RW Homecoming: New Orleans (2022)

[Keywestclubkid]

Danny talks about the show and about Julie lol 

“I think there are some people who know exactly what they're doing. *laughs* “
 

https://www.out.com/television/2022/4/28/mtv-real-world-new-orleans-homecoming-danny-roberts-gay-housemate-interview

[Bastet]

Since seeing them in a bar in the middle of a pandemic made me uncomfortable, I'm glad to read this from that interview with Danny:

Quote

How real are the outings in this season of Homecoming? New Orleans was still hot and heavy with the ongoing pandemic when you filmed.

Going to the drag show in the second episode wasn’t something we did organically. There were safety procedures, so there was no organically going out and doing anything. It was sort of a setup for us. It was a bar that was cast and tested. The truth is we weren't really allowed to be out and about mixing. We were locked down in the middle of the Delta wave. That was kind of a bummer and kept us from really getting to truly enjoy the city.

I also like how he answers the question about Julie and then makes it clear it's time to move on.  She wants to be the focus of all the media about this, and he's not playing into it.

Edited April 29, 2022 by Bastet

[Asp Burger]

In Oprah voice: "You get an interview! And you get an interview!" Kelley's turn, via Variety. 

Responding to a question about some people seeming to have grown and others being stuck: "I can go down a massive psychological rabbit hole when it comes to this stuff. There’s arrested development, there’s how we see ourselves versus how we are perceived, and then how we then behave based on those two metrics. That’s a whole other interview that’s probably a lot longer. But I also think that it’s really hard sometimes to bifurcate those two worlds in your mind. Where the world sees me this one way: Am I a character, or am I my autonomous self? Am I being asked to return to the character? I can see it all playing out in front of me."

https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/kelley-wolf-real-world-homecoming-new-orleans-danny-roberts-1235253625/

[Bastet]

Thanks for posting the Kelley interview.  Her love for Danny is sweet.

And, lordy, does Matt need to learn this from her:

Quote

Given your experiences as a life coach and everything that you’ve been doing since the show, when you saw that kind of confrontation happening, how compelled were you to step in and mediate?

I had to make a promise to myself that I would do everything in my power not to do that. It’s not my job. I do not have consent. It’s not what I’m supposed to be doing in that room.

Given how much I appreciated that when Kelley's final weeks in the house coincided with Peter being out of town so she tried to last-minute forge a relationship with Melissa, who was not about being used that way, this made me happy:

Quote

So who who was the biggest revelation for you?

I’m going to sound corny. Melissa. I’m in love with her. We didn’t have a deep connection the first time around. We found each other at a unique time. We both have three kids. We have a lot of things in common. And I just adore her. I mean, I’m a weirdo. I think we talk like every other day. And it’s not even about the show. She turned me on to Crocs. Now I’m into Crocs. It’s my mission to make all of Canada [where she's currently living while her husband is shooting something] wear Crocs.

I can't support the Crocs, but I love these two middle-aged women developing the friendship they didn't have the first time around.

And how she checks in with Tokyo - "Anytime something comes out, I just go hey, just checking in. Just like, if we need to talk to each other, let’s make that okay" - as that's what I hope all these casts will get out of the reunions, a chance to set the record straight, a new understanding, and some new relationships to varying extents.

It makes perfect sense she figured the Homecomings would go in order after NY and L.A. aired, so it wasn't even on her radar that they'd be asked when they were.

Edited April 29, 2022 by Bastet

[Scout Finch]

18 hours ago, Bastet said:

I can't support the Crocs, but I love these two middle-aged women developing the friendship they didn't have the first time around.

It wasn't until I was at Disneyland in 2017 when my friend urged me to help my aching feet by buying a pair of canvas Micky Mouse Crocs there, that I discovered how damn comfortable they are. Most importantly, I learned that they don't just make ugly-ass clogs--I don't care how comfortable they are, I wouldn't be caught dead wearing them! Since then, I've purchased many pairs of Crocs and along with the Disney ones, my favorites like the Mickey Mouse are black suede shimmery loafers and black suede ballet flats. I still can't stand any versions made of that weird plastic/rubber stuff as those are to my feet what jelly shoes were in the '80s!

 

Edited April 29, 2022 by Scout Finch

[Cherry Cola]

On 4/27/2022 at 10:10 PM, DearEvette said:

Man, Julie is exhausting. On every level.  I don't expect you you be some fuddy in your 40s. I am not.  And yeah it is fun to go out and drink and let out some steam.  But she was out of control.  Not just at the bar, but even during her THs and at the house. Every reaction -- smile, laugh, conversation -- just felt exaggerated and affected.  During the whole bar thing as they were trying to get her to leave, I got second hand embarrassment watching her.

This is why I am glad Danny treated her the way he did in the beginning.  He was having a good time talking to Matt, Jamie and Tokyo and here she comes to drag the conversation down and insist she atone.  I liked his whole approach, he accepted her apology in the moment but he reserves judgement to make sure she walks the walk.  He is right to feel like her apology and her need for forgiveness is about her and not about him.  It felt very performative to me, imo.  Especially given how she reacted to both Tokyo and Jamie at the bar.  Screaming at them, saying "I hate you" while all they were trying to do was get her out and back home safely. She feels like a walking case of severely arrested development. And that is why I think under certain circumstances she would turn on Danny in a dime again.

 

Matt and the hug thing is ...ugh.  Just, Nope. 

The hug thing, not a big deal.  Why is everyone hating on Matt for that? Strange. 

[racked]

1 hour ago, Cherry Cola said:

The hug thing, not a big deal.  Why is everyone hating on Matt for that? Strange. 

Because it was none of his business and not his place? He’s not their dad or teacher or camp counselor. I’m biased because I can’t stand him or his whole schtick but he keeps inserting himself as the wise one who can help them find healing. He’s always in preacher mode. 

Of course compared to Julie he’s wonderful. First she tries to get Tokyo into a very inappropriate situation (showering with her) and now she’s going to accuse him of harming her? No one should ever trust this woman.

[Black Knight]

1 hour ago, Cherry Cola said:

The hug thing, not a big deal.  Why is everyone hating on Matt for that? Strange. 

Hugging is a personal thing. I'm a hugger myself, but I always read the other person first. I have a very good friend I've never hugged in the decade-plus of our friendship because she isn't a hugger and I know it would make her uncomfortable if I pushed a hug on her. Why would I want to do that to her? People who are not huggers aren't wrong for being that way. Individual comfort levels vary, to start with, and some huggers do take advantage of the physical contact in order to feel the other person up.

