Season 3

[parrotfeathers]

Am I the only one disappointed that the Lizzie character is returning?

[Bali]

No, you are not. I'm also disappointed that there doesn't seem to be a general on the horizon. But it does look like maybe we'll see the backside of Charmaine, so there is THAT to cling to...

[AZChristian]

I looked at the upcoming cast list for the new episodes.  One cast member is only there for the first episode, and the teaser says, "A Funeral, A Fire, A Divorce And More Twists For Jack & Mel."

 

[Aunt Catfish]

Started rewatching from the beginning today.  It has been so long I felt the need to refresh my memory on events.  I'm avoiding reading articles on the show that could spoil it for me.  

[parrotfeathers]

On 6/29/2021 at 4:20 PM, Aunt Catfish said:

Started rewatching from the beginning today.  It has been so long I felt the need to refresh my memory on events.  I'm avoiding reading articles on the show that could spoil it for me.  

I understand you completely!  I decided to rewatch Downton Abbey and barely remember anything I saw the first time!

[dubstepford wife]

I'm on episode three.  So far it's much, much better than Season 2.  They have the spark of Season 1 back.  And whoever does the cinematography for this show deserves a raise, because every shot is just more beautiful than the last.  So. much. pretty. scenery. 

I kind of like Brady's redemption arc, though it's a little weird how he suddenly has his own lumber company.  Unless it's a witness protection thing, you don't go from a drug dealer to having your own lumber company in three weeks.

One thing though: can someone please teach the older ladies on this show how to knit?  This is the second time they feature a knitting circle where it's obvious no one has any idea what they're doing.  Either teach them to knit, or drop the whole stereotypical "they're older so they must like knitting!"  Signed, a knitter.

[ali59]

I'm very confused.  Apparently it's only 3 weeks since Jack was shot but Charmaine is magically off bedrest and actually has a new boyfriend.   Did they have Jack's sister Brie there at the party and didn't even properly introduce the character?  I am so lost.

Edited July 9, 2021 by ali59

[Quickbeam]

The sooner they dispense with Charmaine the better. No offense to the actress but the character is just annoying. And to the comment up thread…..none of these women look to know a knitting needle from a kayak paddle. It’s like they were handed a prop to make it look like they were busy. 

[Aunt Catfish]

Uncle Catfish and I watched four episodes today.  Will not reveal anything here.  Is the mod going to divide Season 3 into separate shows?  I don't know how and I would not spoil things for anyone else!

[AZChristian]

Watched the first two episodes of the new season yesterday.  Not real impressed so far.  

[sharifa70]

Some thoughts after 4 episodes:

Why isn’t Charmaine showing? Like, at all? I’ve never had kids but shouldn’t she be something like at least 5 months along by now? She’s been pregnant for two seasons!

Speaking of that, how does time pass on this show, anyway? I’m so confused. 

Did I hear correctly that Charmaine is engaged to a dude she met a month ago?

My viewing experience is not disturbed in any way by fast-forwarding all scenes involving Ricky and Lizzie.

Neither is it disturbed by fast-forwarding all scenes involving Brady’s lumber woes.

What’s with all the campfires and tea lights? Isn’t anyone worried about setting the whole damn state on fire?

Um, why did the boat ride come before dinner? Surely a hot meal before a boat ride is more romantic than a boat ride followed by an ice-cold dinner. Unless it’s gazpacho, of course.

Doesn’t Christopher know about the danger he and his mom are in? Why do Preacher and Connie act all secretive about it around him? I get that he might not know the full details but he knows his father is an abuser, doesn’t he? Wasn’t he in the house during that last confrontation with Paige?

I’m still appreciating Martin Henderson, though. His American accent is pretty flawless.

Edited July 10, 2021 by sharifa70

[sharifa70]

48 minutes ago, lora said:

I just finished season 3,

  Reveal spoiler

and I am kind of frustated the cops didn't figure out who shot Jack (who still can't remember). And it looks like Brady is being framed, since it is obvious he didn't do it. But I do think Mike is the shooter.

