Spoilers and Speculation Discussion

[cooksdelight]

There are now episode topics for all four of the episodes released on Lifetime.com and On Demand, so please take further episode discussion to the appropriate topic; also please be careful not to reference something that happens in a future episode in an earlier topic (for example, don't discuss episode 4 happenings in the episode 3 topic).

Handy dandy clicky-linky things to the episodes;

Episode 1: Return
Episode 2: Relapse
Episode 3: Mother
Episode 4: Wife

 

Please discuss spoilers for episodes that have not been released here as well!

Edited June 9, 2015 by stacey

[Dejana]

Wasn't sure where else to post, but Lifetime's put the first four episodes up on the show's website.

[Mikita]

I have already watched episodes 2 and 3. Trying to hold off and save four for later. Trying so hard! This show is really good.

[Mabinogia]

I just watched all four and have to say, smart idea, because I wasn't sure after the first ep if I was going to remember this was on or bother to watch it again, but after four eps I'm getting into it. Love the production stuff and the contestants. Could do with less of Rachel's screwed up personal life but whatever, she's the star so I gotta deal with it. The rest of the show is great.

[HotForBacon]

Episodes 2 to 4 are onDemand as well. I really enjoy it. Can't wait to discuss.

[wonderwoman]

Episode 3 explains a lot about Rachel.

[RachelKM]

Episode 3 explains a lot about Rachel.

For realsies.  The episode's titular character is a real piece of work.

 

It's also pretty clear that Jeremy (I think that's his name, at any rate the ex) wasn't particularly honest with his fiancee about is degree of investment in Rachel.  But considering she saw the video of Rachel's breakdown in which Jeremy is acting pretty concerned and boyfriend ish, I'm not sure why his version hasn't already rung false.

[Almost 3000]

So glad they made the first four available since for the first time in forever this is a Sunday night with nothing on TV.

[wonderwoman]

"So glad they made the first four available since for the first time in forever this is a Sunday night with nothing on TV."

I take you're not a theatre or basketball fan:)

[absnow54]

I was intrigued by the pilot, and after watching the first four episodes, I'm fully invested. I'm really impressed by Rachel, Quinn, and Adam and can't wait to see their stories unfold. I wish I didn't have to wait three weeks for the show to catch up with the online episodes though!

[adhoc]

I watched all four episodes yesterday online. After the first episode, I had to force myself to keep going. After the second one, I still had to force myself, but a little less. Now that I've seen all four, though, I'm curious as to how this will all play out.

 

It's totally different from Burning Love, isn't it? BL was so over-the-top and clearly played for laughs, it was a lot of fun. UnREAL has an almost sinister vibe. Some of the events may be over-the-top, but you're sure as heck not laughing.  

 

While I have some mixed feelings about the show overall, I like how Rachel is portrayed in a manner that makes it hard to pin down exactly how much empathy/sympathy she has for the contestants. She clearly has some, but by the same token, she also seems to have her eyes on the game, in which her "girls" need to go the distance, whatever it takes to make that happen.  Will she succeed in being the winning "handler" this time around? Will she crack again?  I admit to being interested in finding out.

 

One thing I have not heard yet (or maybe I missed it)--I have not heard the contestants talking about who's there for the "right" reasons and who's just there to further their "brand" (like Adam).  We all know that on TB, many contestants are there in an attempt to grab--and then extend indefinitely--their 15 minutes of fame. No one's expecting to fall in love. I'd like to see this aspect of the show covered on uR.

[Wings]

I watched all 4 episodes, too.  I am hooked, big time!

[Bugs Meany]

Episode 2 was OK and 3 very good, but episode 4 really strayed from the good stuff. I'm not watching this show for off-camera drama in the producers' personal lives.

 

Episode 4 had some really dirty stuff

(like the "cl-- word"!!)

for a basic-cable show. I wonder if it'll make it into the broadcast version.

[cooksdelight]

That word has been freely used on Real Housewives.

