[S04.E03: Step and Release]

After all the "step and release" drama, did it even get used??  There wasn't even a throw away shot of someone being photographed in front of it.

[S04.E03: Step and Release]

Holy mullet!!!  Shep's friend (?) , who joined the "boys" for drinks, was the highlight of episode for me  ... was that for real?!??  Otherwise, pretty boring.

[S06.E09: Goodbye Tour]

5 hours ago, Mojoker said:

Am I the only one who took Jessa's puking last week and her comment about , "He wants to raise HER baby" to mean she was also pregnant?

I thought Jessa puking seemed a little ham handed and appreciated the comments from others that it seemed to be more of a reaction to Adam's big announcement rather than a pregnancy.  That she was literally sick to her stomach about it.

This week in the "previously" I heard the line about "her baby" a little differently ... that Jessa was outraged that Adam would want to raise a child that had nothing to do with him and for whom he had no responsibility.  As if she was saying, if Adam had knocked Hannah up, it would make more sense but that Adam and Hannah had been estranged, and Hannah had gotten to this point without any involvement from Adam, why on earth would he want to blow up what he had with Jessa to raise HER baby.  

[S34.E06: Vote Early, Vote Often]

15 hours ago, double-elvis said:

Judging by her facial expressions, Sarah seems to have no clue what's going on. She constantly looks befuddled to me. But I agree, she's trying to play different this time. I just think she will overplay her hand first chance she gets. 

Based on Sarah's last outing, your prediction that she'll overplay her hand seems very likely.  Give her a little power (like being the swing vote last time) and she'll likely implode.

[S34.E05: Dirty Deed]

Maybe it is just me, but the editing seems off somehow.  Last week things seemed so rushed - which in retrospect made sense because of the epic tribal counsel - but tonight seemed wonky too.  The JT/Michaela stuff seemed to come from nowhere and the random Sarah stuff seemed misplaced.  The cast all seem either over it or a little too jaded and maybe they just aren't giving the editors much to work with ... just seems sloppy vs. the tight editing and narrative I've come to expect.

[S05.E04: What's the Matter with Kansas?]

I keep scratching my head on the Russian grocery corruption storyline.

That that there were better stocked stores for the mucky mucks in Soviet Russia is a good example of the institutional corruption and hypocrisy.  But it would have existed on an institutional level ... the store manager of a shop that caters to the high level, special card holding types wouldn't need to pay bribes to get good product would she?  Those details would have been worked out several layers above from her.  Where would the store manager possibly get the money for the bribes?  She doesn't own the store, or share in the profit.  She can't syphon off "profits" for the bribes and it's not her problem is the shelves are bare anyway.  The whole thing makes no sense to me.  Is Oleg's department really unaware that that certain sectors of Russian society get preferential treatment?  Or are they like "internal affairs" and trying to clean up the system?  (Which still makes no sense to me ... that type of thinking would be rebellious and undermining to the authoritarian powers that be).  

Showing bribery and corruption on a personal level would have illustrated the point better in my opinion ... like Oleg's Mom being sick and needing to pay a bribe for the best medical intervention, that makes more sense than the convoluted grocery store scheme.  If they needed to tie it into the food crisis, then why not focus on the overseers of the farming collectives who likely diverted money for equipment, seeds and ferilizer into their own pockets.  Because again, it's not like the "market" is going to weed out poor producers.  

Great to see Oleg, great to see Tony Soprano's fling again,  but what I see as a big hole in the story is interfering with my enjoyment of this storyline.

[S34.E03: Survivor Jackpot]

10 hours ago, NutMeg said:

As for goat gate, I would have kept both at camp, because having milk would have been great (and a good + recurrent source of proteins) - plus the kid is cute and having cute animals around you decreases stress level. Therefore, less paranoia at camp :)

 

 

Yes, yes!  I was wondering the same thing ... when they saw it was a nursing mother, wouldn't their immediate though have been about the milk?

[S06.E05: Gummies]

Quote

From the recap:  In fact, props to her for being the voice of the viewer with regard to Adam's preposterous "rescue" of Hannah-in-crisis so many seasons ago.

Agree with the others thinking this is the end game we're building up to.  Adam will reunite with Hannah and help her to raise the baby.  We already had a preview of Adam being quasi responsible with a baby when he and Jessa were babysitting his niece.

Really enjoyed seeing Jessa have her delusions exposed and her bubble burst.

[S34.E01: The Stakes Have Been Raised (Double Episode)]

I'm not always comfortable criticizing people's appearance but am surely shallow and appreciate the eye candy. So many comments about JT not aging well, etc.  To me, his attractiveness increases as he gets scruffed up a little (and sheds the pre-game weight loading) so here's hoping for a long run!