 

I’m only at episode 8 but I think so too.

[greekmom]

Season 3 was disappointing.

First Jack going back and forth about Mel. Then Mel getting pregnant (supposedly) from the embryos that she and Mark still have left over.
Next, Charmaine is so stupid. What man wants a woman who is pregnant with someone else's twins? Wants to basically adopt them? He's going to turn out to be controlling, cut her off from her friends and family and most likely smack her.
Preacher who should be careful, accepted the drink from Paige's alleged friend.  Seriously. I knew that drink was spiked.  He's toast.
10 episodes and we still don't know for sure who shot Jack. Honestly, I fast fowarded through episode 10.
Is Annette O'Toole ill or just tired of the shit show?  Looks like Hope maybe on death's door.
I don't know if I'll be there for next season.

Oh thing I noticed, did anyone catch the book on Lily's coffee table? It was the author's.
 

[seth]

Show sucks, plain & simple. Sub-Hallmark level soap drivel that strains credulity every chance it gets.

- Charmaine is 6+ months preggers with twins, but not showing at all. Not believable.

- Paige is nowhere to be seen. Yes, she felt she had to leave town due to her abusive man's death, but that was months ago. Is she ever going to return to a child she loves who can't live without her? Not believable.

- In the hospital scenes starting Season 3, Jack is near death after the gunshots, and the doctors seem quite unsure if he's even going to make it. Next scene, he's hosting a party at the Bar, looking healthy and vigorous. Absolutely no explanation or time spent on his recovery. Not believable.

- In the tradition of the old afternoon soaps, where they can never be too much drama or pained faces, Jack's house burns down unaccountably. Nearly dying from being shot, only weeks ago, just wasn't enough. Not believable. Doc missing Hope (who's trapped in an East Coast hurricane,) to the point of tears isn't enough, gotten give him "wet age-related macular degeneration," too. Jack hating Brady, with Brady still being the 'most likely shooter,' isn't enough, gotta make Jack's itinerant sister unaccountably have an affair with him. So contrived!

I mean, come on! How thick do you have to lay it on?

This is why so much Hollywood TV is crap. They never know when to draw the line, and have the events and people seem 'real.' As if there can't be enough of a story arc worth us watching, unless they throw in every calamity and the kitchen sink. Not believable...at all.

But I guess the writers don't care about credulity, and I guess those who love a series filled with as much maudlin drama as possible will eat this up, anyway.

 

[sharifa70]

31 minutes ago, greekmom said:

Is Annette O'Toole ill or just tired of the shit show?  Looks like Hope maybe on death's door.

She couldn’t travel for filming due to the pandemic. The show tried to work around that.

[AZChristian]

28 minutes ago, greekmom said:

Is Annette O'Toole ill or just tired of the shit show?  Looks like Hope maybe on death's door.

I read somewhere that she could not travel to Canada for filming, so they were going to "Skype" her in or something.  I've finished the first couple of episodes and haven't seen her yet.

I was bumfuzzled that the most controlling and interfering woman in the history of Virgin River would forget about her huge marriage vow renewal plans, leave her husband (whom we suspect finally told her about his health problems) and head off to South Carolina to take care of an elderly aunt with no idea how long she'd be gone.  No way Hope would not have been leading the charge to get Doc to cut back (and sitting in on interviews for new doctors).  

I've never been a fan of Hallmark stuff . . . and this is going down that road quickly.  Very disappointing.

[dshgr]

Telling that I did my taxes during episode 8.  I'm done.

[VartanFan]

2 hours ago, AZChristian said:

I was bumfuzzled that the most controlling and interfering woman in the history of Virgin River would forget about her huge marriage vow renewal plans, leave her husband

Not to mention….leave the guy who just got shot, whose life she is OBSESSED with.  

[AZChristian]

We made it to the scene with the rowboat and the lights. We're out.

[greekmom]

1 hour ago, AZChristian said:

We made it to the scene with the rowboat and the lights. We're out.

My initial thought was - how the heck was he going to clean up? And isn't that pollution?