[Bugs Meany]

Wow. I'm out of touch.

[portfino]

Episode 2 was OK and 3 very good, but episode 4 really strayed from the good stuff. I'm not watching this show for off-camera drama in the producers' personal lives.

 

Episode 4 had some really dirty stuff

(like the "cl-- word"!!)

for a basic-cable show. I wonder if it'll make it into the broadcast version.

I felt the opposite. Episode 3 had too much time with Rachel/Quinn away from the show. And while I am interested in why Rachel is the way she is, I really don't care about Quinn/Chet. Episode 4 at least was more related to the way the show is affecting Rachel.

 

I care more about the show within a show too, but the writers have a tricky task because if they want a TV show that can stand on its own. They better find a way to make us care about the crew. Post-episode 4, I care more about Adam and the women than anyone other than Rachel/Quinn.

[Cramps]

Why does Rachel "owe" Chet for asking him to help fix a problem on a show which he basically owns? That makes no sense.

That said, I really like the unREAL and hope it does well.

Edited June 8, 2015 by Cramps

[Mikita]

I have now watched all four and I am loving the show. The crew does turn on one another fairly quickly though. 

 

I am interested in learning more about Jeremy/Rachel. They keep calling him her ex but it sounds like it was a one off and he was actually with Lizzy? I will admit that Rachel and Adam have much more chemistry.

 

Chet needs to go. Disgusting character both physically and morally. 

[Vicky8675309]

Dark stuff--love it!

[Wings]

I like that this drama is more about the crew.  There would be very little to show otherwise as there is no history with the others to draw from.    

Why does Rachel "owe" Chet for asking him to help fix a problem on a show which he basically owns? That makes no sense.

That said, I really like the unREAL and hope it does well.

 

She got drunk, took his Porsche and crashed it!  We didn't see that, it was a reference to the show Suitor last season. 

[rho]

Why does Rachel "owe" Chet for asking him to help fix a problem on a show which he basically owns? That makes no sense.

That said, I really like the unREAL and hope it does well.

 

It's Rachel's job to make sure the date at the vineyard happens. Rachel reports to Quinn who reports to Chet. By approaching Chet to make the call, she's asking for a favor. Even though it technically benefits his show and saves him money by not holding up production, it's not his job to call government officials for special treatment; he doesn't work for the show, the show works for him. That said, I think most bosses wouldn't mind making a few calls every now and then but I think that scene was meant to show how sleazy and predatory Chet is.

[RachelKM]

One thing I have not heard yet (or maybe I missed it)--I have not heard the contestants talking about who's there for the "right" reasons and who's just there to further their "brand" (like Adam).  We all know that on TB, many contestants are there in an attempt to grab--and then extend indefinitely--their 15 minutes of fame. No one's expecting to fall in love. I'd like to see this aspect of the show covered on uR.

 

Athena (the back girl who willing to be part of the Sassy-Bitch arc) has explicitly said that her goal was the publicity the show would bring her business and that she has no delusions that she will win.  She discussed it with Shamiqua and Adam on separate occasions.  But I cannot recall if anyone else has mentioned their (non love) based goals.   

 

I am interested in learning more about Jeremy/Rachel. They keep calling him her ex but it sounds like it was a one off and he was actually with Lizzy? I will admit that Rachel and Adam have much more chemistry.

It's not super clear how extensively they dated, but Jeremy's actions both in the present as well as in the video of Rachel's breakdown show he was pretty invested in her.  

 

If I understand, he and Lizzy dated and broke up before he and Rachel were together.  And then after Rachel had her meltdown and disappeared on him, he and Lizzy got back together.  From Jeremy's conversations with Lizzy, it seems he told her that the fling with Rachel was brief and implied it was nothing more than a show hook-up.  But his telling Rachel that he called repeatedly and she wouldn't talk to him as a seeming explanation for giving up on her makes it seem they were more than a drunken weekend in Cabo. And he knows a lot about Rachel, including that she has rich parents near by, which I think shows that he's cared about her for a while.

