all and I probably will still continue to just so I don't give myself a headache, but something doesn't really feel right and hasn't for awhile on the show and I've been trying to figure it out. Has Luann and Tom been spotted together in the press after filming at all?

Right? I used to work there. I honestly thought we'd be seeing more of it because it seemed clearly like it was a sponsored event. The candy bar they went to in a previous episode also has a location inside of Mohegan Sun. I'm embarrassed for Ramona and Sonja. Particularly Ramona. Her lack of self awareness can be amusing, but this isn't cute. They both want to play the victim and make Tom into a villain. It's weird to me that Tom dated all three of them, but I would want to save face and appear happy for Luann. It's possibly quite awkward for them to take a trip with Tom, but clearly his dalliance with either of them wasn't serious enough to merit demanding anything of Luann. And Bethenny seems the least happy about all of this, she can hide in the shadows and dance around it in every conversation and argument she has with Luann, but she's clearly not happy for her. I wonder how much she was in Sonja and Ramona's ear talking shit and encouraging their outrage. She makes up with Sonja and suddenly Sonja suddenly goes from confused but wishing Luann well to being quite spiteful about it all. I don't know how to feel about Tom, but it's obvious that Lu is so happy. So much so that I can't help but to put her and Bethenny, both women allegedly in love, side by side for comparison, and it becomes even more apparent that Bethenny is pretty miserable for someone supposedly in such a happy place in her relationship. That article that I read about her finding out and being outraged that Luann would dare usurp her spotlight by announcing an engagement on the show is making more and more sense to me and it's really pretty gross. If you're truly happy and in love, that should be so much more than reality TV fodder. It shouldn't send you into such a tailspin to find out another women has found the same, imo. I'm sorry to hype on Bethenny for those of you who like her, but I really think she's responsible for so much of the negativity we see on the show. (if there was an episode that came out yesterday I haven't seen it yet, so I'm posting this here)

I don't really mind Bethenny either way, but yeah, I'm used to her being able to make her points a lot more clear and being more pragmatic — I can usually follow her reasoning, even if I don't agree with it, especially in the case of her blowout with Luann, whom she's picked several issues to have with this season. She seems often like she's fighting half of this battle on behalf of Carole as well, and it's just unnecessary. She certainly used her for much of the reason why at that dinner with Lu, anyway. That was weird to me too. Before the show, she was friendly with them both, so now it just looks like these very cliquey alliances are forming for the show. Alliances which more often than not don't seem to work in your favor on shows like these anyway (hi Jill). I wish I had a better read of her friendship with Carole. Her and Lu, too actually. Or possibly it's a fourth wall issue that's frustrating her. Some sources have said that she found out about Luann being engaged and went a bit nuts because she had been planning a dating announcement of her own. Talk about self righteous. I just don't buy the behaviors or moral character of Lu that she listed to be all that offensive to her. (except that thing about her wanting to film with the BH cast, that was quite embarrassing) Her dinner with Luann was hilarious but some of her TH reeked of this hostile sexism that was just gross to me. She said something like "Luann just needs a warm hole. It doesn't matter which one" and my jaw dropped. Tell me how you feel about John again, sweetheart. She seems visibly rabid about Lu's sex life and none of the women are happy about Luanne getting married. Only —unlike Sonja — they can't simply sit Lu down and ask her not to 'compete with Bethenny'. Lol. I wonder if this will be cleared up at the reunion. Not since maybe season 3 have I felt like there were so many weird underlying issues going on behind the scenes. I hate to be paying attention for that while I'm watching this but I can't really help it. Something is just missing to me.

I'm just tired of everything being all 'cool' when or once a HW "owns her shit". You mean when she cops up to what we can ALL see going on in our screens? Just because these broads are notorious for their excuses and flat out denials in the face of the truth it isn't going to make me fall on my knees and gasp "ooh, how brave of you to have everything you have AND be SO honest, too!" Lisa Rinna and her bs on BH about this didn't make me like her any more than LVP who is simply more skilled at dodging more bullets than her on TV and left her with no choice. She might as well have been crying they she was upset LVP was more clever than she at dodging the bullets that she could not. So yeah, I know we'll be at the reunion where Bethenny will 'own everything' she's said or done, as she has, and I've never been impressed by that and nor will I ever be. She still said it, and it was cold and vile and pretty cool much started with being annoyed about being teased about a haircut. I don't think it's the whole story between them, but it doesn't give Bethenny any rights or passes to talk in the manner of the wolves she was supposedly raised by. I guess she's bilingual this season, impressive. Maybe she could have used that bark of hers to instruct the dogs to shit in the right places.

Does anyone see Bethenny in this list? I personally just kept checking, 1,2,3 and so on, down the line. Of cost http://elitedaily.com/life/motivation/the-25-things-that-people-with-type-a-personalities-do/

Do you recall those old 'Xena, Warrior Princess' shows with Lucy Lawless? She first appeared in that Hercules show in the 90's, and then got her own spin off featuring her with another blonde girl and there are, er, probably a bunch of fanfics out there about the two of them if I could guess. I thought she was a spoof of that because she kept referencing Sampson as 'Herucles' and all the man-eating commentary, but I'm also not very familiar with Arianna. Could be a bit of all of it. I'm always amazed at all the detailed references they use and pull from on this show.