It's about boundaries and personal comfort. Matt should not order people to do things they may not feel comfortable with just because he thinks it's the right thing. (And as it happens, when I recently watched the NO compilations on YouTube, I noticed Matt passing up a hug or two himself.) A forced hug does little to nothing for bonding. If people want to hug, they can make that decision for themselves and have it be an organic moment rather than a forced intimacy.

[DearEvette]

1 hour ago, Cherry Cola said:

The hug thing, not a big deal.  Why is everyone hating on Matt for that? Strange. 

The way he said it, sounded like a 'kiss the boo-boo and make it all better' thing.  Like the hug was supposed to put the period mark on a 20 year hurt and things were all better.  It sounded facile and infantalizing. 

Also, as others have said, hugging is a personal thing.  An exhortation for two people to hug, (who weren't themselves already independently voluntarily planning to hug) is presumptuous and awkward, imo.

[Asp Burger]

I did like Matt's quiet empathy in the scenes in which the Paul/DADT saga was being recapped, and then when Danny was elaborating on what happened to them post-RW. I found it preferable to Jamie yelling "Wow!" at intervals, and Julie making her weird faces. 

I had not seen a new Bunim/Murray show in a long while before the Homecoming series started. I remember the tricks, and I try to be alert to the editing. When Danny and Kelley are outside talking about Paul, her back is to the camera and we hear her saying, "Reach out to him. Talk to him," but it has a different acoustic from the rest of the conversation. They had clearly spliced in part of a Kelley interview. Then Danny says something like "Maybe you're right."

It's possible she was really talking about Danny/Paul in the interview, and the "him" was Paul, but what Danny was saying she was right about could have been something else. 

At least with the shorter taping time, they can't go too crazy with the timeline.

[Bossa Nova]

Are we going to get to hear them talk about their lives and catch up on the regular stuff ? 

Like their kids, their spouses, what type of work they've been doing all these years ? Their politics, their goals and dreams, other interests and hobbies, their life regrets outside of the show ?

They show all the cast with their kids at the opening, some with their spouses. So let's hear more about their personal lives. 

I'd like to know about this stuff in their lives. Up thread someone mentioned that Melissa's parents, Shorty and Mercy, are doing well. I was happy to hear that. Would like to hear her talk about them.

I mean, how did Danny end up in the woods of Vermont and get divorced? How did Melissa meet her musician husband and end up on Long Island ? Doe Matt really have 6 kids (?)  ? How does he support them ? What has life been like married to an actor, for Kelly ? What the heck does David do for a living all these years? Wasn't he making cooking videos at some point ? Is he still singing ? Recall when he sang the national anthem at the opening of a sporting event in NO on the original series, and he was so happy his mother could come hear him .

And just how did Julie get so neurotic* ? Why is she so angry out of the gate at the start of the show? I mean I never heard so many eff-bombs over nothing !

* Something is really off with her. 

 

 

Edited April 30, 2022 by Bossa Nova

[Asp Burger]

If the previous installments of Homecoming are a guide, they'll get into those subjects to some extent. I did learn a lot about what the New York and Los Angeles casts have been up to more recently, when they weren't watching old footage and reopening wounds from fights of decades ago. There was a lot about marriages (successful and otherwise), new careers, children, changes in sexual orientation. 

I think they try for a balance of past and present. But there's always going to be a big focus on watching/talking about events of yesteryear, because nostalgia is a big part of the appeal. A lot of people loved the original New York and New Orleans casts as they were in their heyday. I've never talked to anyone who claimed to "love" the Los Angeles cast (and Dominic, one of the best-liked members of it, declined to return), but I guess they have their fans too. 

3 hours ago, Bossa Nova said:

And just how did Julie get so neurotic* ? Why is she so angry out of the gate at the start of the show? I mean I never heard so many eff-bombs over nothing !

* Something is really off with her. 

The anger and cursing are on brand for her. Maybe not so much Julie of the original New Orleans season, but Julie as she developed over her Challenge appearances. When she was at the bar yelling "I hate you!" like a toddler whose parents wouldn't get her the toy she wanted, I flashed back to her yelling the same thing at Jamie on the Extreme Challenge when he told her she needed to toughen up. (I think that was in the midst of her histrionics over "Ee-yonna" being sent home.) 

Edit: So, when I watch her now, I'm not thinking, "How did she get this way?" as much as "How has she not progressed past this?" 

Edited April 30, 2022 by Asp Burger

[Cherry Cola]

22 hours ago, Black Knight said:

Hugging is a personal thing. I'm a hugger myself, but I always read the other person first. I have a very good friend I've never hugged in the decade-plus of our friendship because she isn't a hugger and I know it would make her uncomfortable if I pushed a hug on her. Why would I want to do that to her? People who are not huggers aren't wrong for being that way. Individual comfort levels vary, to start with, and some huggers do take advantage of the physical contact in order to feel the other person up.

It's about boundaries and personal comfort. Matt should not order people to do things they may not feel comfortable with just because he thinks it's the right thing. (And as it happens, when I recently watched the NO compilations on YouTube, I noticed Matt passing up a hug or two himself.) A forced hug does little to nothing for bonding. If people want to hug, they can make that decision for themselves and have it be an organic moment rather than a forced intimacy.

Sure, that makes sense. I just don't think he is awful because he suggested a hug. That's all. 

[CeeBeeGee]

Oh my God, Julie is EXHAUSTING. I am already heartily sick of her, and I never particularly disliked her on her various Challenges. But good GOD, woman. She is just so extra. "Are you talking about me?" If she asked that once, she asked it five times. Just calm down.

 

On 4/20/2022 at 3:42 PM, Tatum said:

I remember Veronica was in tears after that incident, and Julie kept acting like Veronica was such a drama queen and did that thing where she made a pouty face to the cameras and rubbed her eyes with fists, mocking Veronica for crying. It may have been true that Veronica was never in serious danger of falling out of her harness, but she's 20+ stories up and she's clearly frightened and everyone is frantically yelling at Julie to back off, and Julie felt no guilt at all. 

That was completely obnoxious. Veronica was clearly terrified and Julie was an asshole, mocking her for it. For someone so desperate to be liked, she sure does do everything she can to piss people off.

 

On 4/23/2022 at 11:46 PM, Black Knight said:

I don't think it would be disrespectful to have a San Francisco homecoming. Pedro would be a big part of it even absent and I think it would be a good way to honor him, actually, as he was so loved by Pam, Judd, Cory etc. We don't stop having reunions and gatherings once one of the family has passed away, so I'm not sure why the SF season should be held to such a standard. But I do think Puck would need to be banned from a SF homecoming, for a number of reasons.

