kassa

I can totally see learning that a casual friend/coworker's father is extremely ill, and sending a generic good wishes text. And I can see that text coinciding with a turn for the worse when the friend isn't looking at her phone for large blocks of time and when she finally does he's so near death she reads more into it than is there. This is all stuff you hash out in private, and if you're lucky, Heather at some point publicly states that, in fact, she misspoke when she was talking about the timeline.

The Harringtons obviously were under the impression they were formally auditioning - generally people are brought on as "friend of" and production dangles the possibility of a snowflake/peach/diamond, etc before airtime or next season if they bring enough energy/story/conflict, which is why we occasionally end up with seasons of random people who are at every party and included in every group housewife conversation for no apparent reason. No doubt cast members would LOVE to dine out and be filmed with their actual friends, but production isn't going to waste their time on that unless there's a predetermined plot driven reason why. At any rate, I think this audition failed. For what it's worth, didn't they say that although he set up the account, the account only ever had that one post (regarding Lisa, not Jen?) Which makes it even weirder for Jen to freak out about it, except that it gives her something to be righteously indignant about as a distraction. If it were an ongoing insider gossip slander account, I can see resenting the name. One post? You've got bigger fish to fry at the moment, Jen. Trying to make the choir auditions a storyline was awkward, but I do understand a busy person who loves choral singing wanting it back in their life. It's relaxing, social, emotionally freeing, etc. and secular choirs definitely exist, singing all kinds of music. Until the choir is established as a local "thing," however, the best bet would have been to be open to all to gain numbers, then increase standards as they went along. And get some ringers in there who are really good. As for the son, it might just be awkward teen family dynamics, but most of their conversations seem like they haven't spoken to the kid in years. Most kids are all too aware of what their parents' expectations are for them years before graduation. Maybe he's just rebelling because they HAVE placed the expectation of college on him and it's his first chance to assert his independence by refusing it. In that case, a gap year isn't the worst thing of all, but the expectations need to change to "you'll need to come up with a plan that gets you up and out of the house 9 hours a day doing something productive."

I think we need an xray report or photos of the sprain at its worst, because like some of you, I have had severe sprains that blew up like grapefruits, and never missed a day of work, even taking public transportation to get there. You keep it wrapped and iced, you limp, you put your foot up when you get to your destination. Not one time did I *go to bed* for it. [disclaimer - he also fell down the stairs; I'd be more concerned about a concussion than the ankle, and I bet he was black and blue all over. Still... curious} No reason he couldn't be doing laundry. Making drinks as ordered so stews only had to run them. Washing dishes. Probably would still need to be replaced, but going to bed is just insane!

Sadly I think I disagree. No doubt Garcelle is popular, but if Kathy agrees to become a full time cast member and brings La Toya Jackson into the group, he'll dump Garcelle in a heartbeat, though of course he'll do a sad eyed "you people need to tone things down, of COURSE we understand why Garcelle can't be exposing her children to that kind of hatred. Anyway, La Toya, what would Michael's Real Housewife tagline have been?"

Meri and Robyn aren't mad that Christine left. They're mad that she cashed out.

Those would be civil/contractual liabilities, right? I assume within the contract it states clearly what the "penalty" would be for breaking it - termination, $$$$, etc. Back in the early Survivor days I remember the penalty for revealing the winner was something like 5 million dollars, which is something none of those contestants had in the first place, so getting into 5 million debt would be a strong disincentive to reveal the winner. Presumably the cost of BH housewives violating their Bravo contracts is high, but to Diana it would be chump change if she really wanted to go after somebody legally. Or she was threatening physical violence for which she probably also feels pretty immune from prosecution.

They sailed and traded extensively throughout Europe, Western Asia, and the Mediterranean. Remember that Emma herself is a granddaughter of Rollo, who took over Normandy a hundred years prior. They traded slaves extensively (especially Eastern Europeans). They may not have gone deep into Asia or Africa, but that doesn't mean they didn't do business with Asian or African slave traders in other ports. I will be happy if they focus more on the English court next time. Cnut is great, as are Emma and Godwin. It's nice to see smart attractive people on my tv.