[S06.E04: Painful Evacuation]

What a sloppy episode.  I was looking forward to the return of a narrative but this was trying too hard and failed miserably.  Too much foreshadowing, too many balls in the air, too much trying to cram everything in.  I saw Patrick Wilson as the ER Doc from a million miles away (i.e. last week's promo)  ... not that he wasn't a welcome sight.

Really hoping they tighten things up over the next few episodes.

[S14.E13: Trial By Fire]

11 hours ago, tiredofwork said:

I hope the issue of hideousness on the cornrows was a factor specific to the way they looked on Padma?  While I don't expect everyone to like the style of cornrows they are a cultural specific style.  I was taken aback seeing her pop up suddenly with the style with no good reason and am offended by the embarrassing misappropriation. 

Yes, this is exactly the problem.  Cornrows have no connection or context in Mexico and struck me, at least, as somewhat offensive misappropriation. 

[S14.E13: Trial By Fire]

Nooooooooo!!!!  Poor Sheldon.  What a shame.  Mangled protein is the kiss of death.  It is almost as if he was just too chill and positive to be worried about the fish on the open flame (to his heartbreaking detriment).   Super sad to see him go.

I am pleased that Shirley made it into the final.  Brooke's inability to really roll with the punches and improvise makes her the weaker chef in my mind.  I guess we'll see next week.

I run hot and cold re Padama but her appearance was really distracting tonight. I don't know what was worse, the hideous cornrows for the quickfire or the threads that were holding up her inappropriately over exposed breasts at the elimination challenge.  

[S08.E23: Reunion Part 3]

1 hour ago, archer1267 said:

Or it could be that we DID see the worst of the pile-on and she's incredibly thin-skinned. This is someone who admitted that her diatribe in the Berkshires had 8 years of pent-up hostility behind it. This is someone who called John's comments at the bra party "coming for [her]." (Whereas I'm sure if she would have just said hello and bitten her tongue he wouldn't have brought up the Skinny Cow thing.)

I said a while back that Bethenny's become more and more like her old frenemy, Jill Zarin, and her standing up and threatening to walk off stage, saying "I can't/won't do this," sealed it for me.

Thin skinned indeed coupled with an inability to accept anyone's view but her own.  Wow, this milquetoast 3 part (?!??! why) reunion has B questioning her continuing with the show, really??

[S08.E22: Reunion Part 2]

13 hours ago, zoeysmom said:

I thought it probably the worst recap ever and I am a devotee.

On the Vulture reap, I thought I might have made a bum stear so I edited my original post.

ETA to add it wasn't well received by zoesmom (who's opinion I Trust) so feel free to disregard.  It is very bare bones and not the usual Brian masterpiece.  I just thought the author he made good points.

I'm a junky for info/comments and appreciate all of you. Thanks for a fun season, this board was the only thing that made it bearable and the only reason I tuned in.  

[S08.E22: Reunion Part 2]

The Vulture recap is up and, IMHO, really hits the nail on the head.

http://www.vulture.com/2016/09/real-housewives-of-new-york-city-recap-season-8-episode-22.html

ETA to add it wasn't well received by zoesmom (who's opinion I Trust) so feel free to disregard.  It is very bare bones and not the usual Brian masterpiece.  I just thought the author he made good points.

[S08.E22: Reunion Part 2]

There has been talk all season about Bethenny's minions shielding her from bad social media comments but I thought it was telling that during her (barf!) fibroid segment, she backpeddled hard and said it seemed like it was a big deal to HER at the time.  (And blamed the lack of a Mother to walk her through what she could have easily found in the Internet).  Bottom line, there was nothing extraordinary about her "worst bleeding ever known to (wo)man".  Glad to see she finally got some perspective.  Alas, too late for all of us.

Also, poor Brynn.  The visit to Bethenny's Mother will likely scar her for life, not because of anything the Mother will do, but because Bethenny's won't prepare and will go into an obsessive me spiral and lose her shit like she does all the time. (And thank you Andy for reminding us that B spent practically the entirety of last season in hysterical tears).  

[S08.E21: Reunion Part 1]

Bethenny's call to the "daughter" was so contrived, as said by others, who the fuck does that?!?!  Phone in hand, no preamble, she just starts barking at whoever is on the other end of the call and we get some prepared statement.  Talk about "self-producing".  

 

I finally see what others have been saying about Bethenny's insecurities and millions of fucks giving.  With all she has in her life, she is obsessing about her image and in her incompetence, she is making herself look so horrible in trying to spin the "truth" of herself and her life.  Time stamp?!?!? who the fuck thinks like that??  Contrived "daughter" call?!!?  She is horrible, narcissistic, insecure and most of all - a big fat liar.  She'd hardly need to be worrying about covering her ass if she hadn't drawn such a negative spotlight on herself by being such a hypocritical, judgey, horrible, nasty person. 