[seth]

29 minutes ago, greekmom said:

My initial thought was - how the heck was he going to clean up? And isn't that pollution?

What episode was that? What rowboat, who was the "he" and what was needing cleaning up?

It's Ok, you can tell me, my wife and I are already out, too, after just E1 & E2

[love2lovebadtv]

On 6/29/2021 at 5:20 PM, Aunt Catfish said:

Started rewatching from the beginning today.  It has been so long I felt the need to refresh my memory on events.  I'm avoiding reading articles on the show that could spoil it for me.  

 

On 7/9/2021 at 8:14 AM, dubstepford wife said:

I'm on episode three.  So far it's much, much better than Season 2.  They have the spark of Season 1 back.  And whoever does the cinematography for this show deserves a raise, because every shot is just more beautiful than the last.  So. much. pretty. scenery. 

I kind of like Brady's redemption arc, though it's a little weird how he suddenly has his own lumber company.  Unless it's a witness protection thing, you don't go from a drug dealer to having your own lumber company in three weeks.

One thing though: can someone please teach the older ladies on this show how to knit?  This is the second time they feature a knitting circle where it's obvious no one has any idea what they're doing.  Either teach them to knit, or drop the whole stereotypical "they're older so they must like knitting!"  Signed, a knitter.

 

On 7/9/2021 at 2:53 PM, ali59 said:

I'm very confused.  Apparently it's only 3 weeks since Jack was shot but Charmaine is magically off bedrest and actually has a new boyfriend.   Did they have Jack's sister Brie there at the party and didn't even properly introduce the character?  I am so lost.

I don't get Charmaine's pregnancy at all. She's apparently well enough to galivant and show off her new man. 

10 hours ago, sharifa70 said:

Some thoughts after 4 episodes:

Why isn’t Charmaine showing? Like, at all? I’ve never had kids but shouldn’t she be something like at least 5 months along by now? She’s been pregnant for two seasons!

Speaking of that, how does time pass on this show, anyway? I’m so confused. 

Did I hear correctly that Charmaine is engaged to a dude she met a month ago?

My viewing experience is not disturbed in any way by fast-forwarding all scenes involving Ricky and Lizzie.

What’s with all the campfires and tea lights? Isn’t anyone worried about setting the whole damn state on fire?

Doesn’t Christopher know about the danger he and his mom are in? Why do Preacher and Connie act all secretive about it around him? I get that he might not know the full details but he knows his father is an abuser, doesn’t he? Wasn’t he in the house during that last confrontation with Paige?

Time passes quite slowly when it comes to things like Charmaine's pregnancy and Lilly's baby Chloe, who's not a toddler yet though she was born in Season 1. 

Charmaine and her fiancé have been together for 3 weeks - ridiculous. 

Lizzie and Ricky are OK but I don't know why there's so much of them. 

All the candles make me nervous, especially after that first episode. Doesn't that trigger anyone on the show? 

I think Christopher knows his father is abusive but not that it's connected to his mom's leaving. If he talks to anyone else about that, they'll start figuring out that she's not off taking care of a sick relative. Her cover would be blown. The most  realistic part of this is that Connie is sympathetic and empathetic about this so she's helping. Otherwise, she'd be digging around and blow the whole thing. 

[bybrandy]

I genuinely have a friend who started a relationship with the man who is now her husband while she was pregnant.  So it isn't that it can't happen but it didn't happen over three weeks.  He's not super wealthy and didn't ever start acting like he owned her or the kids much less within three weeks of meeting her.  Bio dad was very, very, very expressly not interested in the child and my friend's husband has raised her kid as his own but that was not the assumption she was making in any way when they first got together... and again... it wasn't three weeks... and he wasn't the one calling the shots. 

But seriously everything about the guy Charmaine is with is SUPER CREEPY.  

Was this show always so maudlin?  I'm not to the end yet but everything just feels so downbeat.   So, so, so downbeat.  

I will give them a pass on Hope though if Anette O'Toole had a legit reason she had to be away due to covid....

But seriously unless this show does a HUGE fast forward going into next season I won't be here for it.  This timeline is just way, way, way too condensed.  