I think they've alluded to there usually being one sister on the outs when the other two are fine, but even if that were not true, I think an argument can be made that Kyle is the most functioning adult of the three and sometimes in a rotten family dynamic the healthy one is the one who gets ganged up on. I'm not saying she's perfect, but of the three sisters she wins in my book. She hasn't tortured her family with addiction, she doesn't have any, let alone *multiple* kids having been to jail/prison, and she's been the one they call in when they need her. She clearly was the clean up crew for Kim's messes over the years when Kathy would (maybe) send a check but otherwise keep clear. I remember Kyle on Larry King live and other shows defending Paris when her own parents were deep in hiding. Kathy and Kim always thought of Kyle as a supporting character in the stories of their lives, and any time she has the gall to step away she is punished. Her attempts to step away are awkward as hell, and the sniping she was aiming at Kathy on that trip was not lost on me. But as entertaining as it was to see her go at Rinna, I have zero doubt she talks that way to her family and if she thinks you've crossed her, you pay. I saw her touch Kyle's shoulder and kiss her cheek and like Kyle I knew that despite those loving gestures she was going to walk away and not look back. I think Kyle's just finally of an age where Kathy (and her extended family)'s love being withheld is no longer going to define her behavior, even if it makes her desperately sad. If I were one of her daughters I'd sure be telling her to let it go, just as I'd write off my fair weather cousins.

I assume we're supposed to think their eyes are like that 24/7 (Louis wears glasses to hide his). What about their appearance WOULDN'T freak out regular folk? Maybe in 2022 you see that girl's eyes and think she's wearing some kind of super creepy contact lenses, but I bet you take a step back before you think of it. But 100+ yrs ago, your previously normal brother takes up with his new boyfriend with the inhuman eyes and suddenly his eyes are like that too, and then they add an adopted child with the inhuman eyes as well? Run away! Then again, that guy was sweet on Claudia as she flirted with him with those big dead eyes, so maybe people CAN'T see them?

I hate people who coopt genuine issues in order to manipulate people. I'm not being an asshole, I'm just "keeping it real." I'm not being a self centered jerk, I'm just "Setting boundaries." He's a smooth talker so he cons a lot of people (including some in this house) into thinking he's smart, but I think he's more manipulative. That said, he handled Rodman very well at the dinner table. THAT was setting boundaries. I also wouldn't have minded if he said the doll was just not something he could have around him, and politely asked if anybody else wanted to switch. Or took HIMSELF elsewhere. Kicking her out was just... grrr.

There was something in the wording that led me to believe the guy had finished fishing already? And for whatever reason hadn't canceled the upcoming offload. I suppose if he was part of a group, he wouldn't cancel in order to pass that date on to a colleague, and maybe they didn't need it/weren't ready for one yet? I assume the cannery doesn't care who shows up so long as the spot isn't sitting empty.

And should, given the fact that they are of an age to be building careers and lives where you don't necessarily want everybody at the office or apartment building knowing intimate details about your family. Brown is a pretty basic name, so in many encounters they should be able to be anonymous, especially if they haven't been on camera for years. If somebody *gives* you money for a downpayment, you need a gift letter declaring that it was a gift and they do not expect that money back (even if between you there is a feeling of moral obligation to do so). I don't know what the rules are if somebody cosigns your mortgage - presumably the terms on which they later remove themselves are in writing and legally binding. I think Kody n the Gang have finagled their way around so many legal shenanigans over the years that he's just used to trading up and profiting or bailing out with no personal repercussions. And now (or 2 yrs ago) Christine is set up to walk away with a chunk.

Her fundamentalist church broke away from the mainstream Mormon church a long time ago, so she was likely raised from childhood to think they were completely illegitimate. So once she walked away from the fundie offshoot, where would she go? I forget which daughter looked into going mainstream and was basically told they weren't wanted so long as the Browns were public. That likely left even more of a bitter taste.

I may be wrong, but I think Christine said Kody "got" her a car. Which could mean bought, or bartered or finagled whatever they do. Perhaps one of Robin's kids had one they didn't want any more. Didn't people point out that even a couple of years into the show the Browns were driving on bald tires? (Well, the wives, anyway - Kody had nice cars) I always forget Gwendlyn. Glad to see her this episode, and I imagine she's had plenty to say to Christine in the past few years!

