BitterApple

I liked this episode, although I wonder if this show will be able to find it's footing without the interjection of the other YS characters. Montana's easy rapport with the old cast makes the lack of chemistry with the new cast even more obvious. I did think the duet with the brother and Dale was funny, and I wasn't surprised by Mary. The first holidays after a loved one dies are brutal.

Here's the link. The tea is in the comments. https://www.reddit.com/r/BatesSnark/comments/1gq15jd/drempt/

Katie really miscalculated when she moved back to Tennessee. Sure, she has fellow do-nothings to pal around with in Evan and Carlin, but she has no help with childcare. There's just too many sisters to share the babysitters with, and Kelly doesn't even take care of her own kids let alone the grands. I think Travis is fine stopping at 3 or 4, but we all know how Kelly operates. There will be a lot of pressure to keep the baby train rolling, especially if pregnancy is their biggest money maker. What I don't understand though is why they don't hire help? They're clearly not hurting for money. Surely someone at that big megachurch does nannying. Even if it was just a few days a week, it would give Katie a break.

Six! Two boys, four girls.

Damn. Someone on Reddit spilled a bit of tea! Their daughter is in the same ballet class as Layla, and she posted on a thread featuring a picture of Layla at the studio. Among the gems: Carlin and Evan are as absentee as you'd expect. Michael used to bring Layla to class, the few times E&C showed up, they were glued to their phones and didn't pay attention to their kid at all. The instructor can never find them when Layla needs to use the bathroom, because they sit in their car (as opposed to the lobby where the other parents wait). Layla always seems sad. OP said she was supposed to be in costume the day that photo was taken, but E&C forgot (big shocker). She inferred without being mean that Layla is not the most well behaved child (again, shocker). OP acknowledged that parents are allowed to film/take pictures one day a month to record progress, but was furious that Carlin keeps posting without editing/blurring the other children. OP spoke to the owner and her complaints fell on deaf ears (I guess the grifter with 450k Instagram followers is more important). She said she's allowing her daughter to finish the session and then moving her to a different studio. So in conclusion, the "happy family obsessed with making memories" facade they act out for social media is total bullshit. I knew it, lol.

I think Josie and Carlin have figured out collaborating is good for both their brands. Not saying they secretly hate each other, but this newfound friendship has an underlying whiff of phoniness. Also, very interesting how on that girls' trip, Katie was the third wheel. It was all Carlin and Josie, yukking it up like lifelong besties, shilling their crappy merch. And yeah, none of those kids are going to UT. Layla and Zade are both way behind developmentally. Carlin posted reels of Khloe and Layla together recently and the differences were striking. If Layla does twenty minutes of school a day, I'd be shocked.

That was pretty funny when Todd walked into the room and recognized Georgie from school. I hope they keep the trend of introducing younger characters so the entire show isn't so snippy and tense.

The tango music is so jarring. The scenes already feel disjointed as it is, the music certainly doesn't help matters. I'm of the same mind. It's something to watch while I'm waiting for Ghosts and Matlock, but isn't must-see. If it gets canceled after a year, I won't miss it. Audrey's suggestion with the nails was the one genuinely funny moment of this episode. It reminded of something MeeMaw would come up with. For me it's the lingering ick factor of a 30 year-old woman sleeping with a (then) underage guy. Imagine if the sexes were reversed. No showrunners would dare go there, but with Mandy and Georgie it's supposed to be funny. It wasn't quite so gross in small doses on YS, but now that there's an entire sitcom dedicated to it, it isn't quite sitting right.

Oh they're most definitely desperate. Kelly looked like she was being held hostage in their fit check and pool noodle videos. Josie even had the nerve to say her curler works better than the Dyson (sure, Jan), so yeah, she's gaslighting like the rent's due. Travis is fishing for a new car, so poor, postpartum Katie had to haul her butt to NH to keep the grift going. She looked tired and miserable the whole time, but hey, at least she got a vlog out of it. If Kelly wasn't such a crap mother, I might have felt badly for her. It was so obvious the vacation had nothing to do with celebrating her or her birthday, it was just an excuse for her daughters to shill in an autumn setting.

Here's what I don't get: why are people so willing to become the Stewarts' flunkies? There is absolutely nothing extraordinary about Evan or Carlin that would make me want to sacrifice my time and energy to help them. I could understand a guy putting up Christmas lights for a single mom, a friend who is ill or disabled, elderly neighbors or anyone else who genuinely needs the help, but Evan is perfectly capable. And not for nothing, but most grown men would bristle at the thought of not being able to handle things for their family. Evan seems to embrace it.