 

[Kiddvideo]

The Charmaine and Lizzie characters make this show virtually unwatchable for me. They’re not even villains you love to hate, and I don’t think Lizzie is supposed to be a villain, just a really immature young woman. The BF isn’t much better.

Charmaine, phoning Jack: Hey, Jack. Do you have a minute?
Jack, breathing hard with exertion: Not really. Can I call you back?
C: No, it’s an emergency. My fiancée, whom I’ve known for 3 weeks, doesn’t like my dog. SCENE

Did we know Brie existed? I barely remember S1-2. But of course within 3 weeks she met her brother’s nemesis and then got pregnant by him and miscarried his baby.

Chloe: When Tara (?) and Mel were talking in the nursery they showed a crib with the mattress lowered a bit, but it was still too high for a kid who can stand. (Then there was a continuity error bc when she sat in the rocking chair it became a changing table.) 3 seasons have covered how long? Has Mel had to renew her contract yet? So we’re at less than a year?

Mel decided to be inseminated — and had the procedure — in the few days she and Jack were on a break, and she was back visiting her sister? Nice DUH DUH DUH ending with Mel using words that will make Jack think she cheated on him.

Much better than Season 2!

Edited July 11, 2021 by Kiddvideo

[greekmom]

28 minutes ago, Kiddvideo said:

Did we know Brie existed? I barely remember S1-2. But of course within 3 weeks she met her brother’s nemesis and then got pregnant by him and miscarried his baby.

It wasn't Brady's baby.  Brie told Mel that a lawyer she was dating back home raped her and it was the baby from that night. 

8 hours ago, seth said:

What episode was that? What rowboat, who was the "he" and what was needing cleaning up?

It's Ok, you can tell me, my wife and I are already out, too, after just E1 & E2

Sorry - not sure which episode because I binged and they ran all together.  Jack gives Mel a romantic night at the cabin and takes her outside where the pathway is littered with candles and the lake had floating candles. They went into a rowboat with their wine/champagne. 

Which reminds me. They all do like their vino a bit too much this season.  Everytime you see them in their off hours, they are either drinking wine at home or drinking at the bar. 

[Bali]

Does the General appear in Season 3?

[Kiddvideo]

11 hours ago, seth said:

What episode was that? What rowboat, who was the "he" and what was needing cleaning up?

It's Ok, you can tell me, my wife and I are already out, too, after just E1 & E2

It was episode 4 about 8:30 left to go in the episode. Jack (and Brie) decorated the path and the pond with tea lights.

2 hours ago, greekmom said:

It wasn't Brady's baby.  Brie told Mel that a lawyer she was dating back home raped her and it was the baby from that night.  

Thanks! I thought she said she’d been raped 6 months before which didn’t make sense that she didn’t know, which was why I thought it was Brady’s. Six months was when they started dating. I don’t remember if anyone ever said how long they’d been broken-up.

Are we to presume Preacher is dead? I can’t figure out a scenario where they drugged but didn’t kill him, and he’s still missing the next day. Drugs should’ve worn off by then if he were alive?

Edited July 11, 2021 by Kiddvideo

[memememe76]

I thought this season is wayyyy better than the second season. Doc in this season was the best Doc. I didn’t miss Hope at all, and I am glad it resulted in seeing more of the other women. Charmaine is such an awful character but there was much less of her. I even got used to Lizzie. Brie was okay. The scenery was stunning. 

[JayDub1987]

12 hours ago, greekmom said:

My initial thought was - how the heck was he going to clean up? And isn't that pollution?

They looked like floating lights/candles. I've seen them used in pools before, I would assume they work the same way in a lake. He would have just had to row out there and pick them all up the next day.

[srpturtle80]

1 hour ago, Bali said:

Does the General appear in Season 3?

No.

[toomuchtv]

Terrible. Not even trying to follow any book plots and just any and every storyline is the most ridiculous that it could be.

