[S06.E12: Waterworks]

Did anyone else see that while her boring boyfriend was watching the Amazing Race, Kim was working on a puzzle that seemed to have the pieces flipped over? When I paused the screen, there was no imagery on the puzzle, which certainly helps put the pieces together. I assumed she was flexing her intellect and relieving her boredom by making the puzzle more challenging for herself by doing it "blind." 

[S03.E09: All the Bells Say]

I've been thinking all night about this finale. Obviously have questions about where this is all going to go, especially given how this season proved that lots of stuff that seems to be earth shattering in the season finale ends up coming to nothing the next season. But one logistical point of confusion from this finale:  The assumption is that Tom gave Logan a heads up about the kids planning to use the holding company provision to stop him from moving forward with the deal. Logan then calls the ex wife to get her to renegotiate and she sells out the kids. But, if Tom had NOT given Logan that heads up, and the kids had come in and "surprised" him with the holding company and using it to block his deal, couldn't Logan have just called the ex-wife then to renegotiate then?  Essentially, he didn't need advance notice to renegotiate with the ex wife to get his way, right?  I understand the betrayal by Tom (which Shiv clearly gets but maybe Roman and Kendall don't yet) is more dramatic, and I guess that is the point? 

[S08.E17: Reunion]

11 hours ago, RedHawk said:

And we don’t know how his wife and other family members are taking the loss. He may be trying to hold himself and his family together plus deal with Covid. He’s had a terrible, tough year and I think he’s just doing his best to honor his commitment to this job while hoping to get to a better place emotionally soon.

My husband and I lost our only child unexpectedly two years ago to a bizarrely severe case of pancreatitis. We can say from experience that the pandemic is doing us no favors in terms of helping the healing process and trying to figure out what our life can possibly be without her. Too much time alone with your thoughts; no opportunity to be with friends or get away and be distracted. I feel a kinship with Captain Lee and his family, and when I see him on tv and his social media, I look at how they are doing their best to carry on, which is a reminder to us that it is what we must do, what our child would want for us. But it's hard. 

[Your Honor - General Discussion]

Like many, I am annoyed by the poor writing and the plot holes. But by far the thing that has me almost irrationally annoyed is the fact that the actress playing Fia looks about 30! She's supposed to be in high school, about to make her confirmation? That puts her at 16 maximum. They couldn't do better casting for the desired age of the character?  In the scene where she greets her older brother who is newly out of prison, she looked like the older sibling by far. The Catholic school girl outfits they put her in are just making her look more absurd to me. 

[S08.E08: No Way Rosé]

Maybe there is something I am missing, but given that Elizabeth is performing so poorly and Ashling seems to be great, why does Francesca not promote Ashling to second stew and have Elizabeth in the third position and not count on her so much. She admitted she promoted Elizabeth way too early, on almost no knowledge of her work, so why not own up to the mistake and make that fix. It seems like such a glaringly obvious solution. Unless production is messing with the editing and Ashling is not the very competent, agreeable, proactive hard worker they have shown her to be.  This seems a poor reflection on Francesca and her management. 

[S05.E22: Reunion Part 2]

I’m really getting frustrated and annoyed by the many inconsistencies between the things we’ve seen on Below Deck regarding medication, the handling of food by someone other than the chef, etc., and the same things on Below Deck Med. It’s bad enough that Sandy constantly contradicts herself (Malia, get out of the kitchen now/Malia is so great in the kitchen with Tom; Kiko, you should not be so emotional/Tom’s tantrums are part of being a good chef, etc.....), but why is there such a stark difference between how things are handled between both shows—and why does Andy not seem to recognize or acknowledge this given that both shows are on Bravo. In addition to the often cited situation with Kat and her anxiety medicine, which did not seem to warrant firing her, nor was there any mention by ANYONE at the time about her having registered the medicine with the bridge. About an hour ago, Bravo was airing an episode where Kyle the deck hand has an allergic reaction to uni. While Captain Lee is sitting there, the Bosun Kelly and deckhand Nico proceed to break out a first aid bag and give him something akin to Benadryl. They even mention it will make him drowsy. Unlike Malia and her claim of needing to call a nurse on shore to get permission to get the Benadryl, no such call seemed to be made by the Below Deck crew. Are these just things we never saw? Or does Captain Sandy have a very different style and way of doing things than Captain Lee—-I know, rhetorical question.  

Aside from the drugs, Sandy’s ridiculous answer that only the chef is allowed to touch food an prepare it for the guest. Yesterday, the season with Rocky was airing and she was making a quesadilla for the guests while Chef Leon slept. No issue with a stew preparing food there.  And then there’s Malia, acting as Tom’s assistant, touching all kinds of food. Sandy certainly rationalizes things to fit what she wants or who she likes, from moment to moment. 