[leighdear]

I'm really liking the show, but I really dislike most of the characters.  No problem seeing Rachel as Bi-polar and with other disorders, as she is one screwed up woman.  Absolutely ping-ponging between being likable and a stone-cold bitch.  The same for Quinn.  Her relationship with Rachel seems incredibly toxic and those two just feed off of each other.  I don't like Jeremy, the ex and don't like his fiancee.  She's whiny. 

 

Chet is absolutely disgusting, and as I have never liked Craig Bierko, he's definitely perfect for the role.  I actually liked his wife! *LOL*

 

I'm totally still in for the rest of the season!  :)

Edited June 8, 2015 by leighdear

[regardez]

I'm really liking the show, but I really dislike most of the characters.  No problem seeing Rachel as Bi-polar and with other disorders, as she is one screwed up woman.  Absolutely ping-ponging between being likable and a stone-cold bitch.  The same for Quinn.  Her relationship with Rachel seems incredibly toxic and those two just feed off of each other.  I don't like Jeremy, the ex and don't like his fiancee.  She's whiny. 

 

Chet is absolutely disgusting, and as I have never liked Craig Bierko, he's definitely perfect for the role.  I actually liked his wife! *LOL*

 

I'm totally still in for the rest of the season!  :)

I'm actually not sure that Rachel IS bipolar. It sounded like her mom is the only professional that thinks that. And clearly her mom has issues of her own.

 

I'm surprised how dark the show is. But I kind of like it.

 

Was Chet implying that Rachel would do coke with him for him doing her "the favor" for his own show?

[adhoc]

That's right, RachelKM, I'd forgotten about Athena's willingness to act the stereotypical "black bitch" in order to get PR for her new shop. 

 

Part of the problem with this show, for me, is that most of the principal characters, or at least the characters that seem to be taking up big chunks of screen time--Chet, Quinn, Rachel to a large extent, and also to a lesser extent Shia, Jay, and Graham--are unlikable. It's hard for me to sustain interest if you don't give me someone to root for. 

 

Also, I would hazard a guess that a lot of non-show business viewers won't relate to the morally questionable lifestyles of these folks. From snorting coke to sleeping with a married man to getting a blow job from a contestant (and really, Lifetime, how many different sexcapade moments do you plan to show, because we've already had a few)--I wonder how many viewers are put off by this workaday immorality?  

 

I think unREAL might suffer slightly from the same problem as Birdman; insiders (i.e., show biz folks) love it and "get" it, but your average viewer might find these characters a little too unrelatable. (I hated Birdman and its whiny, self-centered "special snowflakes", myself.)   

 

JMO. YMMV.

[Irlandesa]

I don't think Rachel is bipolar either.  It sounds like her mother is focused on finding something wrong with everyone.  She mentioned numerous things that were "wrong" with Rachel and it appears as if she has medicated the hell out of her husband.

 

Chet is absolutely disgusting, and as I have never liked Craig Bierko, he's definitely perfect for the role.  I actually liked his wife! *LOL*

Chet is disgusting but I've liked Craig Bierko ever since he was in my favorite episode of Wings "The Puppetmaster."  But I too liked his wife.  She reminded me of first season Mellie from Scandal when she was ambitious and practical--before she got weepy over some lost fairy tale. I hope this woman stays as she is.  Given how much they focused on Chet's health, I wouldn't be surprised if he died by the end of the season leaving Quinn to have to deal with his widow.

 

Was Chet implying that Rachel would do coke with him for him doing her "the favor" for his own show?

While I get why "coke" would be a logical conclusion, I don't think that's what he was signaling.  A nose swipe can also serve as a signal of understanding.  It was popularized in the movie "The Sting" to symbolize, I believe, that the con was on.  So in this instance, he was saying "you owe me" and her response was acknowledgement of that.  What I wasn't sure was whether or not letting Adam have sex with the investor's wife was part of the favor or not.

