bantering

I can understand Meryl Davis doing it because she has the physical conditioning from years of gruelling training. Ditto for Laurie Hernandez. Not so sure about Vanilla Ice...

Why is Vanilla Ice touring while also doing this show? Have people done other work while also doing this show at the same time? This show appears to require a lot of work and effort. Erin Andrews looked serious as well when coming up behind Tom Bergeron after Laurie Hernandez's dance (she was good, of course). She looked freaked out somewhat too by whatever had happened after Lochte's dance.

Oh good, now I don't feel so bad for thinking this...

Isn't this the only scandal he's been caught in? Prior to what happened in Rio, I can't recall him getting into trouble for anything. Before Rio, I never had the mental association of scandal with the name Ryan Lochte. Air-headedness, yeah, but not actual scandal. I do commend Phelps for turning things around, but he was on his second DUI when he got suspended. There were several years that elapsed between both DUIs but given the dangerous consequences of drunk driving it would have been nice if the second one hadn't happened. Opinions on athletes change from year to year. I vaguely remember everyone being all up in arms when Phelps was caught smoking marijuana to the point that he had to issue an apology about his "regrettable behavior" to keep his sponsorship contracts out of danger, but now everyone seems sort of laid-back about what happened (I didn't care then and I don't care now, but everyone else made a big deal about how he was representing himself as an athlete). Lochte said on Ellen he thought perhaps the timing of doing Dancing with the Stars was a little too soon and questioned whether it was the right thing to do, but he said he had signed to the show before the scandal happened.

At times, I've thought of Lochte as being kind of dumb on purpose (albeit in a hilarious way, like when he talks about a jumping banana in his head -- what with the what?), but he's generally struck me as being fairly nice too. Oddly enough, I can't really articulate why he seems nice (I have no anecdotes of him feeding starving orphans to back up my observation) -- maybe it's his eyes or something. They seem kind of sweet. Lochte was smart enough not to get caught naked alongside Prince Harry when they partied together in Las Vegas and Harry asked to race against him (it was around that time, I believe, that a bunch of people took naked pics of the Prince at a party and sold them). Therefore, I'll admit I'm a little baffled as to how he managed to land in this Rio mess. I vaguely remember Lochte saying that he didn't want to get caught up in that kind of trouble when asked about the Prince, because he knew that sort of thing would be bad for him. During his time with Prince Harry, he seemed shrewd enough to know how to handle certain issues of decorum and propriety despite his goofiness. And I do remember thinking that if Ryan Lochte of all people was smart enough not to get caught naked on a cell phone, why couldn't Prince Harry?

I seriously doubt Lochte is lazy. Even if he's 32 and won't be able to compete in the next Olympics, he was good enough to pass the Olympic trials this time around to actually get to the Olympics, which suggests to me that he takes his competitive training seriously. I don't think any athlete can compete for the USA and be sucky at the sport they're in. He might be as dumb as a doorknob, but that has nothing to do with physical conditioning. Whether he can actually dance is another story, but I can't picture him being lazy at all -- not with 12 medals, and being on the same team as Phelps to win the relay. The USA swimmers always have pressure on them to win the relay, and if he wasn't pulling his weight they wouldn't have him on there. If Lochte does turn out to be lazy (I suppose anything is possible), I'll admit to being shocked, because I don't see how you can get to the level he's at competitively by being lazy, no matter how naturally gifted he might be. Also, Olympic athletes have determination and competitive streaks that go beyond normal. Whenever I've seen athletes do badly on this show, it's because they have a weird attitude (the runner that talked about her virginity all the time?), not because they're lazy or don't know how to train properly.

I find Lucas to be the most comforting presence on the show. Maybe because everything else seems so unfamiliar right now...except for maybe Nicole, who still looks like she's wandering around city benches with weird hair. Belle finally has a hairstyle I can stand and get behind. She looked a bit better than I was expecting, although she did seem like she wanted to jump Chad. She kind of gives off that vibe with any man she's in a scene with since she came back as a lawyer. Maybe I'm imagining it...though since it was Chad she was in a scene with, I wasn't so offended this time (even if he is grieving).

What was that look on Lucas's face when Jennifer said that Abigail always went after what she wanted? Was he thinking of Sami and EJ? Anyway, the look was funny.

