S02.E02: The Barefoot Baroness

[hoodooznoodooz]

I hope this wasn't scripted, but I enjoyed Marissa telling the waiter, "I'm waiting for, um, um, a friend of mine -- or a girl..."

[izabella]

I don't understand why anyone would want to work hard to become a part of London's society.  Considering how snobby they are, and how they never stop commenting on the obnoxious, ill-mannered, try-hard Americans, what is the benefit to striving to be part of their group?  Caroline and Annabelle very clearly will never consider Americans to be as good as they are, or even just plain good enough, even if they are sometimes amused by them.  It doesn't make sense to me why it's anyone's goal to claw their way in to a group of people who will always make fun of you and consider you less than.  Surely locals who are not aristocrats are just as much, if not more fun to hang out with.

 

 

This is the biggest mystery to me.  Juliet is lonely.  These people will never be her friends.  Why bother?  Who cares?  Meet some other moms in the neighborhood or through school events, take a cooking class, get involved with a charity or volunteer your time at the pet shelter, take Julie's yoga class, and make some real friends.  She'd probably be a lot happier than trying to fit into some group of imagined aristocratic superiority.

 

I put on my best smug face when Melissa said, "If you aren't at all the holiday parties, then I don't know you," and smirked back, "cheers to that!"

[ScoobieDoobs]

And the way Duckface Caroline sneered about how Juliet now lives in "the Jersey" of London?  Nah, Juliet is never gonna fit in with this bunch.  Everyone's looking down at her like the way the Manhattan gals used to look down on Alex for being in Brooklyn.  And her tantrums & picky eating habits ain't exactly gonna help her fit in either.

 

So many of these women look so gaunt. sallow & unhealthy.  Could it be their diets?  Maybe Duckface Caroline gave us a hint at what could be her shitty diet -- with her extreme avoidance of fruit.  Real healthy move there, Duckface.

[Irritable]

Doesn't a lack of fruit in one's diet cause scurvy? That would explain a lot of things about Caroline 1.

[izabella]

Well, duck and goose are fatty, so they're getting some fat in their diets, lol.  They probably need more, though.  Some olive oil on their salads would do them good.

[forum4idiots]

it's hilarious how "can't ride a horse" annabelle mentioned someone having a upper middle class aspirations or something like that......her net worth is something like 20 million, most of which probably came from mommy and daddy and that new worth is not even considered "super rich" status.  i guess she can be called super rich if she counts her future inheritance (i wouldn't put it past her wishing her parents to die just to reach some kind of social status).

[forum4idiots]

Juliet carries on her tradition of unfortunate clothing choices with that hideous glittery sweater. Marissa called it merry. Dig!

WTF with Caroline's business? One minute she boasts about her outstanding success, the next she's worried about losing $200K overnight.

 

Oh, this explains a lot . . .  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2962380/SEBASTIAN-SHAKESPEARE-Andrew-s-ex-hits-slopes-firm-hits-buffers.html

 

Another on-line luxury marketing ploy bites the dust.  They apparently were running on fumes.

it's the modern day sugar daddy for all sexes.  start ups and new niche business start a business with no proven results and get "funding" from unassuming investors to create a cash flow for the "management" to splurge on as write offs........one good example was when i saw shark tank for the first time last week.  a guy who makes man bags was asking 500k for funding for 20 percent of his business with no real sales to sepak of and 200k of the 500k allocated as "good will".  so the guy intends to splurge on 200k of his investors' money and screw them.......sufficed to say, the sharks said no really fast.

[Surrealist]

That's what I remember about Annabelle's background, but for some reason I feel like Annabelle's grandmother's title was in Italy.

Yes. Originally I had written Italian marchioness, but second guessed myself.

[FozzyBear]

Regarding team Marissa or Juliet, I'm totally team Marissa. I can tolerate Marissa, but Juliet is insufferable. She's one of those girls who is shitty to everyone else and then complains to their mom "nobody likes me, everyone is so mean". Well, stop being a shit, Juliet.

