Sweet-tea

I'm exhausted just reading this thread. Wish we could just talk about what happened on the episode and not get into the weeds of politics. But having said that, I have to admit I fast-forwarded through the entire Carole/political segment. I have no interest in hearing any of these women discuss politics.

I heard her say that but am not sure I believe it.

I agree with Beth on this point. I think "the Penthouse" sounds pretentious. It seems "home" or "apartment" would be the more common expression, but perhaps that is the point. Lu will not be considered "common." I don't understand why some of these women shovel on the makeup for the reunion shows. Dorinda looked garish from head to toe. She has looked so much better on the regular show. But the prize for the worst has to go to Ramona. She looked so desperate--the extensions, giant breasts, fake lashes, flashy tight gold dress with the slit. The whole look screamed trying too hard. She just looked ridiculous. Sonja's makeup wasn't as overdone, but she should've picked another dress. Beth looked the best to me but I agree with those who said the dress overwhelmed her. The dress was wearing her, and she didn't look comfortable. Her face looked good though. I'm still mystified about how her once prominent jawline now looks in proportion to her face. I don't know what she did, but it looks good. Tinsley may be in denial about her drinking. Whenever I hear the term "housewife" I am reminded that none of these women are housewives or even married. One thing I like about the Auckland women is they are in line with the original concept. I don't care if some of the NY women are single, but it would be interesting to throw at least a few married women into the mix. I'm not counting Lu because she was married for five minutes.

I agree. Why don't they address what is actually on the tape? No one talks about it, but the producer must have seen something that made her think she needed to act. Who is the producer? Is she still employed by the show? I wonder if they were both so drunk they don't remember what happened, and the producer thought Corinne was too drunk to give consent. Whatever it is, enough already. Move on.

My pick is Ben Z. I don't find Dean attractive, mostly due to his awful personality.

I thought the pilot was slow. I really wanted to like it as this is my kind of show. I don't buy Matt Bomer in the lead. I think he's kind of wooden. But based on what I've read here, I'll give it a few more episodes.

It looks like she's had too much filler. I noticed the difference in her face right away. I am just not a fan of filler. Most of the time, it isn't an improvement. She also doesn't need the heavy liner and mascara. She has really pretty blue eyes; I think they would stand out more with less eye makeup. I think LeeAnne s gorgeous and would look even better if her hair were a tad lighter. It would soften her look a little. I don't find Cary attractive at all. Too fake looking. I'm not sure LeeAnn has resolved her anger problem. I'm betting it won't be long before she blows. I wish I knew more about what happened between Brandi and Stephanie. They were such good friends. It annoyed me when LeeAnne kept answering for Brandi when Stephanie was trying to get Brandi to talk with her. For crying out loud, I think Brandi is capable of speaking for herself. LeeAnne should've stayed out of it. I don't really like the new blonde woman.

Just found this show and really enjoyed it, but gosh these women are terrible! They make the other housewives look restrained. Usually there is a build up to the drama, but these women started right out of the gate. I thought Anne and Julia gossiping about Gilda when she was there in another room was horrible. Julia looked gleeful when she goaded Anne into calling Gilda a gold digger. Some of these women have just met and they're already slinging dirt at each other. Sheesh! I didn't understand the bleeping either. I also felt sorry for Angela when Michelle called her plus size in the first show, but I don't now. Angela was really nasty at the dinner party. And her line that Gilda should know what people are saying about her was just utter BS. She just wanted to be mean. I guess Angela doesn't believe in the adage, "if you don't have something nice to say..." I don't really like Gilda--find her cold and offputting--but she handled herself very well. I like Louise the best. I don't think Julia is very attractive--maybe at a distance--and am not sure why she thinks so highly of her looks. Perhaps the tall, blonde thing gets her a lot of attention? Michelle also strikes me as someone who could go for the jugular. The only other one I like is Anne. Absolutely love the scenery!

ITA. I know there is a lot of drinking on this show and the others, but seeing Sonja like that made me uncomfortable. If she were in a different environment, she could have been in a dangerous situation. I also wondered what her daughter thought seeing her mother like that (and could say the same for the others at different times). The woman needs to stay away from booze.