Is Ciara's acting supposed to be that bad?

Well, at least Nicole is still on this show. There's that.

Now that you mention it, he does come across as kind of sleep-deprived. That explanation makes some sense to me. I have nothing against the actor, and I suppose there is some appreciation for the fact that he was in the Harry Potter movies, but the character sometimes seems so bland compared to everyone else, even though he's at the heart of everything. Maybe the Rebecca infatuation kind of ruined him for me... Despite the fact that Frank and Analise and Sam had their own traumas that had a weird ricochet effect that might have led to the murder of Lila, I feel it was ultimately Wes's idiocy with Rebecca that led to the killing of Sam, and consequently Analise having to scrub a lot of floors.

That's what I believe it is too. Which makes their love story a little blah for me. Jane is completely the opposite of Petra, both physically and in personality, that I don't quite understand how he's remained committed to the idea of remaining in love with her (especially now that Petra has two children by him now as well). Nonetheless, I can understand his disgust with Petra for cheating on him. I just find his movement from someone like Petra to someone like Jane a little puzzling. Maybe he wants someone who is the opposite of Petra (er, someone who is honest) but even the physical difference between the two (Petra is more sophisticated while Jane seems to eschew glamour to some degree, even when her dad is willing to pay for it) makes one wonder what Raphael's type actually is, if he has one at all. I get what Jane sees in him (well, physically anyway... in terms of, uh, you know, straight-up lust -- though I'm not sure if anyone in real life would want to deal with the rest of him if you take his money out of the equation. Would I want to deal with Sin Rostro or Mutter? Yeah, he's hot, but maybe I prefer my safety more.). I also think HIS pull on her is less puzzling to me than her pull on him. He kind of has that physical look to him that I could see a young, inexperienced woman losing her mind over. I just don't necessarily see an older, former womanizing guy who looks like him losing his mind over someone like Jane. She has a lovely personality in terms of her integrity and honesty, but I don't know if I've seen that sort of thing in real life to be a big pull for men who look and act like like Raphael. And I'm not even sure if thats what he does love about her since he never really seems to say what it is he does like about her. I think I can recall him saying that he liked Petra's ability to snag a bargain for rich people and calculate costs down to the cent, but he never really says what it is he likes about Jane. I also think her quick transitions between both guys could be written better.

I thought Frank brought his A-game acting wise for this episode, though I am peeved that he thought killing some pregnant lady would make up for a dead baby. Still, good job on that hospital scene!

I didn't think his face or eyes registered much of anything (at least not in the way Michaela or Connor's eyes seem to register something when a terrible incident has happened). The little kid who played Wes registered something in the face when he saw his mom lying on the floor but I didn't think adult Wes's reaction looked any different from his usual reaction to things (which usually seems to be not much? He didn't seem all that shocked when he realized he could have potentially killed his mother either. I would have been suicidal if I had found out something like that, but he seemed to easily shrug the realization off). I don't know if enough time had passed for what had happened to sink in, but I thought the eyes could have showed more expression. Maybe he was directed to look like that though -- Wes's reactions usually seem more guarded than everyone else's on the show. For what reason, I'm not sure though. Laurel's reactions always seemed more guarded as well, and then the show revealed that there was a real reason as to why (i.e her father). Adult Wes never really seems shocked by much of anything, but why I don't understand. Wes did seem to step back in some kind of shock after the guy was on the floor, but the camera pulled away from his face by that point, and who knows what he was thinking when the camera veered off. I assume he was all appropriately wtf, but adult Wes seems so reserved emotionally compared to little boy Wes (except maybe where Rebecca was concerned). I suppose one could argue that the actor playing Wes is more subtle, but most of the time Wes seems kind of blasé about stuff (like he's been there, done that and needs some sleep). Nonetheless, I do expect his reaction to be less muted in the next episode of the next season when the Scooby Doo crew are all at some hospital yelling at each other.

I suppose Wes is used to seeing people murdered in front of him, but I still thought it was a little weird that he didn't seem to have much of a reaction to his dad dropping dead right in front of him from a shot in the head.