I was just coming here to say that Juliet strikes me as the type that will be a shit for months and then expect everything to be fine if she mumbles some half assed sorry/not sorry apology every now and then. I wonder if this is pretty far from the first time they've had this conversation. Marissa was being pretty smug about the tea summit, but even more than smug she seemed kind of over it. I feel like there is a lot more to whatever happened between Marrisa and Juliet than the dinner. Juliet looked a wreck and Marissa looked like she was determined not to get sucked back into some drama of some kind. I'm really starting to think there is something going on with Juliet we haven't been told about yet. Maybe infedilty rumors or money problems. Something feels about to burst with her.

[Neurochick]

I think Marissa is the type of person who, if a friend became ill or was going through a crisis, she'd drop them like a hot potato. I didn't like her smug expression when she spoke to Juliet. Meanness doesn't appeal to me.

[Babyfoot]

These women are all asshats, but most of them appear to be content. A happy asshat is fun to watch and snark on anonymously. Caroline and Annabelle are content with their uppercrust snobbery and their imagined superiority; Marissa is content with acting like "Martha fucking Stewart;" Julie is content doing the downward dog on the Mapperton lawn; and Caroline F is content being the Baroness of Whackadoo. Only Juliet appears to be unhappy. Her unhappiness comes across as petulance and a petulant asshat ain't no fun.

What is up with the lighting and hair color this season? Did they get a new crew?

[Rottiemommie]

Marissa might be smug but the fact that she managed to not laugh in Juliet' s face when she felt the need to storm off from their fresh mint tea without waiting for the check but insisting twice that she would be paying makes her a more polite person than me.

 

I took that not as Juliet storming off but as a quick, hurried attempt to get out of there before she burst into tears.

 

Marissa's smug attitude wouldn't fly well in the States either (I'd think).

 

 

Not here in Jersey I can assure you of that. That bitch would be knocked the eff out.

[LilaFowler]

I thought Marissa was a cold bitch when she was dumping Juliet as a friend at that restaurant.  I mean, was that really necessary? 

[Irritable]

I agree with FozzyBear on this:

 

Juliet strikes me as the type that will be a shit for months and then expect everything to be fine if she mumbles some half assed sorry/not sorry apology every now and then. I wonder if this is pretty far from the first time they've had this conversation. Marissa was being pretty smug about the tea summit, but even more than smug she seemed kind of over it. I feel like there is a lot more to whatever happened between Marrisa and Juliet than the dinner. Juliet looked a wreck and Marissa looked like she was determined not to get sucked back into some drama of some kind.

 

 

 

I've been in that position, where I befriended someone who seemed to really need a friend, and had a lot of personal problems that I wanted to help lessen in whatever ways I could.  But over time, I realized this person was a soul-sucking vampire who had a history of glomming on to people, draining the life out of them, and then glomming on to another victim. ad nauseum.  I believe now that this person has Borderline Personality Disorder, and if I had known it ahead of time I would have avoided her like the plague that she is.  But after helping her, and helping her, and helping her, and having her turn around regularly to treat me like garbage, only to act like I should just forget all that because she needed something from me again, I finally got wise.  By the time I was ready to sever ties with her, also in a restaurant, coincidentally, I was as stoic and terse as Marissa, because I was braced for a huge dramatic display, or for her to try to manipulate me by dropping another pity-me bomb in my lap. I was DONE, and turned myself to steel so that no matter what she said or did, I could walk out of there free of this person whose "friendship" had made me miserable.

 

Until I see Marissa treat her other friends the same way she treated Juliet when they were solidifying the end of their friendship, I'm going to believe that Juliet gave her reasons to seem so cold.

[FozzyBear]

It was interesting to me that Marissa's real turning point in the conversation was when she said something about being hurt or unhappy and Juliet came back with "Because I'm such a terrible person!" The same thing happened at Caroline's. Marissa was trying to explain her point of view and Juliet shot back with "Because I'm such a terrible person!" Both times Marissa just shut down. To me it was a pretty telling moment. It's such a manipulative thing to do and I feel like Marissa has been down this road before of trying to tell Juliet why she's upset only to have to apologize about making Juliet feel bad and baby her about how she's not a terrible person. That seemed to me to be when Marissa passed her point of no return at the tea.