I did not like the ending at all. As others have said, the first season was stellar. This season was disappointing. The last episode dragged for me. There were several scenes that could have been cut as they added nothing to the storyline. I loved Kyle Chandler in this show! He was just fantastic. I know Sally's speech at the end will likely end up on Sissy Spacek's Emmy reel, but I wasn't impressed. It screamed "important monologue" to me, and I didn't find her convincing. She was supposedly teary at points but I saw no tears, and while she was theatrical, I didn't find her compelling. I realize others disagree. This is just my take. Perhaps I'm biased because I disliked her character. I couldn't not stand the Ozzy character and don't understand why he was on this show. Meg's exit was handled clumsily by the writers. Kevin was the Fredo of the series.

I could not believe how childish Ramona and Sonja were acting. I'm so glad Beth did not let them get away with that garbage. Ramona's behavior reminds me of my mother's, and she has Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Ramona is exhibiting several of the traits and has been since I started watching the show, although she seems worse now. Is it the booze? I've never seen Lu so out of her mind drunk.... falling not once but TWICE! Yikes! In one scene she could barely stand and was rocking back and forth. Agree with those who think Dorinda was passed out.

Interesting how opinions differ. I would refer to her as a handsome woman, not beautiful. She is severe looking to me. I think slightly longer hair would soften her look, but I understand that probably isn't what the producers want. I also don't understand why they paired Claire with the writer. There are no sparks at all. Perhaps it's just the casting and not the character itself. I didn't really like this episode. I found my attention wandering, which is unusual as I tend to be riveted by HOC. Part of the problem is similar to what I feel while watching The Americans. There is no one to root for. I dislike Claire and do not find her interesting. Frank is watchable but has become less so as Claire has seemed to surpass him as a character and power player. She seems to get away with everything or to quickly recover if she does slip up. Frank is over the top but at least he stumbles and gets angry or flustered. I liked the first two seasons better but will keep watching to see what happens.

I struggled to get through this episode. It was a snoozer to me. It just doesn't seem like much is happening this season. I wish they had gone in a different direction with Paige... or perhaps with Henry. I think it would have been more interesting if Paige had turned on them. Instead we see her become another Elizabeth, and one is enough for me. I would like to see less about Paige and more about Henry. He seems like an after thought to them. Another interesting plot development could have been that Henry has more spy potential than Paige, and it is revealed in a way that shocks his parents. Either that or he figures out they are spies and is vehemently opposed to the point of trying to bring them down. Just... please, surprise me with something. Make something bad happen to E and P. Throw them off their game. I want them to have some consequences for their actions, especially E. Maybe one of her operations goes horribly wrong or someone she is supposed to seduce is just not into her. I know she is pretty but please, give me something. Anything. Just stop rewarding her with the results she wants. I was bored by the Oleg stuff even though I like him as a character. I'm just not interested in that storyline. This has been the weakest season by far. It seems like a bridge that was haphazardly thrown together to get to the final season.

I just finished it this morning. I reallly enjoyed it except for the overuse of the F word, but I see that all the time. I like Billy Boy Thornton as an actor and think he carried this show. I was a bit amused at some of his tough guy speeches though given how scrawny the guy is, but I guess it was about the character's attitude. I didn't really feel sorry for Brittany. She made her bed (pun intended). The actress did a good job though and her body is sick! I don't think I have seen her in anything else. Anyone know if she's done other series? One thing I didn't like was Lucy's character and her relationship with Cooperman. I never really believed it and also thought it unraveled too quickly. I got the feeling I was supposed to feel sympathy for Lucy, but I didn't. I didn't feel anything at all. Perhaps it was the actress. She just didn't sell it for me. I am a big Dwight Yoakam fan and I didn't even recognize him until I saw him in the credits! Gosh! I knew he was balding but he looked chubby, and he's always been really slim... a long, tall drink of water. Did they pad him? Or was it just his face that was chubby? He's actually a pretty decent actor. I remember he was also in Slingblade with Billy Bob. He played a creepy abusive guy. Agree with posters who said Maria Bello didn't have much of a part. I loved her clothes though. I hope there is a second season. If there is, I hope there are 10 episodes instead of 8.