[greekmom]

51 minutes ago, Kiddvideo said:

Are we to presume Preacher is dead? I can’t figure out a scenario where they drugged but didn’t kill him, and he’s still missing the next day. Drugs should’ve worn off by then if he were alive?

The whole thing with Preacher really pissed me off. The man is a vet Marines. He should have been on his guard regardless if the "friend" was saying Paige sent her. He's dealing with a highly volatile situation with people associated with bad cops.  

[UsernameFatigue]

4 hours ago, memememe76 said:

I thought this season is wayyyy better than the second season. Doc in this season was the best Doc. I didn’t miss Hope at all, and I am glad it resulted in seeing more of the other women. Charmaine is such an awful character but there was much less of her. I even got used to Lizzie. Brie was okay. The scenery was stunning. 

As someone who has had a crush on Tim Matheson for many years, I have loved how much Doc has been front and center this season. TM is gorgeous at any age. I haven't missed Hope at all, as I find her annoying. 

I read an interview where the creator/writer of the series said she wanted to explore more of Lizzie and Ricky this season. Apparently they don't play a big part in the books? (Don't know, haven't read them). I find both actors to be very weak, and I could not care less about the characters,  or their relationship.

I think they have done a good job with Lilly's storyline. I  like the actor who plays Lilly, and enjoyed her when she was a regular on the Canadian series Republic of Doyle several years ago.

Have we seen Jack's sister Brie before? And what is up with the cheese related names? Did their parents have a thing for cheese? I am not warming up to Brie, but have also never warmed up to Mel.

As someone who lives in B.C., and started watching the series for the gorgeous scenery, all those tea lights burning made me nervous. We have a cabin at a lake and would never in a million years have dozens of tea lights all around a forested area. We have solar powered  lights outside, that is it. We currently have so many forest fires, that that scene made me nervous just watching it! 

 

 

Edited July 11, 2021 by UsernameFatigue

[dubstepford wife]

Some harsh reviews!

You definitely have to turn your brain off with the timeline, because it makes no sense at all.  Charmaine should definitely be showing a little bit, even if we are generous and say that she's maybe only two months along, when you'd still be fairly small.  Jack recovers from flat-lining in the hospital to being fine in three weeks -- that's awfully quick.  And my aforementioned comment about Brady suddenly having his own lumber company.  I gathered as I watched the season that he inherited it from Calvin, who was just using it as a cover operation, and Brady is trying to make it legit, so I guess mayyyybe I can buy that.  Maybe.  

My biggest timeline related gripe was Mel's insemination.  I've never gone through IVF and I know they said in the course of the show that she already had two frozen embryos, but, don't you have to like, take hormones to prepare for insemination?  Isn't there more than one appointment?  And the whole source of conflict between Mel and Mark was that IVF wasn't working, which I guess implies that the baby is Jack's, but she also made it pretty clear that she thought she was infertile.  So either Jack has magic sperm or IVF is apparently so simple you can do it on your lunch break.

But that aside, I like it.  I can't help it.  It's all the scenic beauty and coziness of a Hallmark show mixed with actual adult plotlines.  The Lumberjack Games were adorable, and I refuse to believe this fan theory that Bert is Calvin's secret spy employee.  He's way too adorable.  It's totally Jack's crazy cop friend.  If anything they're making it too obvious.

[seth]

Many seem to be certain the shooter was cop Mike. I'm a bit slow, so remind me, why? What would be the payoff for this cop-friend of Jack's shooting him? What would he get out of Jack being dead?

Hard to disagree w/Dubstepford wife (great screen name! guess you love dub-step, me too) about the location shots. My wife and I just kept saying, how come we don't live there?

Also, hard to disagree with all the unbelievables (mentioned prior,) contrivances (Mel's IVF pregnancy,  Charmaine's sudden engagement to a douche, just about everything in Jack & Preacher's timeline, to name a few,) and sheer glut of characters, each with their own outsized drama going on. Call me a nerd for 'reality' but even all that sumptuous scenery can't make up for all that incredulity.