I also think it's worth nothing that win, lose, or draw Juliet manipulated her birthday in such a way as to prevent Marissa from participating. She knew she was picking a night that Marrissa couldn't come because of long standing plans so even if none of the drama had gone down, Marrissa was going to be excluded from Juliet "London family" she just HAD to spend her birthday on. Juliet can do what she wants on her birthday and I don't personally feel like this is such a big deal, but I can see from Marissa point of view that it would be pretty hard to sit there and buy how much Juliet cares about her when she went so far out of her way to make plans that exclude her.

I'm going to call a spade a spade. I think Juliet is a pretty manipulative person and that's what Marissa was reacting to: a determination not to have yet another conversation turned into a Why is Everyone Mean to Me Juliet pity party.

[AndreaK1041]

This is the biggest mystery to me.  Juliet is lonely.  These people will never be her friends.  Why bother?  Who cares?  Meet some other moms in the neighborhood or through school events, take a cooking class, get involved with a charity or volunteer your time at the pet shelter, take Julie's yoga class, and make some real friends.  She'd probably be a lot happier than trying to fit into some group of imagined aristocratic superiority.

It's a mystery to me too.  And if her husband is only home for the weekends, why not move to one of the cities he does business in?  I know, I know, they speak English in England, and that's appealing, but if no one is happy?  

[ScoobieDoobs]

What is up with the lighting and hair color this season? Did they get a new crew?

 

I'm totally fascinated with how awful everyone's hair looks on this show.  I mean really terrible.  Is it the water or their diets that make everyone's hair look so horrible?  I was puzzled cuz it looked like there was considerable time spent styling Julie & her hair still looked like crap -- thin, limp & ick.  Juliet looks like she's lightening her hair some & her color looks like absolute shit.  Duckface Caroline has neon/canary yellow hair.  Ew.  Marissa's hair color?  Is there a name for whatever color her hair is?  Well, whatever it is, it's really frumpish & blech.

 

And Annabelle?  Oh, Annabelle, that hairstyle you've clearly decided to hang onto till the grave is tragic.  Just tragic.  It's so draggy & always in her face.  But I give her that it does suit her dour, sour, depressing personality.  I look at her hair & it depresses me cuz it's so ugh.  Guess she's trying to be like Anna Wintour & hang onto a dated hairstyle for the rest of her life.  OK then.

 

The real mystery is why everyone's hair color on here looks so bad.  Is it bad lighting, or do the colorists in London suck, or are they coloring themselves out of drugstore box color & it just ain't working?  It's truly a mystery.

Edited September 17, 2015 by ScoobieDoobs

[FozzyBear]

Ha! I keep forgetting Annabelle exists until someone mentions her here. For a former It Girl she sure has a hard time finding a storyline.

[wovenloaf]

It's a mystery to me too.  And if her husband is only home for the weekends, why not move to one of the cities he does business in?  I know, I know, they speak English in England, and that's appealing, but if no one is happy?  

I think he's mostly in Stockholm during the week. Maybe Juliet can get real into being the Loud Obnoxious American trope on Swedish tv next?! Eek. 

 

I think if she just tried to befriend some regular people, instead of the weird social climbing she's failing at, that would help. What about people around her neighborhood? We know from Caroline that the none of the "important" Londoners want to be seen there, so maybe she'd be safe from the super-snobs! But I guess us "regular" people won't get her on tv.

 

I'm totally fascinated with how awful everyone's hair looks on this show.  I mean really terrible.  Is it the water or their diets that make everyone's hair look so horrible?  I was puzzled cuz it looked like there was considerable time spent styling Julie & her hair still looked like crap -- thin, limp & ick.  Juliet looks like she's lightening her hair some & her color looks like absolute shit.  Duckface Caroline has neon/canary yellow hair.  Ew.  Marissa's hair color?  Is there a name for whatever color her hair is?  Well, whatever it is, it's really frumpish & blech.