To me the most infuriating part was Kody saying how Christine had obviously been planning this for ages, but sprung it on him OUT OF THE BLUE! And all I could think was her sobbing on the beach when their therapy homework was building a little rock cairn to symbolize their relationship, and he refused to acknowledge she was anything but one member of a large family. Everybody screamed at their televisions hoping she would finally see the truth. Of course she didn't, and that was what, 10 years ago? She is handling this so beautifully in terms of maintaining boundaries with Kody that I can't help but think she's had genuine deprogramming and therapy that doesn't involve props. Maybe just from the adult children of the family making her watch the shows from the beginning and acknowledge reality. What the what?! I admit I don't always pay the closest attention, but the way they talk when they occasionally gather "out there", I was under the impression it was an hour out of town and quite a haul to go out of their way only for very specific purposes. I have stayed in a bunch of motor homes/trailers, from a summer lakeside trailer my grandparents owned when I was child to sleeping on an air mattress on the kitchen floor of luxurious motorhomes owned by friends at dog shows. Probably never had fewer than 4-5 people in them at a time, even the $300,000 motorhomes were smaller than what Janelle has, and space just wasn't an issue because it is what it is - designed to be an indoor space when you're done doing everything outside. (Those outside storage cabinets can hold incredible amounts of stuff. ) I've also never known anybody who had one who did not have some kind of rug/carpet/groundcover at the steps even on the driest day ion the nicest pad. My god, that red soil and they just walked in and out and all over. For shame!

If they can make it work, I can see troll crab being marketed with a cute cartoon.

I assumed it was a denture issue. That's what it sounded like to me. Will be interesting to see if it continues.

I see both sides of this. I think the initial Crystal-Sutton conflict was that Crystal was auditioning to take Sutton's place (or told that). They often have "friends of" which are basically auditions that fail. If they're great, they're a new housewife. Nobody necessarily knows until the season is edited. Remember we couldn't figure out why Faye was ALL OVER that season she was a "friend," poking into conversations a "friend" typically wouldn't be involved in? Because at the time they were filming, she thought she WAS in the cast. That explained a lot. Garcelle suggests that no matter what, Crystal would have found a reason to trot out that "you're the kind that doesn't see race" card. I suspect she's right. On the other hand, things don't have to be ugly to be racist. Trotting out "Minorities I have known and admired" stories to ingratiate yourself when you meet someone outside your race is a microaggression - might be meant in the complete opposite way, but they are justified to not want to pat you on the back because you just loooooove all the little children of the world and feel the need to point that out to them so they can reassure you that you're one of the good ones. A friend of mine is an Orthodox Jew and says the moment (some) people find out, the energy changes as they try to relate to her by talking about their understanding of Judaism instead of whatever everybody else is talking about. None of this is necessarily conscious, but it's tiring to be on the receiving end. The funny thing is, I think Sutton actually DID learn that and their relationship grew because they were able to speak candidly about it. I also assume there were crew there. At least one person to activate equipment if something went down. Don't believe for a second the house wasn't mic-ed and cameras placed in case they had a late night drunken party at the house. If they came back from dinner in a roaring fight there wouldn't be somebody at the house ready to get every single second? You can't just snap all the equipment on instantaneously.

She seems to have gotten the memo about "apologizing and taking responsibility" but not the part about how the most important part of the apology is acknowledging the damage done. She said "I was just saying what *I* would have done - I've learned that was wrong" and waited to be issued her Emotional Growth Badge without "I see now how awful that kind of talk is to someone struggling with this issue and I'm so sorry I did that to you." We tend to have them backward. Psychopaths are the calm, cool, calculating and usually popular people. They don't feel emotional attachments to basic norms, but they know what they are and perform them perfectly because they have a drive to fit in. Being charismatic and laser focused and daring can make them quite successful in all sorts of careers. Sociopaths are the ones wreaking open havoc on their own lives and those of others - they just can't get along, do stupid crime, get caught, make everything a mess. I don't think they care about the threat so much as the fact that she put in writing that Bravo couldn't stop her. And they aired it (which they didn't have to). Whether this was because she already quit or they already fired her, I don't know, but I can't see why they'd air it and keep her. I don't blame Kyle for wanting her stuff back (she was clear in the beginning that a lot of what was taken were things from her mother, and they're probably distinctive enough that they weren't fence-able). But surely Kyle and Mauricio would be savvy enough to contact the FBI and THEN negotiate? Surely ANYBODY would be smart enough to do that?