If Puck is on anything, I will change the channel. I never want to see him on the TV/computer screen again. An utterly repellant "character." What he put poor dying Pedro through...

 

On 4/24/2022 at 2:45 PM, DrivingSideways said:

A Seattle homecoming would be amazing.  That was a DARK ASS SEASON.  I would also love to see Chicago - in my mind, that was the last season where it felt 'real' before it was all hot tubs and nymphomaniacs.  I know we all have a different goalpost for that.

I just binged the original series and there were so many great times.  Matt and Kelley ad-libbing David's fashion show had me rolling, and of course Melissa's many funny lines.  I remember she had a comedy show with Chelsea Handler after the show ended, I think?  She's very talented but was so in her head the original season.  She was so beautiful then and had no clue.  She looks even better now.  They all look great, actually.  A nice change from the dumpster fire that the LA Homecoming was.

I agree Chicago was the last good season (at least on a streak--Vegas kind of ruined the show but I did like San Diego and Philadelphia). I gave up on the show for awhile but tried again when they took it to Brooklyn--that had potential but there were so many psychos with anger issues that I finally just stopped watching.

 

On 4/24/2022 at 5:35 PM, peachmangosteen said:

They were totally LuLaRoe leggings, which is just straight up hilarious lol. And I'm thinking that's what Melissa meant but she said Lululemon. I used to always get the 2 mixed up until I watched that LuLaRoe docuseries.

Oh my God. Of course Julie is wearing LuLaRoe leggings.

 

 

Edited May 1, 2022 by CeeBeeGee

[txhorns79]

On 4/29/2022 at 8:26 PM, Cherry Cola said:

The hug thing, not a big deal.  Why is everyone hating on Matt for that? Strange. 

I feel like he's inserting himself into a situation that really is not his business.  My guess is he is very uncomfortable with the tension, and in his mind, the two people fighting are done with the fight if they have hugged.   To me, it's like telling someone to smile to show they are having a good time.

I like Toyko, but I also want to sit down with him and ask if it is exhausting having to be this particular persona all the time.  The costuming alone with the headbands, arm bands, fake glasses and band leader jacket just seems so extra.

Quote

If Puck is on anything, I will change the channel. I never want to see him on the TV/computer screen again. An utterly repellant "character." What he put poor dying Pedro through...

My presumption would be the only way the other cast members would ever agree to a Homecoming would be if Puck was not invited and it was guaranteed in writing (with financial penalties attached) that he would not show up at some point.

[Bossa Nova]

13 hours ago, txhorns79 said:

 

I don't have Paramount streaming service. Really don't want to sign up for it.

So I watched the first full episode of this NO Homecoming at YouTube.

Now looking for full episode two there, but its not up. Anybody know if it will go up eventually ?

Edited May 1, 2022 by Bossa Nova

[Bastet]

53 minutes ago, Bossa Nova said:

Now looking for full episode two there, but its not up. Anybody know if it will go up eventually ?

No, they only make the first episode of each season available, to try and tempt you into signing up for Paramount+ to see the rest.

[Bastet]

On 4/29/2022 at 6:48 PM, racked said:

Because it was none of his business and not his place? He’s not their dad or teacher or camp counselor. I’m biased because I can’t stand him or his whole schtick but he keeps inserting himself as the wise one who can help them find healing. He’s always in preacher mode. 

That perfectly describes Matt, and why he's bugging me.

16 hours ago, txhorns79 said:

I feel like he's inserting himself into a situation that really is not his business.  My guess is he is very uncomfortable with the tension, and in his mind, the two people fighting are done with the fight if they have hugged.   To me, it's like telling someone to smile to show they are having a good time.

This also, specifically about instructing people to hug it out.

Personally, I hug my friends and family a fair bit, but, lordy, if we just met, do not hug me!  (And especially do not declare "I'm a hugger" as you do so, like it's an involuntary tic.)  But in this case it's not really about how the individuals feel about hugging in general; the bigger issue is how he keeps trying to play counselor, when he's not equipped and, most importantly, no one asked him to.  Kelly actually is some form of counselor (I take a pretty dim view of "life coaches", but I don't know her specifics), and checked herself continually, knowing that's not her role here -- these aren't her clients, that's not her job, it would be wrong to interfere.  He doesn't grasp that.

[For Cereals]

On 4/24/2022 at 3:29 PM, MMLEsq said:

And, I'm with @DrivingSideways:  I preferred the seasons through Chicago and basically stopped watching (at the time) after that***.  After Chicago, it was the first RW season in Las Vegas, right?  That first Las Vegas season was the one where I kind of went, "What am I doing watching this crap?"  (YMMV!)

Yup, that was the point where I said I don’t think I’m the target demo anymore…I was a freshman in college when NY aired and it was appointment tv where everyone met up in the common area to watch because no one had cable in their dorm rooms and forget interwebs…

Edited May 1, 2022 by For Cereals
Spellcheck

[Cherry Cola]

I get that someone might think Matt is inserting himself where he isn't needed or not his business, but it kinda is, since they are doing this experience together.  I think Matt seems pleasant so far.  Julie on the other hand, no. 

[noluvnoluck]

Forgive me but the San Fran cast was boring without Pedro and Puck. I'm not for Puck being back at all because he's repulsive, but people will tune in to see his antics. And Pedro was super charming and charismatic. I truly think he would've carried the show without his storyline. I really liked Pam and Judd but eh. Rachel was okay but would've fit into either Boston, Miami or Seattle better. Mohammed was blah. Poor Corey was a huge yawn. Without Puck and Pedro being polar opposites, this show would've been London the prequel. 

[MamaGee]

Y'all. I can't with Julie. First off, all of her apologies have come across as insincere. She's just saying them so she can try to quit feeling uncomfortable staying in a house where people blatantly despise her. Asking Tokyo to shower with her? What even is that?? 

 

The scene she caused at the drag show was just too much. What grown woman with children would act that way knowing she was being filmed? There is something very wrong with her. I hope that when she makes a deal out of Tokyo "manhandling" her,  he stands up and tells her "Fine girl. Next time, I leave your ass." I really wish they had. You know Melissa would have been o.k. with it!

[Asp Burger]

On 4/28/2022 at 11:51 PM, Bastet said:

Kelley's final weeks in the house coincided with Peter being out of town so she tried to last-minute forge a relationship with Melissa, who was not about being used that way,

I think the minor tension at the end of the season between Kelley and Melissa was largely Julie's fault. I don't think Melissa cared that much that Kelley spent a lot of nights away from the house with Peter. Melissa had a great relationship with Jamie, and he spent a lot of nights away too (just not with one steady partner, with various local women who weren't shown). 