 

And Annabelle?  Oh, Annabelle, that hairstyle you've clearly decided to hang onto till the grave is tragic.  Just tragic.  It's so draggy & always in her face.  But I give her that it does suit her dour, sour, depressing personality.  I look at her hair & it depresses me cuz it's so ugh.  Guess she's trying to be like Anna Wintour & hang onto a dated hairstyle for the rest of her life.  OK then.

 

The real mystery is why everyone's hair color on here looks so bad.  Is it bad lighting, or do the colorists in London suck, or are they coloring themselves out of drugstore box color & it it just ain't working?  It's truly a mystery.

I'm thinking it must be the lighting? Because everyone's is just so wretched. Of course, that can't fix the limp, ratty look they've all got going on, but the color at least I think is due in part to lighting. Because the particular yellow hue of Caroline's seems to change depending on the scene. 

[ScoobieDoobs]

Yeah, is Julie beyond help with that hair?  Oh, I'll leave her alone cuz she has to spend all day chasing after those kids -- and maybe cleaning that big house.  I get the impression her life really ain't all that great.  It's like she's poor-rich.  Sure, she's got a nice house.  But she & her husband look like they work their asses off.  They both look worn out, drained & exhausted.  I might not be 300-something in line to the throne, but I'll take my life over hers any day.  And I got better hair than any of these broads, so there is that.

Edited September 16, 2015 by ScoobieDoobs

[hoodooznoodooz]

Yes. Even the wine at Caroline F's party looked green.

[sheetmoss]

I'm trying to figure out something, Marissa said she's gone to  the singing of Chistmas carols at Royal Albert Hall for the past 3 ot 4 yrs...This is the first time her friend Juliet has heard about it and  was never invited in the past?

 

As for Juliet trying to gain an entree in British society, no different from people trying to get into NYC society--or like  as well, it really helps w/ contacts & networking for business reasons.

 

I didn't catch it the first time, but I noticed Caroline Fleming's Chelsea townhse was really wide. It was also on the right side of the frontdoor as well. That place is worth some serious $$.

 

Noticed something funny, when Caroline F almost dropped her dog and caught it, the next shot shows something going quickly past the bottom of her kitchen window. I couldn't tell if it was a person bent over or a car w/Christams tree on top.

 

Loved the uniquness of the glass and metal Bistro shelf going down the center of Caroline F's DR table, .I wonder if it was free standing or fit into gooves on the tabletop?

[TV Diva Queen]

Marissa and Juliet are equally social climbers.

I liked that Julie mentioned how much easier it is for Marissa to integrate into London society because she's married to an Englishman. Juliet doesn't have that benefit. Not that I'm defending Juliet, whose behavior would be considered annoying and obnoxious to most Americans (I'd think). Marissa's smug attitude wouldn't fly well in the States either (I'd think).

Also, I found it interesting that Julie mentioned she hardly gets invited to events, so maybe that's why she made the remark about Juliet feeling like an outsider.

At any rate, I'm thinking Juliet's not long for England. I don't think she'll stay there long-term.

In the other thread, I mentioned that Julie grew up in a town not too far from me. I loved how she mentioned growing up in Sugar Grove, IL, instead of saying what most exurbanites and suburbanites, which is "I'm from Chicago." Even if those people live an hour or two away. It's a pet peeve of mine. I lived in Chicago for a decade and always told people where I was really from. So Julie gets major points from me for being honest. If I recall correctly, last season, Juliet said she was from Chicago. However, I believe she's actually from Chicago's north suburbs, which isn't the same thing.

But I digress . . . ;-)

I like Caroline Fleming too. I hardly laugh at this show, but I love how Caroline F seems to give zero fucks what others think. And she's a baroness! She behaves very non-aristocratic and for whatever reason, I find that endearing.

I loved how she kicked everyone out as they were still eating dinner because it was a Monday night and she needed to get to bed. She threw major shade at Caroline Stanbury in that moment. "We can't all wake up at 9:30 in the morning." Hee!

