Eliot

It was directly stated, by the doctor. Same. But the show kind of positioned him that way from the get-go.

Elijah and Madison and the twins moved back to the area along with Kevin and Sophie, so I imagine they spent a fair amount of time at the cabin in the years since last week.

Same. I didn’t find it confusing at all. And I didn't find the introduction of the other family confusing or annoying. It was very much in keeping with the show to explore random life-changing connections, and I like that they didn't go the predictable route of having Marcus be Deja's boyfriend. Yep, that was it. They threw in a little irony with the Alzheimer’s research, which was…clever, I guess. I was never really a William fan either. I thought the show worked too hard to make him “magical.” Maybe the drugs he developed enabled Rebecca to live so long with Alzheimer’s while somehow miraculously skipping the really awful, scary, angry symptoms that happen to people in the real world. [/snark] ETA: I thought I'd be sadder watching this, given that my sisters and I went through this exact experience with my dad last year. Maybe it's just that last week's portrayal of her illness was so sanitized I was still too annoyed to be sad.

Thank you for this. It bothered me tremendously to hear that line and you articulated my feelings perfectly. ETA, the more I think about it, the angrier I feel about this overly sanitized portrayal of what this disease truly does to people and their families. I just read an interview with the show creators about how committed they were to representing it “authentically,” and all I can say is, if this is their idea of “authentic,” they have failed miserably. They had an opportunity to do something really important and true to life, and they blew it.

100% this. It annoyed me how unrealistic this portrayal is. We saw a little anxiety about Miguel, but other than that, Rebecca was sweet and docile and un-demanding and that is NOT what it is like. Where’s the rage, the violence, the sexual impropriety, the cruel words, the irrational fears? I realize the disease is not the same for everyone, but these Pearsons have it pretty easy compared to other families. They make it seem like it’s just a relaxing getaway. The one thing I liked was the way they showed how an illness like this can either bring a family together or tear them apart. It was the same for my sisters and me. We are closer now than we ever were, and that was the *only* good thing that came out of it.

My dad died of Alzheimer’s and my mom died six years before he did. We just redirected him every time he asked for her, and that usually worked. We would say she wasn’t there right now and then change the subject. There were times, though, when he remembered she had died and became very angry that no one had told him.

Or a concierge who would move heaven and earth to procure a dress for a guest in need. Places like that don’t just shrug and let people fend for themselves, especially when there is a TV star involved and a high end wedding going on.

I had to laugh at Mika’s reaction to Giuliani on The Masked Singer: “Is that a Furry?” Clearly, the trauma has never left her.

Did I hallucinate, or was there a flash forward many, many seasons ago that showed Toby in bed in a dark room sobbing? Or did that already happen and I just missed it?

Did Woodward really just "both sides" the 1/6 insurrection? I came into the room as Eugene was trying to correct him and missed the beginning.

Yeah, but the Nina Simone version is what they use in the commercial and it’s just so icky to me now.

I was just coming here to complain about that! It's difficult to decide which cover is the worst, but I think I have to go with the woman with the raspy, child-like, sing-song delivery. I'm also deeply resentful of Nina Simone's masterpiece "Feelin' Good" being used to tout COPD medication.

Mika and her minions are flogging her summit right now and I just heard hat-wearing Forbes editor Randall Lane say that this event will include a FASHION SHOW. Because you certainly can't host a conference about women's equality and empowerment if everyone is poorly dressed. SMH.

He keeps saying that we should all “get back to normal” while just “protecting the vulnerable.” I remember when he latched onto this last year when he had some annoying Covid skeptic on his show and he has been beating the drum ever since.But he never actually explains what he means by “protect the vulnerable.” Is he going to somehow figure out a way to make Covid less contagious? Is he going to donate bone marrow or something to bolster the immune systems of the vulnerable? How is he going to protect the vulnerable from the unvaccinated who are clogging up ICUs and emergency rooms? I have yet to hear a single specific idea out of him or any of his guests about what that actually looks like in real life.

Well said. I had always kind of thought that that’s where they were going with the show, but it seems like they’ve drifted away from that idea. That family has done so much damage to itself by idolizing Jack. ETA, I stopped watching halfway through because I was worried about what was going to happen to the cat.

Mika’s rhetorical problems extend beyond the Teleprompter. Today, she lamented the healthcare workers who have “beared the brunt” of the coronavirus crisis. She wasn’t reading anything; just all-around bad grammar.

Not if he wanted to lock down the deal with GoJo that weekend, which it appears they did. There is no way the GoJo lawyers would have let that slide. Every detail needed to be shaken out right then.

True. And it was a betrayal on Tom’s part, no doubt. But it wasn’t like the divorce agreement and the bylaws were some big secret Tom was revealing or reminding Logan about. Of course Logan knew, and his lawyers knew. Caroline’s betrayal would’ve happened regardless of what Tom did.

Yeah, I loved the episode but that was a big question mark my mind. His lawyers would have been all over that divorce agreement regardless of whether the kids were coming for him or not. He had to have known that they would oppose the deal individually, as well as collectively. So, ultimately, I am not really sure what Tom’s heads up really gained anyone.

Lots of grumbling and clucking today on the set about the Time Person of the Year choice. Of course, none of those clucks or questions came up yesterday, when they had an actual representative from the magazine on the show. To her credit, Mika did comment on how uncomfortable the guy seemed during their interview with him. I thought the same thing. But they should have pressed him way harder yesterday.

Mika has apparently decided to brand herself as a one-woman anti-social-media crusader. She drags every conversation back to "kids on Instagram!!" and it is super annoying. I heard that and could not believe my ears. I was sure I had imagined it. Clearly, I did not.

I think my favorite part of the episode was when Roman was wavering and both Shiv and Kendall were saying, “Don’t trust him. He’s lying.” It was like they were both realizing it for themselves, finally and officially, at the same time.

This morning, Mika lamented the spread of the “omachrome” variant. Sigh. Gonna be a long week.

It manages to be both condescending and infuriating. First of all, don’t position the people of Appalachia as zoo animals that need to be interacted with in their “natural habitat.” I don’t agree with them politically, but, sheesh! Secondly, why is the onus always on progressives to do this sort of outreach? Why are we always forced to listen to MSM reporters on the scene at a West Virginia diner? When is Tucker Carlson going to visit a hipster coffee bar in Seattle or Portland and report on HIS epiphanies? Edit: I love the Mika/furries clip because it makes them all seem endearing and human. Sadly, my phone started auto playing it at full volume while I am sitting in the waiting room at my car dealership and I couldn’t turn it down in time…. Got some odd looks to say the least!

I thought Mika’s inability to read a Teleprompter was bad….But then this morning I heard Andrea Mitchell refer to the strategic petroleum reserves as an “underground suppository” of oil.