Julie was getting into their heads with her "She said this about you/She said that about you" bullshit. In the book, Kelley claims Julie came to her after they'd been there about four weeks and reported that Melissa had said, "I don't care what Kelley does; I'm never going to like her" and "I want to see her go down." 

Kelley didn't get where the dislike was coming from. I think in that scene in the next-to-last episode, she really was trying to end things on a good note, as she said, and "move up from civility." 

The reason it all adds up to me (besides everything I've seen of Julie since) is that if you watch the early episodes -- and we know they're on the up-and-up with its being early footage, because there are time markers like Valentine's Day -- Kelley and Melissa get along great. Kelley even shares with her that she's battled depression, and encourages Melissa to talk to someone. 

I'm not trying to make Jules the super-villain of their season, or exonerate everyone else for everything they did or failed to do. They were all kids; they were entitled to their faults. But with Julie, I do wonder if there's some personality disorder there. 

[ljenkins782]

17 hours ago, MamaGee said:

Y'all. I can't with Julie. First off, all of her apologies have come across as insincere. She's just saying them so she can try to quit feeling uncomfortable staying in a house where people blatantly despise her. Asking Tokyo to shower with her? What even is that?? 

The scene she caused at the drag show was just too much. What grown woman with children would act that way knowing she was being filmed? There is something very wrong with her. I hope that when she makes a deal out of Tokyo "manhandling" her,  he stands up and tells her "Fine girl. Next time, I leave your ass." I really wish they had. You know Melissa would have been o.k. with it!

This is entirely petty given the broad spectrum of annoying shit about Julie, but the way she draws out the word "uncomfortable" drives me bonkers. It's not even actually wrong, but most people kind of mush the middle syllables together and her hard pronunciation on the "fort" bugs me. 

I hope they show her the footage of the drag show because I don't think her memory (if she has any memory of it at all) is going to match the reality. It was a perfect storm of circumstances, she's trying to make up for missed opportunities 20 years ago, but that day has passed for them and nobody's trying to act like that at 40+ years old. And she clearly just doesn't know her own limits. She obviously thought she was having a blast  and has no idea how she looked, so I hope they show her. 

Quote

 

I think the minor tension at the end of the season between Kelley and Melissa was largely Julie's fault. I don't think Melissa cared that much that Kelley spent a lot of nights away from the house with Peter. Melissa had a great relationship with Jamie, and he spent a lot of nights away too (just not with one steady partner, with various local women who weren't shown). 

Julie was getting into their heads with her "She said this about you/She said that about you" bullshit. In the book, Kelley claims Julie came to her after they'd been there about four weeks and reported that Melissa had said, "I don't care what Kelley does; I'm never going to like her" and "I want to see her go down."

 

And that was an ingenious choice in terms of manipulation because Kelley already had some hesitation about people not rooting for her. In her casting tapes, she talks about people going out of their way to see her fail and how that bothers her. I'm not sure what that was about, but Kelley's air and the appearance of extreme confidence might have made her a target for some schadenfreude or something. But of all things to try to use as a chisel to get to Kelley, that was incredibly skillful manipulation.

It would have taken far less to get to Melissa, she was such a raw nerve at the time and it was a stressful environment to begin with.

[Black Knight]

22 hours ago, Asp Burger said:

The reason it all adds up to me (besides everything I've seen of Julie since) is that if you watch the early episodes -- and we know they're on the up-and-up with its being early footage, because there are time markers like Valentine's Day -- Kelley and Melissa get along great. Kelley even shares with her that she's battled depression, and encourages Melissa to talk to someone. 

Yes, one of the big ones is when David and Melissa have the infamous fight at NOAA TV. Kelley is the one who is outside with Melissa, listening to her, validating her concerns, and advising her.

Like you said, we shouldn't view Julie as the supervillain of the season, but it was revealed afterwards that when Melissa and Kelley compared notes they realized Julie had said stuff to keep them from bonding. And while Kelley did spend a lot of time with Peter, Melissa was fairly dude-obsessed herself. I don't think in a vacuum she would have had an issue with Kelley wanting to spend more time with her when Peter was not around. I think Melissa would have behaved exactly the same way if she'd found a boyfriend during the season.

[Guest]

On 4/29/2022 at 5:26 PM, Cherry Cola said:

The hug thing, not a big deal.  Why is everyone hating on Matt for that? Strange. 

In uncomfortable situations the injured party is often pressured to play nice and sacrifice their own boundaries for the comfort of others. This was the third time I have noticed this being done to Danny. The first was Julie immediately apologizing in front of the whole group. Then Matt did it by asking Danny and Melissa what Julie could do to fix their relationship. Each time it has put Danny in the position of sacrificing his own needs to keep the peace or refusing and looking unreasonable. This is magnified by Danny being gay and on tv and needing to be hyper aware of the potential optics. It just shows that Matt doesn’t really respect the legitimacy of Danny’s feelings. He was putting his need for the appearance of peace over Danny’s boundaries. 

[Asp Burger]

11 hours ago, ljenkins782 said:

This is entirely petty given the broad spectrum of annoying shit about Julie, but the way she draws out the word "uncomfortable" drives me bonkers. It's not even actually wrong, but most people kind of mush the middle syllables together and her hard pronunciation on the "fort" bugs me. 

I hope they show her the footage of the drag show because I don't think her memory (if she has any memory of it at all) is going to match the reality. It was a perfect storm of circumstances, she's trying to make up for missed opportunities 20 years ago, but that day has passed for them and nobody's trying to act like that at 40+ years old. And she clearly just doesn't know her own limits. She obviously thought she was having a blast  and has no idea how she looked, so I hope they show her. 

Ha ha. I'm one of those people who do make "uncomfortable" distinctly five syllables, so I have her back on that, if nothing else. However, I don't know if I linger over the middle the way she does. 

The thing about the drag-show drunkenness is that it's hard for me to watch it and not think about what Danny said about the patrons being solicited and tested ahead of time. Some of that is reality-TV standard operating procedure in crowded environments (they never just "show up" somewhere), but this was at an advanced level with the Delta variant and all. Coming to it as a Julie non-fan to begin with, her behavior looks especially self-conscious and attention-seeking. Even knowing that the location was all prepped for the castmates to have a night out, she still got so bad that this bar that had an agreement with Bunim-Murray was telling them to get her out of there? That's more than just being an inexperienced drinker, in my opinion. That's thinking ahead about a whole dramatic display. As Danny said, "Some people knew exactly what they were doing." 