[srpturtle80]

5 hours ago, UsernameFatigue said:

I read an interview where the creator/writer of the series said she wanted to explore more of Lizzie and Ricky this season. Apparently they don't play a big part in the books? (Don't know, haven't read them). I find both actors to be very weak, and I could not care less about the characters,  or their relationship.

I just read the books earlier this year and Lizzy and Ricky actually feature quite prominently in them. So far their storyline on here differs quite a bit from the books.

Having read the books, I would be completely blown away if they made Mike in anyway involved in Jack’s shooting. I really really hope they don’t go there. 
 

Everyone here seems to hate it, but I am still entertained and binged the season over the weekend. It does bug me how much they have differed from the books (especially with Preacher and Paige’s story) but that always seems to happen with TV adaptations. 

I sure hope there is a season 4!

[UsernameFatigue]

9 minutes ago, srpturtle80 said:

I just read the books earlier this year and Lizzy and Ricky actually feature quite prominently in them. So far their storyline on here differs quite a bit from the books.

Having read the books, I would be completely blown away if they made Mike in anyway involved in Jack’s shooting. I really really hope they don’t go there. 
 

Everyone here seems to hate it, but I am still entertained and binged the season over the weekend. It does bug me how much they have differed from the books (especially with Preacher and Paige’s story) but that always seems to happen with TV adaptations. 

I sure hope there is a season 4!

When I posted earlier, I still had three episodes to watch. I have now finished the season, and like you I hope there is a season 4.  Like some others here, I do think there are a lot (most?) of unbelievable story lines, but it is basically a soap opera so I don't expect a lot. I enjoy most of the characters, and many of the actors. My hope would be that there is no Hope in season 4, and that Doc ends up with Muriel down the road. 

[Quickbeam]

I just love watching Martin Henderson. That hair. Those eyes. How can someone from NZ get American English so flawlessly. I can’t even do an Irish accent and I’m 100% Celt.

Seriously, he’s doing some heavy lifting in this show. Acting wise. There are sooooo many weird plot lines. I did cry during the funeral…..I’ll also miss the actress. She did a better job than the book. 

[sharifa70]

2 minutes ago, Quickbeam said:

I did cry during the funeral

Yeah, I cried like a baby!

[windsprints]

Quote

Everyone here seems to hate it, but I am still entertained and binged the season over the weekend.

I was entertained too. I knew what to expect after watching the first 2 seasons so I just go with the flow of the inconsistencies. I enjoy the actors, the scenery and the story keeps me interested enough.

I thought initially that Mike may have shot Jack. At one point Brady says something about Mike no being a hero and something to the effect of "if people know what you did in Iraq".  Now I'm not so sure. I actually leaned towards Todd. Perhaps he's someone Jack doesn't recall. How he appeared and kept offering everything Charmaine wanted while chipping away to take the kids from Jack. It seems more than just Todd wanting the family, it seemed vindictive. But, I'm always wrong. I also never read the books (I didn't know until tonight there even were books) so I have no idea if Todd exists in them and is better explained. 

[ShortyMac]

We’re supposed to believe that you can just call up your fertility doctor and get IVF on your lunch break? Get real, show. Oh, gee, is the baby Mark’s, or Jack’s? Rolling my eyes so hard. 
 

You’d think Preacher would have been smarter when dealing with Paige’s situation. Way too trusting. 
 

Didn’t like Brady and Brie, and Ricky and Lizzie eating up so much screen time. 

[bijoux]

I watched the first one and man, that ending isn't going to get Mel into birthdays. However, it's basically the only thing that happened.

Real talk now, how many people take a day off on their birthday? I associate zero traumatic experiences with mine and enjoy the ones that fall on a weekend or Easter when the stars collide so I don't have to work, but I never thought about not going to work because of it. I just take in some food for my co-workers and get on with it. People were acting like Mel going into work was a big, hairy deal. Why?

[sharifa70]

57 minutes ago, bijoux said:

I watched the first one and man, that ending isn't going to get Mel into birthdays. However, it's basically the only thing that happened.