[S08.E20: Say It Ain't So]

3 minutes ago, archer1267 said:

Whatever the opposite of a mensch is, that's Tom. He hit the bottom of toolitude when he called Dorinda and not only tried to get her to cover for him (still don't understand how that was going to work), but then threatened her with not being invited to the wedding. What an emotionally manipulative doosh! I can't believe LuAnn went along with it and thought that was okay. Either the Countess has really fallen, or Tom IS in fact the last single guy left in the UES.

I think the opposite of a mensch would be a schmuck, or as you so nicely put it a doosh! (and this guy certainly seems like one).

[S08.E19: Tomfoolery]

This episode annoyed the crap out of me.  Bethany keep crowing that they got 3 extra episodes out of her shannagins and she sure put herself in the center of things on her terms:. "clock in" drop a bomb, "clock out", she milked it for all it was worth.  At the end of the dinner she asked: is there anymore food coming? No? I'm out of here and she fled.  Her "avoidance" of Luanne was so transparently about her getting more scenes.  Just tell her already, gheeeze!  Also, I absolutely noticed that despite her fish allergy (cause of the big scene with Heather at Dorinda's last year) she was the first to grab at the seafood tower when it hit the table.

Dorinda's "sand bar" excursion was pretty sad (where were all the food truck boats?) but she let it slip at dinner that she really didn't "plan" it.  And Carole, WTF??!!! for an alleged pot head, you are the worst munchie/junk food sourcer in the world!

Ramona lumbering to the dinner table to save seats and Bethany braying get a set for ME did crack me up, only bright spot of the episode.

[S08.E18: Body Of Evidence]

So, did Luanne think it was a good idea to humiliate herself and her future husband for a storyline?  If she had waited - what? a month? - until shooting stopped before publicly announcing her engagement, all of bullshit and manufactured drama could have been avoided.  Sure there may have been a few stories on Page 6 (planted by Ramona) about her "dating" Tom but Sonja likely would have kept this shit to herself.  

And Bethany, who are your friends that are taking clandestine photos at a bar and texting people at 2:00 a.m. with the incriminating evidence!??

[S01.E13: That Was Very Greek of Us]

1 hour ago, dleighg said:

If I was paying that much for a yacht I would not particularly enjoy sharing a double bed with a non-romantic-partner! Those shots of men bunked on couches was pretty darn sad! They took it well.

Definitely awkward for them and it really bugged me that Hannah couldn't be bothered to set up the guest for deck sleeping.  Would it have killed her to make up a little bed on the deck chair (like they do in First Class on airplanes for example).  Poor guy was using a bathrobe as a blanket?!?  Hard to believe she couldn't manage to find a blanket or throw.  Certainly not "five star" service.  I wonder if the issue with sleeping arrangements was the cause for cutting the trip short.

[S08.E16: The Countess Bride]

Less Beth is more.  This episode was so much less rage inducing.

Green is not a good color for Sonja.  You can see the wheels turning in her head and feel the kick she's giving herself for not having seei Tom "in that way" and snagging him herself.  Oh, and of course, the bald jealousy that Lu managed it.

The gamber in me calls foul on the fake blackjack game.   If you try to touch the cards at a black jack table, you get scolded pretty quick.  And Ramona and Sonja dancing in the empty bar was pretty sad.

Both Ramona's 'knee jerk instinct to walk out of the store in the vest and not pay for it and Dorinda's pilfering of the Splenda still have me chuckling.

[S08.E15: All Bets Are Off]

Out of the mouths of babes ....

Yes Bethanny, Jules laid some truth on you in pointing out your "sense of humor" relies on tearing someone else down.  For someone so enamored of speak the truth despite the consequences ("can't handle the truth, can't handle me") her shocked, hurt and entirely too over the top reaction just shows how little self awareness she has.  Jules "yelled" at you??  I don't think so, "yelling" at some is when you scream at them at the top of your lungs, slinging arrows and quoting hearsay.  Do you need an example Bethanny, check the tape of your wildly inappropriate "yelling" session at Luanne in the Berkshires.   

[S08.E14: The Benefits Of Friendship]

And, Bethany:

For the millionth time, it is your uterus, not your vagina, that is having issues;

Educate yourself about birth control!  An IUD (talk about throwback methods!) acts by irritating your uterine lining. Big fucking surprise you're having bleeding issues.  A simple barrier method like the diaphragm or cervical cap is much less damaging to your body.  (Courtesy of 1984 sex Ed class, gheeeze!)

IUDs fell out of favor for the precise reasons Bethany is experiencing (oh, and the huge class action suit), it took weeks of hysteria for her figure any of this out and a consult with a run of the mill internist?!?!

[S08.E14: The Benefits Of Friendship]

It is a real chicken/egg thing with LuAnn for me.  I don't like how she is being treated and ganged up on by the "ladies" but God, she is insufferable and self centered.