[gpgurl50]

After the scenes with her mother and the implications that Rachel's mother has been prescribing the wrong medication for her family, I wonder if some part of Rachel's breakdown was drug related.

[formerlyfreedom]

There are now episode topics for all four of the episodes released on Lifetime.com and On Demand, so please take further episode discussion to the appropriate topic; also please be careful not to reference something that happens in a future episode in an earlier topic (for example, don't discuss episode 4 happenings in the episode 3 topic).

 

Handy dandy clicky-linky things to the episodes;

 

Episode 1: Return

Episode 2: Relapse

Episode 3: Mother

Episode 4: Wife

[QueBueno]

Episode 4 had some really dirty stuff

(like the "cl-- word"!!)

for a basic-cable show. I wonder if it'll make it into the broadcast version.

I've only watched episode 1, but I was a little surprised the producer (Quinn?) said "p****y".

[In2You]

I wonder if more girls will be revealed to be on the show only for their 15 minutes of fame.

[aradia22]

This is more speculation than spoiler but the ad on Lifetime features from right to left: Jeremy, Anna, Quinn, Rachel, Jay, Adam, Mary (the mom), and Grace. I don't know if this is just one of the promo photos they shot but it's interesting that Shia is out and Mary is in. I'm already getting a little tired of Anna but she might be our permanent villain and it doesn't seem like Grace is going anywhere. Still, of all the women... Mary? I'd much rather see more from Faith or the girl who played the violin... It will be interesting to see how many more girls we get to know during the show. Another five left this week and I didn't recognize anyone from that group. Not that I'm dying for more from the Chris Harrison stand-in but are we ever going to get anything from him?

[Zuleikha]

The IMDB cast page lists how many episodes each actress filmed, which gives a good indication of who gets eliminated when.

[formerlyfreedom]

The IMDB cast page lists how many episodes each actress filmed, which gives a good indication of who gets eliminated when.

 

Actually, this may not be 100% accurate - the actresses playing Anna, Mary, Grace, and Faith all show as being there for ten episodes, but Anna wasn't in episode four, right? Also, it shows Britney is in three episodes? She's out, and was in one or two? And wasn't Pepper eliminated in episode four, but the actress shows as being in six episodes? So I'm wondering if it's for how many episodes they've signed for, but not necessarily how many they're in. That gives them the ability to play a bit with the ending...

[Zuleikha]

I think Anna was in episode four but not in a featured way. I think she was there with the group of women asking Adam about the tabloid, and she must have been there at the elimination ceremony at the end. I don't believe Pepper has been eliminated yet. IIRC, it was an unknown character named Tanya.

 

Britney could be brought back for an episode. Shaniqua and Maya are both listed as 8 episodes. If both of them are eliminated in episode 8, Britney could be brought back and eliminated again in episode 9.

[aradia22]

 

Britney could be brought back for an episode. Shaniqua and Maya are both listed as 8 episodes. If both of them are eliminated in episode 8, Britney could be brought back and eliminated again in episode 9.

I don't know what the precedent was on The Bachelor/Bachelorette before but this season Normcore Nick is back on The Bachelorette. I feel like in the old vh1 days there were both return contestants (e.g. a Britney coming back) and old flames (e.g. Adam's fiance). It's been a while but didn't New York come back on Flavor of Love? And wasn't Antonio Sabado Jr.'s ex-wife part of his show? I hate that I know this. 

[formerlyfreedom]

IMDB is showing the actresses playing Anna, Grace, and Shia as 'credit only' for episode four.

[editorgrrl]

IMDB is showing the actresses playing Anna, Grace, and Shia as 'credit only' for episode four.

Anyone can put anything in IMDB—it's not a reliable source.

[formerlyfreedom]

Anyone can put anything in IMDB—it's not a reliable source.

 

Yes, this is true, and that is actually my original point, as someone suggested using IMDB to determine when each contestant would be leaving the show. I made this point after watching episode four and noting that these actresses were not in the episode.