Edited May 3, 2022 by Asp Burger

[MicheleinPhilly]

I finally succumbed to the wickedness of Paramount+ just for this. 

The original NO season was one of my all time favorites but I must say I don't recall Julie being so damn annoying. I remember how sheltered she was and that she was still practicing her religion but I always just took her as a naive, misinformed young 'un. I don't watch any of the challenges or keep up with these folks after the fact, so I was surprised to learn about her evil streak. 

Her crocodile tears are going to get real old REAL quick

[choclatechip45]

Someone asked about Danny's parents, Danny and Melissa did the homophilia podcast and he mentioned his parents still haven't come around on him being gay. They don't talk about the show or him being gay so his mom can have a relationship with his daughter. 

[racked]

 

1 hour ago, choclatechip45 said:

Someone asked about Danny's parents, Danny and Melissa did the homophilia podcast and he mentioned his parents still haven't come around on him being gay. They don't talk about the show or him being gay so his mom can have a relationship with his daughter. 

That makes me really sad. It’s honestly hard watching scenes of hopeful, sweet and totally open 20 year old Danny, knowing what rough road was ahead of him. 

6 hours ago, MicheleinPhilly said:

I finally succumbed to the wickedness of Paramount+ just for this. 

The original NO season was one of my all time favorites but I must say I don't recall Julie being so damn annoying. I remember how sheltered she was and that she was still practicing her religion but I always just took her as a naive, misinformed young 'un. I don't watch any of the challenges or keep up with these folks after the fact, so I was surprised to learn about her evil streak. 

Her crocodile tears are going to get real old REAL quick

I didn’t despise Julie on her season but I remember getting a glimpse of the beast that lurked beneath the surface when they had the backyard wrestling thing? I don’t even remember how or why they did this, and I don’t remember exactly what she did. But I remember thinking she was not actually sweet or innocent after that and it was a tiny glimpse of what she’d become on the Challenges later. 

[choclatechip45]

1 hour ago, racked said:

 

That makes me really sad. It’s honestly hard watching scenes of hopeful, sweet and totally open 20 year old Danny, knowing what rough road was ahead of him. 

I didn’t despise Julie on her season but I remember getting a glimpse of the beast that lurked beneath the surface when they had the backyard wrestling thing? I don’t even remember how or why they did this, and I don’t remember exactly what she did. But I remember thinking she was not actually sweet or innocent after that and it was a tiny glimpse of what she’d become on the Challenges later. 

It really is tough to watch young Danny on the original knowing how hard his life has been. Danny taped the podcast with Melissa the week of the premiere and his mom was visiting him and his daughter. He said everyone wanted to talk about the premiere except his mother who was staying with him. So he was texting Kelley and Melissa for support since it was tough. 

[Glade]

Julie is fake and...I don't even want to talk about her, because that's clearly what her despicable immature BS is asking for.  Melissa and Tokyo are so right on with their boundaries.

I wonder if Paul said a lot more that was edited out?  Because he didn't really apologize or try to explain his past behavior, but I guess we were shown Danny getting his closure and that was the point, so that's fine.  It is really sad to hear that Danny's parents are still homophobic and still in his/daughter's life.  Personally if I had children, my parents would never be within one hundred miles of them, let alone be nearbye and still denying/judging/hating me. 

I appreciate Matt's fashion choices, but I'm still waiting to be very disappointed by him.  I wish they would show us the clips of their visit to Anne Rice's house so they could reflect on her recent passing, though that may have been after filming? 

[luckyroll3]

Julie already got my blood pressure up waaaay too high this morning. And that's all I'm gonna say about her, because she's probably lurking on all the forums wondering if people are talking about her. 

[BelleBrit]

Sadly, Julie's behavior here will probably accomplish just what she wants, which is for her to get invited onto Challenges. I like the way that Tokyo phrased it-something like "you contrive situations to constantly throw other people under the bus." I found Julie to be mildly annoying on her season, but for the most part, she seemed genuine at that time. Now she is just full on rotted.

Kudos for the zoomed in shot of Julie's vomit trickling down the hallway.

 

[mandymax]

My take on Julie, and I could be way off-base, is that her home life growing up was one strict, specific mindset.  Good for her for deciding she wanted to be different, but she had no role models or mentors to guide her appropriately.  And if her mom ultimately pitched in to help her find her own way after the original season, Mom probably had no one to look to, either.  So, like immature youngsters, they just did what they wanted, with no empathy or understanding of how to treat people properly when you're not treating them outside the guidelines of religion.  And Julie's never caught on otherwise.

Although I have trouble with the idea that her husband was on board with her flirting with male cast members to make good TV . . ? I'd think he, of all people, would be the one to steer her straight.

[Legalbeagle421]

I don’t know why but I’m finding myself hella attracted to Jamie. I didn’t watch the original season because in 2000 I was in elementary school 😂 and I only know Jamie from the gauntlet (whatever season where everyone was pissed at Cara/Suzie). Didn’t find him cute then but I’m feeling him now.

I was thinking last week that Tokyo was going to have to change rooms, so I’m not surprised this came around this week. I don’t get how Julie doesn’t see that. Why would she want to room with someone that she claims was aggressive with her? Stupid. And of course Jamie, who I assume is married doesn’t want to room with her either. Makes sense. 
 

Tokyo was trying to help. As a Black woman, I probably wouldn’t have grabbed her. But it’s very clear that he had no ill intent. She was a danger to herself and the club wanted her out too. Julie needs to check herself. I hope after seeing these episodes, she reflects and gives him a sincere apology. 

[BelleBrit]

Julie probably would have found a way to blame the other roommates if they DID leave her to act like a fool by herself at the club. She also seems to neglect that the other roommates were probably trying to prevent her from a situation where she, as a forty something mother, was embarrassing herself further on TV.  Tokyo said in an interview that he was on the phone with Julie's husband in the middle of the night to let her know that he was taking care of her and that she was ok. Julie's conversation with her husband really makes me wonder what kind of person he is.

Melissa tweeted that she did not realize that the part where she said something like she  "didn't want to be part of that kind of show" was going to end up in the episodes, as she was speaking to production.

[Asp Burger]

2 hours ago, Legalbeagle421 said:

Tokyo was trying to help. As a Black woman, I probably wouldn’t have grabbed her. But it’s very clear that he had no ill intent. She was a danger to herself and the club wanted her out too. Julie needs to check herself. I hope after seeing these episodes, she reflects and gives him a sincere apology. 