I don't get Jane's pull on Raphael. I get why Michael would be so determined to be paired with her given their long history, but even with the insemination screw-up where he's attached to the idea of having a family it's not really clear to me why Raphael is so in love with her. Maybe if he were more naive or was younger, I might get it, but since he's a 31 year old experienced guy who clearly has no problem with the ladies, I don't really get how or why Jane has the power to turn him into such a love-struck mess, not to mention a really weird one. That she's the polar opposite of Petra is also a bit of a question mark in terms of attraction. I guess he doesn't have a type... How Raphael fell for Jane in the first place isn't really clear to me. He had a sex dream about her where he realized he had an attraction to her but before that I can't really remember what led up to him having such strong feelings for her. I like both Raphael and Michael. And I feel sorry for both men that they're hung up on this girl, no matter how well-played she is by Gina Rodriguez. I suppose I just want everyone to find happiness, no matter their flaws. I do get the sense Jane has strong feelings for Raphael no matter what (though more because of his looks than anything else? I'm not sure if that's love or lust), and I'm not too keen on seeing either guy get hurt. I don't feel Michael deserves a brutal dumping either. Normally, I can pick a side (i.e Ben over Noel during the Felicity years), but this love triangle makes my head hurt.

Well, that was a really depressing episode.

That's certainly what I came away thinking! Like, how rude! I can't believe she ate that cake too. I used to wonder why the adults hated her so much, but during that ceremony I clearly understood why. Uncle Jesse was right not to want to get stuck with that bill.

I think Abigail is the one who wound up slapping Sami but then I'm not sure who Abigail hasn't slapped on this show.. Maybe she can slap Ava once she gets within Chad's proximity. At this point, I'm not sure if I even care if Abigail is the one who has to get down to business. The smug on Ava is way too much...and what is she smug about? It's not like she got Steve to sleep with her through normal means.

I think she has a really good physique (especially considering she must be 40 or so -- I therefore assumed she works hard to maintain it so on that level her body seems impressive to me), but gosh darnit, her character is so annoying. I think she might be even more irritating than Kristen, who at least had comic timing that made for some funny moments at times with some of the other Dimeras. There's nothing I can point to in Ava that could be considered charming personality-wise, even when she's just having casual conversation. (Even Kristen and Kate, while nuts, can be kind of amusing at times).

Did Ava confiscate Steve's phone or something when she blackmailed him into sleeping with her? (I didn't watch the entire progression of the storyline since Ava's teeth bother me). EJ had a gun held to Sami's head, but I didn't see any guns flying around in Steve's flashback scenes. Did Steve forget to re-charge his phone and forget to bring the charger with him? WTF. Am I over-thinking this?

Geez, has Tamara Braun ever played a character with even just one ounce of likability? Every character she plays turns out to be so wretched. I'm not sure if I'd take it as a compliment if I were the go-to person for woman with no scruples whatsoever. Even in a Hallmark movie, this lady would probably turn out to the psycho in a flower shop to be avoided at all costs.

Ava is way too insane for me to deal with. Nicole and Sami could be very delusional when it came to men, but there was still something human about them that would bring you to at least thinking they were capable of being not so insane that you'd still be willing to have a cup of coffee with them. I don't like the kind of crazy Ava is doling out at all.

Has it been explained why Belle looks kind of annoyed that she has a daughter? That's what I get from her when I see her in scenes with Claire, and it baffles me because I have no idea why she's upset. I get why she's upset with the men -- the ones in Salem are too stupid to live. But what has her daughter done that causes disdain to pass over Belle's face? I think Abigail does that thing with her eyes where she tries to keep them open without blinking in order for tears to come, but nothing much happens anyway. I know KM enjoys exercising a lot (and that part of her personality I do admire), but maybe her arms are a little too muscle-y looking or over-exercised. She looked a little odd in that dress, and I didn't get what Chad was going on about when he was talking about how beautiful she was looking in that outfit. Phillip's face is so annoying to look at. To me, he simply looks like Melissa Reeves's husband after undergoing a half-done face lift.

I don't get why Belle is so cold with her daughter. I can deal with the witchy-vibe-with-men-while-also-trying-to-charm-them-because-she-secretly-wants them attitude, but I don't get the personality she puts on with her kid. Everybody on this show is a superficial parent to some degree, but at least the rest look like they know how show affection for their children, even Marlena when she's in clinical psychiatrist mode. To be honest, I don't know how she even has time to worry about her sex life right now when she, Sean, and the daughter look kind of stressed out.