I miss Nick's annual reference to how much Advil he needed! He did seem to have been struggling for a while, so hopefully he's got a much more body-friendly life/work balance now.

It's not current, but Everybody Loves Raymond portrayed a pretty observant Italian Catholic church-going family. Father Hubley always had the best lines. All in the Family also tended to have pretty good depictions of clergy, despite Archie's opinion of them. I don't think the writing has changed for the kids so much as the same writing coming out of the mouths of adolescents rings differently to us. Lines that were merely smart-alec-y from tween Missy are going to sound more aggressive from a more mature Missy. It's still just Missy. One aspect of Mary's crisis of faith that hasn't been brought up is the flirtation with the youth pastor. She has got to be questioning whether God is getting back at her for that. Had this same thing happened without that issue, had everybody turned on her when there was nothing she could criticize herself for... THEN she might have been more able to confront others over their hypocrisy. But if she thinks she called this on herself in some way...

I can believe that she knew nothing about it, but I also definitely know of people who get off on making messes for other people to clean up and consider it part of their holiday. Sad to hear Kyle is back. He clearly has thought he's the star of the show since his little love affair, but Joao thought the same and production was stringing him along the whole time. I tend to see the hand of production in everything, so I also think it's very likely that Natalya was bitching to coworkers and maybe the film crew, but was led to confrontations she wouldn't necessarily normally have had by the "need" to document it for the show. "Golly, we'd love to show them not working and how hard you're working, and the mess and all, but unless there's a conversation about it, there's no way to put it all together!"

I'm enjoying it, too - the storyline AND the scenery. What a stunning country. And very nice people. Jake's cousin was adorable. I hope that he can bring the whole family over soon. Interesting watching Clark step into captaining. Very happy for their family that they have another generation coming up. I imagine Norm isn't keen on the winter fishing much any more, Nick seems to have left (have they ever mentioned it?), and it's a young man's (mostly) game. I imagine Clark, Mandy and Sailor can run the summer salmon business and give Sig a break. Maybe they'll find another Jake A to grow with them.

A certain wife got in his ear about how it would LOOK for him not to fight for his child and his dignity. They kind of glossed over it, but I can somewhat see Meri's point about the motor home moving between lots. It will need a pad to sit on, concrete or stone, and one would have to be poured/planted on each lot. And who's going to pay to put it in/take it out? If it sinks 2 feet into soft soil because they DIDN'T park on a solid, dry, level surface, who's going to tow it out? Or will it just sit there on somebody else's plot, rusting and flipping over in a blizzard, because Janelle decided to spend the winter on the east coast? And what if by then the wife whose lot it's on wants to sell out, but there's a gigantic 5th wheeler dug in for all eternity? Or they take it away, but the cement slab remains, right where she wants her living room, but Kody thinks it's cheaper to just build the house in a completely different location because it will save digging it up, and tell her it's on her if she wants it gone. One thing I will give Meri credit for (most of the time) is that she probably can see how things will go in terms of bad planning in this group and wants to solidify her position as best she can up front. No excuse for not telling Truely at least within days of telling the other wives.

I'm sure tears were a useful tool to get the family to back off when she was the "baby" and tensions/pressure got high. Even if it was just "there goes Kyle again - I just can't with her!" instead of actual sympathy. She may have served as the canary in the coalmine when things got especially toxic around the house, and learned to cry sooner rather than later. I think the fact that she seems to have broken a very sick cycle and raised some healthy, productive citizens for children is remarkable. The majority of pot stirring she does I put down to her shadow role as production arm. They all get their assignments. Garcelle even does it, though I enjoy the fact that she just flat out states her obligatory conversation stater so it's awkward and obviously not something she's trying to pretend she would ever ask in real life. "So, Erika says Tom still calls her! Let's discuss!" There has always been talk of LaToya Jackson being on - whether from her camp or within Bravo or just fan chatter. Kathy and LaToya are close and LaToya publicly supported her in this recent flare up. I could see Kathy coming back if she gets to bring LaToya. Andy would LOVE a Jackson, and she's certainly quirky enough to provide some material. No doubt Rinna once attended one of Michael's concerts as his very special guest so they can bond over that.