I don't think she's capable of a sincere apology. Even the insincere ones only come when the cameras and lights are on her and she's found her best angle.  

If Jamie had been the one to physically get her out of the club, that probably would have been her next-day story arc. It still would have been wrong and destructive; the racial angle with Tokyo just adds one more layer of ugliness. But that hot-tub phone conversation made undeniable what was already clear to me. Now I understand that bit in the season trailer with Kelley saying that what she signed up for is not what Julie signed up for.

With the other six, maybe there was minor variation in their reasoning, but they all fundamentally came back to get the old gang together, revisit old times, show each other and the audience the people they are today (besides the cash incentive). Julie came there to create drama starring herself. She set out to be this toxic version of "good TV" she mastered on The Challenge. Bunim-Murray is partly responsible for the monsters it creates, but as we see, it's not everyone who's on a Bunim-Murray show.  

My quote from before I had seen this episode:  

Quote

Coming to it as a Julie non-fan to begin with, her behavior looks especially self-conscious and attention-seeking. Even knowing that the location was all prepped for the castmates to have a night out, she still got so bad that this bar that had an agreement with Bunim-Murray was telling them to get her out of there? That's more than just being an inexperienced drinker, in my opinion. That's thinking ahead about a whole dramatic display.

I didn't write that expecting her to essentially plead guilty on camera in the very next episode!

Another thought: Tokyo's scene with Julie, in which he said, "I'm either with you 100% or I'm not with you at all," was very reminiscent of the one he had with Melissa in the original season after she went out and got drunk and stripped. Both even ended with the woman angrily storming out. But in 2000, the hardheadedness and the forceful line he drew seemed extreme and immature, and this time he was entirely in the right. He's figured things out.

Lastly, I see Bunim-Murray is still showing us flashbacks to things we saw ten minutes ago. Ha ha. I think hearing someone say to Julie "You fell on your face" would have been enough of a memory jog. We were there.

Edited May 4, 2022 by Asp Burger

[Bastet]

Shut UP, Matt.

Julie, kindly go find a fire and die in it.

Paul looks so different, and I laughed out loud at Danny's reaction to it.  I'm glad Danny was able to say what he needed to say to him, and that he feels a sense of closure.  I'm glad Paul realizes what he did was unforgivable (even though Danny has decided, for himself, to forgive him), and I hope he went home and reflected on what Danny said about your ability to trust anyone being utterly and perhaps permanently shattered when your partner and your best friend betray you together.  Cheating was bad enough, but who he cheated with really damaged Danny in a way he's still dealing with.

I cracked up at Melissa and Kelley trading phones to look at pictures of each other's kids, and Melissa starting to scroll for more before realizing she might see something she shouldn't, Kelley saying go ahead and scroll, there's nothing interesting on there, and Melissa telling Kelley to definitely not scroll on hers.

[CeeBeeGee]

Looks like I picked a bad day to watch this episode while breakfasting on pain perdu! (Although while trying not to sympathy-puke, I did have to laugh at Production's utter complete willingness to linger the shot on the vomit.)

Tokyo is a damn saint.

What am I missing? Is there any reason Danny and Jamie in the van on the way back from CdM didn't immediately shut down Julie's BS about "being grabbed"? Didn't immediately tell her "girl, your drunk ass tumbled out of the van onto concrete--that's why your back and your face (her makeup was soooo heavy) look busted"? Has she watched the footage? She's really dicking over Tokyo who was nothing but wonderful to her.

Danny's little girl is adorable.

I really, really, really wish Julie didn't suck ALL the attention and good will out of every single episode. I was hoping to see more of one of my favorite cities. Just seeing the Mardi Gras beads draped over the newel post at the bottom of the stairway makes me happy.

Oh my God--that phone call. Julie is utterly psychotic. How much must she be embarrassing her family? I looked her up--she's married to some kind of well-known doctor, who is teaching at Yale right now. Having kis wife outed on TV and a manipulative psychotic who sells out her friends to "make good television" cannot be good for his academic career.

You didn't "take a bullet for the cast," Julie. Watching Danny calmly, thoughtfully put a button on his relationship with Paul was a hundred times more interesting than watching your drunk ass run into trees and puke.

I've heard it said that often, people who become famous are stunted emotionally at the age at which that happens. That seems to be true for JuLaRoe.

[Black Knight]

1 hour ago, Asp Burger said:

Lastly, I see Bunim-Murray is still showing us flashbacks to things we saw ten minutes ago. Ha ha. I think hearing someone say to Julie "You fell on your face" would have been enough of a memory jog. We were there.

Yes, but why deprive us of getting to see that again? Heh heh.

[luckyroll3]

8 minutes ago, Black Knight said:

Yes, but why deprive us of getting to see that again? Heh heh.

Lol! Exactly. And seeing it again helped to show that the part of her back that she keeps claiming Tokyo bruised, was the part of her body that smacked into the sidewalk when she "fell" out of the car (cause now I'm thinking she manufactured that little accident too). 

[snarts]

I am so glad Julie was stupid enough to have that phone conversation with her husband caught on camera and that production included it. Seeing it showed just how machiavellian and disingenuous she actually is.  Also glad that Melissa & Kelly heard it firsthand and could warn the others. I feel bad for anyone who has to deal with Julie in real life and I only hope that the Challenge producers take a hard pass on someone who so blatantly tries to manipulate the storyline.

Loved that Danny got some closure with Paul.

Absolutely enjoying Tokyo this go-around. Jamie also seems so comfortable on who he is. Still not digging Matt but then again, he's not the type who I'd gel with at all so not surprising.

While I knew that Kelly/Danny/Melissa would come out of here with a stronger friendship, I'm heartened to see a potential of that which might includes Tokyo & Jamie too. 

[Asp Burger]

1 hour ago, snarts said:

I am so glad Julie was stupid enough to have that phone conversation with her husband caught on camera and that production included it. Seeing it showed just how machiavellian and disingenuous she actually is.  Also glad that Melissa & Kelly heard it firsthand and could warn the others. I feel bad for anyone who has to deal with Julie in real life and I only hope that the Challenge producers take a hard pass on someone who so blatantly tries to manipulate the storyline.

Yes. I wonder how that went over behind the scenes. I don't know if it's still the case, but Bunim-Murray (not just the founders but the team generally) used not to like it when cast members had a "production mentality." It was an easy way to get burned in the final edit.