Real talk now, how many people take a day off on their birthday? I associate zero traumatic experiences with mine and enjoy the ones that fall on a weekend or Easter when the stars collide so I don't have to work, but I never thought about not going to work because of it. I just take in some food for my co-workers and get on with it. People were acting like Mel going into work was a big, hairy deal. Why?

I admit I kind of laughed when Mel’s birthday ended the way it did.

My personal attitude about birthdays/work kind of depends on a few things, but mostly on what day of the week it falls on and how I’m feeling about my job. If I’m enjoying my job or working on a project with a tight deadline, I work. If I’m feeling super-stressed out, I’ll use my birthday as an excuse to treat myself to a day off. My birthday is in the spring so when I was a kid I was sick a lot right around then and didn’t get very many birthday parties anyway. Not gonna lie: it’s nice when people remember my birthday and think to send me a card or buy me a cocoa, but I don’t expect anything and certainly don’t say things like “It’s my birthday WEEK!” because no. No, it isn’t. That’s...not a thing. 

I also have no memory of Brie, and it looks like we’re not losing our minds: Zibby Allen’s imdb page only has her listed for season 3. Just to make sure they didn’t pull a fast one and recast her between seasons, there’s no “Brie” character in season 2 (and yes, I took my obsessive research too far and checked the season 3 last episode credits for the mysterious B&B guest for a comparison, and he’s there).

This season had some good things (the lumberjack fair, pretty much anything with Doc, Muriel kind of shining as an actual person instead of the predatory caricature she’s been the last two seasons, Martin Henderson still nailing it), but the timeline is still driving me crazy, Mel is too much of a saint to be real, how the hell is Jack so healthy, I fast forward almost everything with Lizzie and Ricky, zero progress on the shooting, and yeah, I’m still traumatized by the tea lights and campfires...

[AZChristian]

2 hours ago, bijoux said:

Real talk now, how many people take a day off on their birthday? I associate zero traumatic experiences with mine and enjoy the ones that fall on a weekend or Easter when the stars collide so I don't have to work, but I never thought about not going to work because of it. 

First off, I did have a lot of sad childhood experiences with my birthday.  My birthday is 9 days before Christmas, and it always seemed to get lost in that OTHER person's December birthday.  Can't tell you how many years I'd get a present in Christmas paper, which was an indication that the female birth vessel had just pulled something out of her closet that was supposed to be a Christmas gift.  And I seriously doubt she ever bought me another Christmas present to make up for it.  Nope, I was just getting one less Christmas gift and my birthday wasn't important enough to even wrap my present in birthday paper.  When you're one of 5 kids, stuff like that matters to a kid.

Hubby and I got in the habit of both taking my birthday off, having a decadent breakfast out in a fancy restaurant (aka Denny's), and then doing our Christmas shopping with and for each other.  He'd pick out something he wanted and I'd pay for it, and vice versa.  Both with the same credit card, of course.  We'd take the gifts home, wrap them and put them under the tree, and not open them until the 25th.  I also got to choose any other activities that I thought would be fun for the day (foot massages, movies, etc.).

So, yes, some of us do (or at least did before retirement) take our birthdays off from work.

[eclectcmoi]

I've been trying to separate the TV show from the books (I've read all 20), but it isn't easy.  This season is so so depressing and I agree with whoever said it's like a soap opera.  So much drama, so many silly plot lines (how the hell is Charmaine not showing with twins!) without any of the heart I was hoping this series would have.  It's really disappointing.

I take my birthday off every year, because my supervisor thinks no one should have to work on their birthdays.  So... okay! 

[BetyBee]

The basic premise of VR seems to be that one person tells another person a secret and exacts a promise that they won't tell anyone the secret. That person agrees and then immediately tells the person for whom that knowledge creates the most drama. Lather, rinse & repeat. 

[Enginerd]

4 hours ago, AZChristian said:

First off, I did have a lot of sad childhood experiences with my birthday.  My birthday is 9 days before Christmas, and it always seemed to get lost in that OTHER person's December birthday.  Can't tell you how many years I'd get a present in Christmas paper, which was an indication that the female birth vessel had just pulled something out of her closet that was supposed to be a Christmas gift.  And I seriously doubt she ever bought me another Christmas present to make up for it.  Nope, I was just getting one less Christmas gift and my birthday wasn't important enough to even wrap my present in birthday paper.  When you're one of 5 kids, stuff like that matters to a kid.