I was thinking about how the witnesses said Diane was staring straight ahead as if in a trance. This could have been because she was high. She could have been zoned out like some people get when they're stoned, just sitting and staring at the wall kind of thing. Mannahatta, I don't know if the coroner tested for Ambien. Good question. But whether or not she was on it doesn't seem that significant given the level of alcohol and THC she had in her system. I wonder why that theory is so popular. Is it an attempt to make Diane more sympathetic? Does anyone know how the boy is doing now? He should be around 11 or 12, correct? Heatherchandler, does the book mention if the Hances are still in touch with Daniel? It would also be interesting to know how this tragedy has affected their marriage.

I almost didn't watch the whole thing because I didn't like the introduction showing all the people zonked out of their minds. It seemed gratuitous and exploitative to me. I'm glad I got past it, because the rest of the documentary was better. I identified most to the story about the woman addicted to painkillers. It was so sad to see how her addiction destroyed her family, and it reminded me of my mother's addiction. She began taking hydrocodone over 15 years ago and still takes it to this day. Over the years she changed to such a degree that our family was shattered. My dad divorced her after more than 50 years of marriage; my sister and I no longer have any relationship with her. She will not get help or admit she has a problem. She is 79 years old now and is all alone as she has alienated all her family and friends. Even the social worker stopped visiting because she said my mother was too abusive. It is just heart-breaking. My oldest sister was addicted to the same thing. She took Percocet, Lortab, Vicodin... different brands of hydrocodone. She began taking the pills after back surgery. She eventually lost her husband, three children, job, etc. She died in 2009 from a heart attack, but her body was ravaged from years of drug abuse. I remember when the medics showed up and asked if she was on any medication. I ran to the bathroom and found a bottle of Suboxone. She had been taking it for years supposedly to get off the other drugs, but I later found out at some point she began taking the hydrocodone too. What stood out to me the most was when the husband said his wife became a completely different person when she was on the drugs. That is what happened with my mother and sister. The drugs brought out both of their worst qualities and diminished their best qualities. I felt awful for those two boys trying to revive their mother. That is a memory they will carry with them for a lifetime. I was rooting for Stephany. I didn't feel encouraged by what they said at the end as it sounded like she just switched to Methadone or Suboxone, which I don't have a lot of confidence in due to my sister's situation.

I just watched this the other day. As some others have said, I also found it deeply disturbing, heart-breaking and have had difficulty getting it out of my mind. I Googled the case and found a website with a bunch of comments from people. There were multiple theories including the suicide-murder and Ambien. I don't think she took Ambien because it wasn't mentioned in the toxicology report, and as another poster said, it seems like this would have been pounced on by the husband and sister-in-law. I was astounded by the level of denial both of them showed, although after reading these comments now I'm wondering if they were just flat-out lying. The sister-in-law did say that Diane smoked pot, although she downplayed it. Even if Diane was a closet, high-functioning alcoholic, I find it hard to believe that the husband was completely oblivious to any signs of her alcohol abuse. There would have been so many opportunities for him to see her just after she drank or smell alcohol on her breath, perhaps find a hidden bottle, see her drink too much at a party or dinner, etc. He also may have heard others talking about her drinking or voicing concerns. I also noticed that he started out emphatically stating that she didn't drink at all and then later implied she did occasionally when they had daiquiris or whatever while camping. I believe there was another comment when he said she drank once a month or something like that. So how did it go from absolutely no drinking to drinking once or twice a year while camping to once a month? It strains credibility and makes me suspicious of everything else he said. I understand why the parents of the three girls did not want to be interviewed, but I wish I could hear their perspective. Did they know she was a drinker? If not, why did the husband tell Diane to wait and he would come get her when she called and was disoriented? That seems like something you'd say if you had done it before, not when you had just found out and were horrified that a closet drunk had your children in the car. I wonder if they are still on speaking terms with Diane's husband. I was surprised they showed her dead body. I thought it was a poor choice, because up until that point the documentary makers had not really editorialized or at least not in an obvious way. It was pretty matter-of-factly presented, but when they showed her dead body and not the others, it struck me as a "here's the villain" moment. I am not defending her as I am horrified by what she did. I was just surprised by the creative choice of the producers. P.S. As to why she wasn't swaying in the convenience stores video, I have known a number of alcoholics who could consume large quanitiies of alcohol and still walk normally. I think it's an issue of tolerance.