Matt in the Hawaii season is a famous example. After that season was over, someone on the team revealed that Matt was always trying to buddy up to production, saying things like "I think I can get some good stuff out of Amaya on this topic today." Matt aspired at that time in his life to go into television production, so maybe that part of it was most interesting to him, but he was one of the show's subjects. He was supposed to be living whatever passed for his life, not appointing himself a production mole.

That producer then said (with what I interpreted as a bit of satisfaction) that he was sure Matt was quite taken aback by the sides of his personality they had captured in the season.

[Bastet]

5 hours ago, BelleBrit said:

Melissa tweeted that she did not realize that the part where she said something like she  "didn't want to be part of that kind of show" was going to end up in the episodes, as she was speaking to production.

I just looked that up; great post about how she was talking to the cast and the production, having no idea if it would actually make air to also be seen by viewers, and how she's thankful this story was indeed framed properly:

I proceeded to devour her Twitter thread.  Someone needs to give this woman a talk show.

In it, I found this Vox article, interviewing Melissa and other Black women who've been on RW about what happens when the show presents you as the Angry Black Woman trope and the fundamental issue that "in many ways, The Real World was progressive, educational, and highly influential, but it still relied on tropes and dynamics that privileged white people’s point of view at the expense of others":

Quote

“If we look at the storytelling of the original The Real World,” Melissa said, “the viewpoint that has always been the most important perspective was the doe-eyed white girl that walks into the house.”

It also talks about how these Angry Black Person and Wide-Eyed White Person framings stereotype both people, but it's far more harmful to be cast as the angry one - which is seen as an inherent, permanent character flaw - than as the sheltered one, which they'll grow out of.

Melissa laid out for producers her concerns about signing up for this again:

Quote

After deciding to reenter The Real World fold, Melissa stressed to producers that she was concerned that the emotional labor of explaining and teaching people about race was going to fall on her shoulders yet again. She was also worried that the show wouldn’t explore the other aspects of her life. “I wanted to be able to be a whole and full person outside of who I am as my race,” she said.

Homecoming executive producer and showrunner James Knox said he fully understood Melissa’s worries. Knox didn’t work on the original season, and he has no qualms discussing how the 2000 series and Battle of the Sexes fell short. Knox, a queer Black man, noted that Julie was the main character, with Melissa and Danny (Danny came out on the show as gay) used as accessories to her story.

“That season was all through Julie’s perspective,” he said of Real World: New Orleans. “I needed to allow for Melissa and Danny to lead their own stories independent of Julie being naive.”
...

Knox told Melissa that Homecoming wasn’t about any kind of redemption narrative for her; this also wouldn’t be a sympathy edit to make up for what happened in 2000. What he and his team wanted to do is tell the story of seven strangers picked to live in a house — and how their lives had changed once the cameras moved on.

Part of what convinced Melissa to sign on was the fact that, in addition to Knox, there were many people of color involved in making Homecoming. With a more diverse crew and an audience that’s fluent in topics of identity like race and class, Knox said, there’s now a way to tell fuller stories that — while not perfect — do not have the same blind spots as the show did before.

The first episode of Homecoming revisits the Melissa and Julie fight. This time around, Melissa was given space to talk about the situation and the hurt it caused. The episode also included a moment in which Melissa’s castmates discussed the damage that can be done when a white person calls a person of color a liar.

“Melissa has had to have this conversation a lot, and that’s tiring — that’s a burden and it shouldn’t be her burden,” Melissa’s castmate Kelley Wolf told Vox. Kelley said that living with Melissa again, and reliving those moments, made Kelley more empathetic to Melissa and brought the two closer than when the show first aired.

Edited May 4, 2022 by Bastet

[Miss Slay]

I'm so glad the show showed Julie trying to produce the show. It was obvious she was being fake from the get go. These days being a reality television villian gets your more shows and more money. Julie has always been about the dollar.

I'm happy that Melissa stood up for Tokyo and that Tokyo advocated for himself. He was being such a good friend. Julie does not and did not deserve him. I also wish Kelly, Matt, Jamie and Danny would say more about Julie's actions -- the burden shouldn't be on Melissa or Tokyo. 

I hope Julie doesn't get invited to do anymore challenges just for Karma's sake.

On a more positive note, I'm glad Danny and Paul got some closure. I want to see more updates like this and less Julie.

 

[Bastet]

34 minutes ago, Miss Slay said:

He was being such a good friend.

They're not even close, and he - and he alone, not that anyone was obligated - cleaned up puke and slept on a floor!  Plus kept talking to her, in simple terms that could filter through, telling her she's home, she's safe, and this will soon pass.  (And, as we know from an interview, talking to her husband in the middle of the night assuring him she's fine and being taken care of.)

3 hours ago, CeeBeeGee said:

Is there any reason Danny and Jamie in the van on the way back from CdM didn't immediately shut down Julie's BS about "being grabbed"? Didn't immediately tell her "girl, your drunk ass tumbled out of the van onto concrete--that's why your back and your face (her makeup was soooo heavy) look busted"?

Danny was pretty lit, too (he wanted to go back upstairs with her), so he may not remember details, and Jamie was drunk* (proposing they leave but keep drinking at home) but I don't think drunk enough to be too fuzzy the next day, but, yeah, they both said "No, you needed to leave" but didn't say - at least that we saw - any or all of "Security and production both wanted you out, you were crazy resisting, David simply got you off the dance floor, and later you fell out of the car and walked into a tree, so of course you're banged up".  Jamie told the camera he was about to do the same thing himself, pick her up to physically remove her since verbal wasn't cutting it and they needed to go, when Tokyo did it, but did he ever say that to her?  To him? 

*On a much lighter note, I loved his "You're fine" to Julie's "Oww" when she face planted.

[choclatechip45]

Wow that phone call! Julie must have pissed off production. The part about flirting with the guys is gross which makes me wonder if that is why Matt has been uncomfortable around Julie this whole time. I thought his comment about not wanting to be around drunk people might have more to it than he just didn't want to be around drag queens because he's Matt. I did laugh that Danny was passed out in bed when Kelley and Melissa were whispering about the phone call. Also Matt has six kids and runs his own business so I am not surprise he wants to take naps on this paid vacation. Also wouldn't surprise Matt is napping to get away from Julie. I'm more curious about Julie's husband. 

I think Julie is clearly using this show to live out all her real world fantasies and to audition for The Challenge. It's obvious none of the roommates want to hang out with her we saw Matt, Danny and Jamie hanging out on the back porch the last episode. Most of them are probably wanting to talk to their kids and spouses at the end of the day. 