[editorgrrl]

‘UnReal’ Lifetime Show Cast Member Breeda Wool Teases Spoilers: ‘Some Fist Fighting, Cat Fighting,' Sexy Scenes

There's a lot of sex, you can expect a lot of sex. There is definitely some fist fighting, some cat fighting, there are some really beautiful moments, some tender loving moments. There was an episode in which the script had to be changed back and forth, many, many times because there is something that is so wrong. I think Lifetime or A&E were like, "Oh, we don't know if we can do that." There's some HBO moments here, I wish I remembered what episode it was specifically, like keep your eyes peeled for inappropriate behavior. In terms of TV, there is definitely a lot of pushing the envelope. The envelope will be pushed through a tiny little hole.

It's a big ensemble cast, there are a lot of stories going on so it's really fighting for Rachel, Shiri Appleby's soul. The show is really watching her, she's quite the anti-hero, you really relate to her and you see she's smart, she knows the difference between right and wrong. A lot of people on the show don't know the difference between right and wrong but Rachel knows, she knows it very distinctly and so you watch her betray that or walk towards it. So, it's sort of this battleground for her soul.

[editorgrrl]

Does this poster mean Jeremy's going to play a major role? Or does Freddie Stroma have a "no nudity" clause in his contract?

Edited June 19, 2015 by editorgrrl

[feverfew]

I'm guessing Josh Kelly was the better known name? Freddie Stroma is after all British...

[portfino]

Well, I think we know that Freddie Stroma doesn't have a "no nudity" clause. I think that ad campaign was to show that the BTS characters would be "exposed." I assume Jeremy may play a larger role going forward.

Edited June 19, 2015 by portfino

[In2You]

Does this poster mean Jeremy's going to play a major role? Or does Freddie Stroma have a "no nudity" clause in his contract?

Freddie Stroma has been nude before

[editorgrrl]

According to IMDB, the remaining episodes are:

Truth 6/29

The crew heads to Mississippi for Faith's hometown date with Adam; Rachel makes a discovery.

 

Fly 7/6

Adam meets Mary's family when the show arranges their one-on-one date.

 

Savior 7/13

When tragedy strikes the set, the contestants and everyone behind the scenes are all affected.

 

Two 7/20

As the final elimination ceremony approaches, Adam is offered an interesting proposal.

 

Princess 7/27

Quinn and Rachel question their future; the final three contestants return to Adam's vineyard.

 

??? 8/3

Season finale.

[TomGirl]

Am I the only one who thinks Faith may be transsexual?

I love Shiri Appleby in this. She is abso-friggin-lutely adorable.

[Wings]

Am I the only one who thinks Faith may be transsexual?

I love Shiri Appleby in this. She is abso-friggin-lutely adorable.

 

 

I do now that you mention it!   And I agree, Shiri is adorable.  

[editorgrrl]

The description for episode 5 says "Rachel makes a startling discovery about Faith." Maybe TomGirl was right:

Am I the only one who thinks Faith may be [a trans woman]?

Edited June 23, 2015 by editorgrrl

[formerlyfreedom]

Please see Dave's post on Using the GLAAD Media Reference Guide; it has the dos and don'ts of language referencing the LGBT community and LGBT people. We don't ding people if they aren't using the terms out of malice, but a few minutes with the guide will goes a long way in helping make PTV welcoming to all.

 

I did move a few posts into here, since they're more speculation then episode discussion.

[dubbel zout]

If we go by next week's previews, Faith is a virgin. Not that that means she can't also be transgender.

[formerlyfreedom]

Am I the only one who thinks Faith may be transsexual?

I love Shiri Appleby in this. She is abso-friggin-lutely adorable.

 

 

"Rachel makes a startling discovery about Faith"? Maybe TomGirl's right:

 

Actually, if you watch next week's preview, it's pretty clear that Faith's secret is that she's a virgin. And of COURSE Quinn is all about taking care of that!