I thought LVP's hair looked good but something seemed different about her eyes. They looked smaller. It made me wonder if she had a facelift. Rinna looked good in the dress but some of her close-ups were scary with her overly made-up eyes and huge lips. After looking at Rinna's hair in this episode and in some of the clips, I think Brandi was right. I do think she is wearing a wig at least some of the time. I liked Dorit's look, even the dress. It wouldn't have been my choice but it worked with her hair and make-up. Surprisingly, Kyle looked off. Not only was the dress wrong, but her hair didn't look as good as usual. It was kind of flat. She usually looks nice at the reunions so I'm not sure what happened. The same applies to Eileen. She is a beautiful woman but just looked so-so to me at the reunion.

I liked her dress but her eye makeup was excessive IMO. Her eyes are prominent already and don't need all that goop on them. She really overdoes it. When I look at her, I am distracted by her eye makeup (and her lips, of course). Ericka's dress was not flattering to her chest.

Has she gotten thinner this season? I know she has always been slender but it seems more apparent to me this year.

I agree about Ramona. I thought she looked bad, especially in her THs. She has that angry Botox brow. In her scene with Dorinda, I really noticed the difference between the two. Dorina looked good and natural while Ramona verged on freakish. Her nose also looked weird to me and different. I noticed it and don't remember noticing it in the past.

She looked drunk. Actually, several of them did.

WORD! I find him effeminate and wimpy. The mumbling and head tilting/sideways gazing drives me crazy, along with his other mannerisms. I can see they tried to hunk him up a bit with the beard, but it didn't work. Nick seems bored and depressed. I don't understand why he agreed to do the show. What does he have to gain at this point? Are they paying him that much? He's kind of become a joke considering how many times he has been on the show. (I remember Brad getting flack for doing it twice!) I don't believe he is that interested in any of these women, not even Vanessa, unless it's all being edited out. When he cried while letting Kristina go, I got the feeling he was crying more for himself and that he was dumb enough to come back on the show. There are just few sparks with anyone, even when he's kissing and making out with women. It looks obligatory on his part. Even the edge he had that made him such a jerk on the first few seasons is long gone. Heck, at least he was somewhat interesting then. Sorry! Can you tell I'm bored? Is Corinne eating as much as they are trying to portray? Her face looked rounder in some of the scenes but not in the THs.

I think the main reason Megan came off this episode as the only sane one is she wasn't drinking any alcohol. Most of the screech fests that happen on this show are fueled by alcohol. That cell phone video was at 2:30 or 3:00 am, so no telling how long those women had been drinking. Even Heather looked drunk on the bus. She wasn't at the slurring point yet but she looked intoxicated to me. I could tell by her eyes.

Delurking to say I'm so disappointed in this show. It seems mean-spirited to me, and I don't like any of the characters. I agree with others who have said THC's character is poorly written; there is nothing redeemable about him. He's just a jerk. I wonder if he is written that way in order to justify Frances' affair. Regardless, the two don't click at all. I don't believe for a second that they met, fell in love, got married and had children together. I think THC was miscast. They should've found someone who had chemistry with SJP, and they shouldn't have made his character so one note. I also don't like Frances and am not the least bit sympathetic for her. Am I supposed to be rooting for her, or is the show just too edgy for its own good? I get the feeling that the writers are trying to show how shocking and blunt they can be with the language, especially THC's. The problem is it isn't funny; it just seems like the writing team showing off. I think the only hope for the show is a total reboot: soften the writing, recast THC and give us someone or something that makes us want to keep watching. Until that happens, I'm out. I gave it three episodes, and each one was worse than the last. By the way, what was the point of the marriage counselor saying practically nothing? I have been to marriage counseling, and my husband and I did get some guidance. I understand they want to show the characters arguing, but it seemed like a copout to me. If the therapist was the sounding board type who just sits there, I saw a few instances in which it was obvious she needed to direct the conversation down a more productive path.