I think Jamie wanted to push back in the car you can see it in his face. I don't know why he didn't. Kelley did not witness anything and Danny seemed pretty drunk that night.

I felt like the Paul/Danny conversation was good, but way to short. I'm glad Danny got closure. I did laugh at Melissa telling Julie she would give them privacy. I interpreted that as Melissa giving Julie a directive not to eavesdrop because we all know Julie wanted too. 

I really loved that conversation with Tokyo and Melissa. Tokyo was such a good friend to Julie that night. Production running after Julie might be the funniest thing I've seen in a while. I'm sure they did not think they would have to run after these 40 year olds.

Edited May 4, 2022 by choclatechip45

[ljenkins782]

4 hours ago, Asp Burger said:

Yes. I wonder how that went over behind the scenes. I don't know if it's still the case, but Bunim-Murray (not just the founders but the team generally) used not to like it when cast members had a "production mentality." It was an easy way to get burned in the final edit.

Matt in the Hawaii season is a famous example. After that season was over, someone on the team revealed that Matt was always trying to buddy up to production, saying things like "I think I can get some good stuff out of Amaya on this topic today." Matt aspired at that time in his life to go into television production, so maybe that part of it was most interesting to him, but he was one of the show's subjects. He was supposed to be living whatever passed for his life, not appointing himself a production mole.

That producer then said (with what I interpreted as a bit of satisfaction) that he was sure Matt was quite taken aback by the sides of his personality they had captured in the season.

Yes, that was a delightful bit of shade from that production person to point out that about Terrycloth Matt, who clearly thought he was this machiavellian genius pulling everyone's strings.

But I don't know what the BMP stance is these days, reality TV has changed so much in the years since those early seasons, so the reality TV producers of today may well welcome shit-stirring like Julie. And I don't think she was "caught" on the phone, I thought she wanted that conversation overheard.

Quote

I felt like the Paul/Danny conversation was good, but way to short. I'm glad Danny got closure. I did laugh at Melissa telling Julie she would give them privacy. I interpreted that as Melissa giving Julie a directive not to eavesdrop because we all know Julie wanted too. 

Oh totally, Melissa was like "let me drop this GIANT clue in your stunted-growth, no social grace-having ass's lap, Julie, and let you know that we're grown ups now, we won't be lingering and giggling like 12 year olds." 

Does anyone else think Danny had a much easier time closing that door with Paul when he showed up with that unattractive 70s gigolo look, lol? The open fly collar, the jewelry, the waved hair...it was all very cruise ship, lounge lizard and he now looks about 20 years older than Danny. 

Quote

I'm happy that Melissa stood up for Tokyo and that Tokyo advocated for himself. He was being such a good friend. Julie does not and did not deserve him. I also wish Kelly, Matt, Jamie and Danny would say more about Julie's actions -- the burden shouldn't be on Melissa or Tokyo. 

I'm glad she did, but I wondered why she didn't say anything when Julie came into the room where she and Danny were and asked if those bruises were from Tokyo. That seemed like the ideal moment to say, hey, you face planted on the concrete and you also walked into a tree so any bruises you have are likely from that. 

But I guess the wild card is when that overheard conversation happened. Because it seems like some of Melissa's reticence is due to not wanting to play into Julie's TV-making hands. Julie is just WAY to interested in being the talk of the town. Her shit-eating grin when Jamie told her Tokyo wanted to change room was telling, she was so pumped. I do like Tokyo's tone with her, he's very...professional, for lack of a better word. 

I also thought Jamie should have said something in the car, the more they let her vent and spin her narrative about being manhandled, the more she feels validated. 

Quote

 I really loved that conversation with Tokyo and Melissa. Tokyo was such a good friend to Julie that night. Production running after Julie might be the funniest thing I've seen in a while. I'm sure they did not think they would have to run after these 40 year olds.

Tokyo and Melissa's relationship this time around has been a really nice closure and a turnaround from 20 years ago. My favorite convo of theirs was the exchanged "Hmmms and mmmmhmmmms" in the kitchen while Julie was doing her performance yoga in the living room. And then at the coffee shop when Melissa was laughing at him for "stewing" and he was all "mmmmmhhmmmm" again. 

My new game for watching this show is going to be watching for little Kelley moments (like the abrupt heel turn when she saw Julie with Danny), this time she saw Jamie approach Julie about Tokyo switching rooms, she physically took 3 steps back. She is REALLY committed to not being in the thick of anything, lol.

ETA: Julie still arguing that Tokyo put those scratches on her and also saying her mom "investigated and found out the Melissa story isn't true." This woman is beyond help...

Edited May 5, 2022 by ljenkins782

[DearEvette]

"Bitch we are old, what is you doing?" - Melissa. 

LOL.  Melissa, Tokyo and Danny are really making this show for me. 

Melissa and Tokyo's entire interactions, conversation this episode have been so real.  The silent non-verbal 'mmm-hmms' and their understanding of the optics and the historical meaning behind Julie's accusations about Tokyo.   I love how adamant Melissa is about making sure she is saying it out loud and making it clear that this is what Julie is doing.  I am glad she is there because although all of the other roommates know that Julie is dead wrong, they are all tip-toeing around her.  Melissa, otoh, is flat out saying it.  And it needs to be said.

I felt so bad for Tokyo.  He looked absolutely crushed in that car after that trip to Cafe Du Mond when Julie dropped her 'he is a bad toucher' bomb.  He did not deserve that from her.

To their credit, production is giving her the edit she deserves.  And I love that they keep showing the scenes of her being messy drunk.  Only the truly delusional would believe her.  She is 100% embodying the behaviors of the subset of white women that black people find so dangerous.  She went straight to the 'scary black man' narrative.  And the collective conscious of many black people know that is a dog whistle that can have a very dangerous result.  Her repeated statement of 'I don't like to be touched' was trying to make it sound like he was touching her without her consent in an assaulting way.

She is all around terrible.  And obviously a liar.  "I’ve only drank alcohol three or four times I my life" .. … girl the way you were pounding shots? And doing yoga the next day like you weren't bothered?  Yeah. No.  And she straight up tried to gaslight Tokyo. 

It is a shame because she could have been a New York Julie.  But she decided to be a New York Becky.  Actually she has out-Beckied Becky.

And to top it all off she is "not there for the right reasons."  Ha!  Ok, but she really isn't.  It is a shame because those of us who are watching this from nostalgia don't want her manufactured drama.  We want to watch them reconnect and catch up and enjoy each other.

I don't think I've flat out disliked someone so hard so quickly in a long time.

Also, I am loving Melissa carrying her purse with her everywhere. I love her!