I think you hit on some big truths about how much these quacks profit off of a person's fears, and it's disgusting. I would simply have sympathy for Yolanda for what she's dealing with; the fact that she seems to choose to play it up, and she's talking about parasites, and just generally seems so fragile in her psyche makes me feel a lot of pity for her. Right now I'm not really getting any ideas that she's lying about how terrible she feels, she's cried many times and it's only episode 2! I just think that it's think more than that, that she's in a very dark place with her depression over her failed marriage, and it's a complicated host of things that she's letting eat away at her. Depression and stress alone can cause a good amount of psychosomatic illness, as Kyle had discussed with Lisa. I don't think it's a coincidence that things got worse as her marriage deteriorated, and I always saw a sort of dependent nature on her 'king'. I wonder if it's easier for her to distract herself from facing that huge loss, and instead, focus on something that she feels more in 'control' of right now, like investigating her health. She just seems so defeated and scared, and I hope that she recognizes that working on her mental state with a credited professional, such as getting therapy, will benefit her children and her state of mind getting better is really necessary (imo) at this point for feeling better physically; that milking sympathies reveals a lot of insecurity to me, and it's just... very sad. * I had a relative that went through such a similar situation, so I may be projecting at this point, but I know what fear and insecurity can do, how powerful it can be. I feel very sorry for Yo. This is a perfect example of money and happiness not being mutually inclusive. In fact, all the money she has to throw around trying one thing after another seems like it's done more harm than good at this point. Side note on Ken and the mumu comments and Yolanda looking unwell - I feel like he's trying to be cute and it ain't working for me, he's quite the judge of the women's looks so far this season. Hunty, maybe do something about that hairchild of Rod Stewart and a bag of cotton balls that you have on your head before you throw shade. The irony is thick.

I agree with that. Do I think it's a bit less jealousy and a bit more wounded pride? I do, if one thinks there's a difference. Do I think any hurt feelings she had stem from selfish means vs. giving a shit about Sonja? Yup. Doesn't make her a 'bad' person to me, it's just annoying. Because it's true— at the very least, her dismissal of indifference toward Sonja isn't subtle if it isn't mean. I just think she should own her words- or tell us she's learning a new tune, at least.

Really... being 'uncool' of her niece, too. I agree that the bulk of responsibility for hurt feelings is Adam's issue and this is making Lu look a bit silly. Although... I wonder if they're implying in any way that Carole coerced him into staying and filming... which leads me back to my original point, not a good look, envy—though I personally haven't seen any reports of her being mad (edit: I think the "IDGAF" was honest, but an unnecessary thing to say irl) and I need to rewatch most of this episode. If I were Nicole, I would stay mum and ditch the idea of a friend in this guy, let alone a relationship. I wonder how she feels about Lu's commentary. There are so-thousand Adam-doppellegangers roaming New York in their beanies. I sometimes wonder if this "cute" thing they're trying to make out of half of these women being single and their stories about going after younger men are to get a younger crowd watching or something. I don't mind the play, but it would be nice to see a few serious dates. (objectively debates Carole's bikeride)

It's actually funny to me that Heather is pissing off Bethenny right now. I don't care if she's wrong for it, something about seeing Bethenny explode gives me glee. It used to be when it was directed at some dimwit, but she's herself just been so debasing and off-putting- even her compliments are thrown backhanded. She reminds me a bit of a spider of a woman sometimes, the way she never seems to even LOOK relaxed, so different from where she was, much more relaxed in season 3. I will say that she looks tired, but much better in filming than I thought she might. (She does do some great WTF expressions, too) Months before the news that she'd be filming broke I was worried about her health. She was acting unstable and didn't look so well.

yup, looks like we've got our regular Uncle Trustworthy character for the season. It didn't work the first time as an aside, and I'm disgusted, whether it's organic douchery, or if Dorinda just has a strange affinity for dunces. He's gross coming from a Yesterday away.

I might just be used to it now on the runway, or maybe it was the girls of my generation, who instead plucked their brows to oblivion to be in trend, but I kind of like the aesthetic of a strong brow, if done well. Dorinda's daughter has lovely strong features for the look but could tone it down a bit, I understand being on camera, being that young and wanting to peacock it a bit - but she's in that makeup space where I can't tell if she's 15 or 25.

Is that the real blurb from their site?! International dance stars, because don't most of us strive to go to the gym at CUT in hopes of performing one day for high society on stage in Prague. I've had a few "sweat inducing dreams". I like to call them nightmares. I'd prefer not to see them come true, thanks Tams. I'm pretty certain that Dante accidentally may have left out one circle of hell, and it was CUT fitness.

Edited because of misinformation, for some reason I thought it was before Gigi rode that I thought that almond situation had happened. Thank you to MatildaMoody, who's memory I know is surely better than mine for these things. Danke. =)

And isn't it so cruel to note, on camera the fragility of someone and then hit them on every breakable spot? Sociopath. Every time ratstunk Tamra or Miss Terry and Madame started their obnoxious squeaking I wished I had the Pied Piper on speed dial.