And I guess it’s par for the course that Sandy’s little protege Malia would show the same lack of consistency with the truth when it serves her purposes. When asked on social media—and on the reunion last night—why she didn’t have the decency to approach Hannah directly about the Valium, say to her, hey, I don’t know if you’ve reported this, but if you don’t, you’ve put me in a position that I have to, Malia said it was not her business to know what medicine Hannah was taking. What? Am I in an alternate reality. It’s not your business when you could have talked to her decently, but it is your business to rummage through Hannah’s stuff and send a photo to the captain.  

When asked why she didn’t mention the Valium when she first told Sandy about Hannah “freaking out” Malia said at the time she didn’t know what was going on, if Hannah really had Valium. But when Hannah asked her if she had found Valium for Hannah during her “freak out” Malia said yes.  Soooo, what’s your answer now Malia? Do you and Sandy think we all just turn off our common sense when you give your version of things?

I’m really glad this season is over, because it’s providing me with outrage and aggravation I don’t need.

[S05.E11: Cabin Fever]

All of the disgust with Sandy, Malia, production manipulation is so on point. And as someone who has taken anti-anxiety meds for over a decade, I am infuriated and dismayed that they dismiss a panic attack as a "freak out" and call a person taking prescription meds "on drugs."    So much for progress in understanding mental health issues and making people who have them feel less stigmatized. Maybe that stigma is why Hannah kept her valium prescription to herself!

Once I could see through the fog of my rage at the obvious set ups and Malia's spoiled brat behavior and lack of compassion and Captain Sandy's unprofessional favoritism of certain crew, I realized I was bummed out for another reason. This season started off under the theme of women in leadership positions, in a pretty much male-dominated industry. They made us think we would be celebrating them and this change for the better. Instead, these women, and their horrible, Mean Girl behavior, are going to end up setting things back for other women. It reinforces the stereotype that women are catty and competitive and don't root for or support one another.  And yet they are so hypocritical and see themselves as shining examples of women triumphing in a man's industry.  

I have half a mind to write to the company that produces this show to say that this insulting of the audiences intelligence--with the obvious manipulations and preplanned firings/hirings--is just too much. As is what seems their violation of a person's privacy and HIPPA rights.  

With all that's going on in the world, why am I getting so worked up about these stupid people on a reality tv show?

[S05.E09: Viva, Loss Vegas]

Count me among those who think this is such obvious producer manipulation. How convenient that Malia's yacht chef boyfriend is visiting and will arrive at exactly the time this charter ends. By Kiko, hello boyfriend chef.  I would hope the boyfriend would have more sense than to join that mess. Sandy is just so over-the-top with the micromanaging. And the constant hovering, be it around Malia's meeting with the deck team or around the guests when they are eating. She is essentially inviting them to criticize the food!  

[Marcella - General Discussion]

I agree that in feeling that I missed the reveal. I'm also confused. At the end of the final episode, she was radioing in, announcing herself as DCI Marcella Backland, calling for backup and an ambulance to the Maguire estate. So is she done pretending she's dead? And if so, why was she still startled at someone tracking her down at the airport. And at the very end, the baby looked a couple of months older, so where had she and the baby been hiding out? Will her family find out that she's been alive this whole time. Frustrating, but then again, this show always has been. 

[S10.E06: Read Between the Signs]

11 hours ago, DivaLasVegas82 said:

LVP, if she's watching, must be laughing at Kyle. The other ladies are doing to Kyle what she and the other ladies did to LVP. But I agree with Garcelle that Kyle deserves is. Her telling Erika that Erika didn't have any good friends was so uncalled for. Erika, for the most part, has always been in Kyle's corner.

So so true. Talk about a proper comeuppance.  I can't stand Dorit or Rinna, but Kyle should have known she was the next one targeted by that duo of vipers. And she should have known because she's a viper, too. How many times did she "innocently" stir shit over her tenure on the show?  Now she's getting it back and is whining like a baby. And also swearing like a sailor. The past few weeks, all her reactions are laced with profanity. Not that I have a problem with profanity at all, but it's odd that this is not something I remember her doing before.  Desperate much. Tantrum much....

[S10.E05: Let the Mouse Go!]

I think Kyle is starting to regret pushing LVP out. Not only was LVP the big target that shielded her, she was also a pretty staunch defender of Kyle's whenever anyone would go after her. As someone above mentioned, I think Kyle was under the impression that without LVP, she was going to be the new "queen" of the show, but it seems that Renna and Dorit played a masterful long game: Use Kyle to get rid of LVP, then shift all their manipulations to Kyle.  Kyle has definitely made her own bed in this situation, and never had problems stirring things up before, but now that she's on the receiving end and her only ally is the rather weak and easily walked over Teddy, she's having herself a good cry--over and over.