So Carlin got a freebie for their Christmas lights? I guess it's one thing knocked off Princess Evan's to-do list (insert sarcasm).

I have no doubts Michael got stuck with Josie's kids. Evan and Travis posted reels of them taking Layla, Zade and Hailey to church and going to a trunk-or-treating event afterwards, but it's been crickets on Kelton's end. Given that Josie loves flexing her perfect life, she wouldn't have missed an opportunity to post Super Dad on his own with their brood.

My guess is they just planned it. If you look at their recent social media, it's 95% Josie, Katie and Carlin preening for the camera and promoting sponsored products, so the trip really wasn't about Kelly to begin with.

This episode reminded me of why I thought YS should've continued as The Coopers rather than center everything on Mandy's family. Aside from Missy's appearance (and Regan's incredible acting) nothing happened. There's nothing in this show to get us invested. Audrey and the brother could disappear tomorrow and none of us would care. Will Sasso is awesome but they're not giving him anything to do besides the hen-pecked husband trope. I understand we're picking up on the heels of George's death so the tone is more serious, but the constant sniping and bickering between Mandy, Georgie and Audrey is exhausting. It makes no sense why they'd be living there rather than at Mary's where they'd be a welcomed distraction.

The entire yard is such an eyesore. The ugly dirt wall, the cheap plastic slide, the turf patches with the narrow strip of surrounding grass. There's nothing natural or cohesive about it at all. It looks like the lounge area of a 2-star airport motel.

Or just tell her considering they're both currently on the trip! 😅

I have to chuckle. I was browsing Bates Instas this morning and there was a post from Whit thanking Evan and Carlin for inviting them on their annual camping trip. It's like, oh Whit, you sweet summer child. They invited you so you and Zach could buy the food, do all the cooking, hold the camera to film them 'making memories,' and have your kids keep Layla and Zade occupied. They didn't do it out of the goodness of their hearts. There's a reason Josie camps with Kelton's family only. Zach and Whit will never learn...

I didn't have high hopes for this going in, so I wasn't disappointed. I'm willing to give it a few episodes to see if it picks up steam, but I'm not optimistic. I have similar complaints as the rest of you. The canned laugh track was jarring and tango transition music feels wrong. Also, the lighting is too harsh and unnatural. The three camera shoot format creates a lot of distance between the actors and the audience, whereas YS had a more intimate feel. I know pilots have to do a lot of establishing work, but I hope the plots evolve beyond Mandy and Audrey sniping at one another and Audrey being an insufferable witch. Thus far, Georgie and the dad are the only characters that are likeable. I'm not sure we'll get enough appearances from the Coopers to balance out the show.

If I'm not mistaken, they were in the DeLand area. Not sure if it's that specific city, but that's where their church is.

I wonder if they've moved back permanently?

Yes, it's incredibly rude. Is this a temporary deal where you only have to work together for a specific amount of time? If so, focusing on the end game might make it more bearable. People who don't respect boundaries are a giant pain in the ass. Is there any way you can ditch her on campus and do your own thing? Sending hugs and a virtual case of wine your way.

Carrying this over from the Josie thread: Heathen, you bring up an interesting point about the Tesla. People on the Bates subReddit were just talking about how E&C were being uncharacteristically evasive and guarded about this 'accident.' There was no footage of it in their vlog, no shots of a damaged car, no weeping Carlin on the side of the road grateful that her babies were safe. Just the two of them on the couch, giving vague details well after the fact. I never considered the possibility that they couldn't afford it and had to turn it in. Given the insane amounts of money they blew this summer (pool, putting green, hot tub, multiple vacations), their budget may be getting tight. It'll be interesting to see if they get a cheaper car or manage to wrangle a sponsorship like Katie.

Hey, at least the family breadwinner got to join in this time, unlike the Disney vacation. I noticed Carlin tagged a restaurant they stopped at and it's location was southwest Georgia, so yep, it looks like they were definitely headed to Florida. If I'm not mistaken, Milton is supposed to hit the west coast on Thursday. Great timing. 🫣

The Stews are at the beach. Not sure where, though. I guess they're clueless that another major hurricane is about to hit the South.

They're really gonna be stewing when Josie and Kelton break ground on those five acres. The Balka spread will make the Stewarts' Frankenyard look even tackier than it does on its' own.