Hey, we have the same birthday! And yes, it sucked as a kid having a birthday that time of year. I was sick on my birthday multiple years, and when I wasn't, there was usually a school holiday concert or church Christmas party on my birthday or just everyone was busy with other stuff. I got a lot of combination birthday/Christmas presents, while most other people got two separate presents. I had very few birthday parties when I was a kid.

As an adult, I like to take a vacation for my birthday, because I have the money and freedom to do that now, but I'd never expect anyone else to make a big deal of my birthday anymore. Almost every adult I know works on their birthday unless it happens to fall on a day off, and they celebrate by going out to dinner or doing something on the weekend. It isn't really a thing that everyone is expected to take the day off for their birthday.

[Miss Slay]

Terrible.

With everything that happened this year and last - the writers could have made the show a bit lighter and not so depressing.

Not sure I will tune in for season 4.

[CarpeFelis]

12 hours ago, AZChristian said:

My birthday is 9 days before Christmas, and it always seemed to get lost in that OTHER person's December birthday.  Can't tell you how many years I'd get a present in Christmas paper, which was an indication that the female birth vessel had just pulled something out of her closet that was supposed to be a Christmas gift.  And I seriously doubt she ever bought me another Christmas present to make up for it.  Nope, I was just getting one less Christmas gift and my birthday wasn't important enough to even wrap my present in birthday paper.  When you're one of 5 kids, stuff like that matters to a kid.

I hear you. Everyone’s birthday was in December in my family, mine 3 weeks before Christmas, my father’s 6 days before Christmas and my mother’s 2 days after. She remembered all too well getting a single present “for Christmas and your birthday” every year as a kid (and it wasn’t an extra big present to make up for it, either) while her brother and sister who had birthdays in other seasons got two, one for Christmas and one for their birthday. So she made a point of making a big deal over my birthday so I wouldn’t have to go through that. I do sometimes take my birthday off from work, but not always.

As to this season: I never, never, like “until hell freezes over” NEVER, thought I would ever say this, but: I’m actually starting to like Muriel. She hasn’t been bragging about her supposedly illustrious acting career, and although she’s always around doing stuff for Vernon, she isn’t being all predatory. If Hope doesn’t pull through I really wouldn’t mind seeing them get together.

I was SO disappointed when Lizzie’s LA friend showed up and she didn’t go back with him. I don’t mind Ricky but I can’t stand Lizzie. Likewise, Brady can go rot in prison for all I care as long as he just goes away. Charmaine could disappear forever and I’d never miss her. 

Speaking of Charmaine, what the hell is she thinking?! First she gets engaged to an obnoxious jerk she’s known less than a month. Then he unilaterally decides where they’ll live, which upsets her, as it would any sane person, so she dumps him… oh, wait, no, she MARRIES HIM RIGHT AWAY JUST BECAUSE HE SAYS SO. This woman seriously has multiple screws loose. Todd the Blowhard is going to end up isolating her and beating her up. Not that I care what happens to her, but those poor twins… and you just know she’ll go running to Jack again and he’ll drop everything and go rescue her. He seriously needs to learn to say no.

And what is the deal with the Mel/Jack rollercoaster lately? Did the writers decide there just HAD to be maximum drama? FFS, why would she tell him “it might not be yours” instead of prefacing that with “I had frozen embryos implanted”? Hey, writers, if this were real life she would have to be either cruel or a complete moron to word it the way she did!

I swear, the only characters I actually give a rip about lately are Doc, Muriel, and Preacher. Christopher’s annoying so I don’t even care what happens to him. Jack has been annoyingly wishy washy, and even Mel has been kind of annoying.

 

[Crs97]

Is it wrong of me to hope Mel is carrying Mark’s baby?  It’s probably a bad sign that the dead man is my favorite character.