Sugar Grove is about 60 miles due west of the city and is one of those popped up out of the cornfields towns (I know there is probably an "old" part of town but the majority of homes there are cookie cutter McMansions and mini Mc's. .  I believe you are thinking of Long Grove, which is North Shore ish and about 35 miles north of the city.  

[biakbiak]

I believe you are thinking of Long Grove, which is North Shore ish and about 35 miles north of the city.

Julie is from Sugar Grove, it was Juliet the poster was saying was from a north shore suburb.

Edited September 16, 2015 by biakbiak

[izabella]

Marissa and Juliet are equally social climbers.

 

Yes, and Marissa is too smug to notice that she is tolerated, not accepted into the imagined aristocrat superiority club.  I'm sure she knows lots of people because of her husband's restaurant, so is able to network and have lots of acquaintances who are in the club, but that doesn't means she is one of them, nor that they consider her to be in the club, nor that they see her as anything but another gauche American whose husband owns a restaurant.

And the way Duckface Caroline sneered about how Juliet now lives in "the Jersey" of London? 

 

It's ridiculous.  The Thames is not very wide at all.  You can walk across one of the bridges in less than 5 minutes.

 

I'd rather have a roomier, less expensive place on the Tate side of the Thames than an expensive shoebox on the "right" side.

Edited September 16, 2015 by izabella

[TV Diva Queen]

Julie is from Sugar Grove, it was Juliet the poster was saying was from a north shore suburb.

oohh.  Thanks. :)  

 

I just googled Juliet and on her website she says that "Before Juliet Angus became one of Bravo’s Ladies of London, she was a Chicago native — and a graduate of the same high school as Ferris Bueller."  WHAAAAT???  So what is it?  Is she a Chicago native or is she from Northbrook (which is my best guess because Ferris Bueller exteriors shots were Glenbrook North.  . 

[izabella]

I'm not sure why I keep watching cuz I think ALL of these women are awful -- for various reasons.  I really wanted to see more of Danish Caroline's home.  Why all the extreme close-ups?  I couldn't get a feel of her place at all.  Is it tiny or is it large & impressive?  I couldn't tell.  I was so turned off & nauseated by the Cheetos & her bird-bone-chomping, that one is gonna have to work hard to win me back.  Right now, I'm not digging her.  Btw, her weird laugh didn't bother me as much as it seemed to bother Duckface Caroline.  Actually, it didn't bother me at all.  Or was that just Duckface being her usual mean, horrible self & picking on anyone/everyone near her?

 

The Baroness's laugh is something out of a sitcom.  In fact, I think one of The Sweathogs on "Welcome Back Kotter" (Horseshack?) had a laugh like that.

 

I could not believe what I was hearing coming out of her mouth.  Like a sea lion barking or something.  Truly unbelievable to the point I wonder if there is something wrong with her nose or throat.

 

I'll bet production will cut it out of most of her segments, unless they want to bring her down a notch or two (such as with Caroline commenting on it).

[Surrealist]

Not here in Jersey I can assure you of that. That bitch would be knocked the eff out.

 

I'd pay Jersey folks a lot of money to do that.

 

 

I get the impression her life really ain't all that great.  It's like she's poor-rich.  Sure, she's got a nice house.  But she & her husband look like they work their asses off.  They both look worn out, drained & exhausted.

 

I noticed the same thing. They look ragged, but that's also why I like them. They seem to bust their asses the hardest out of everyone else on the show.

Edited September 16, 2015 by Surrealist

[Surrealist]

Sugar Grove is about 60 miles due west of the city and is one of those popped up out of the cornfields towns (I know there is probably an "old" part of town but the majority of homes there are cookie cutter McMansions and mini Mc's. .  I believe you are thinking of Long Grove, which is North Shore ish and about 35 miles north of the city.  

 

I grew up 15 minutes away from Sugar Grove, so I know about all the new development that's been happening in and around Sugar Grove. Especially in Elburn. The centers of those towns aren't "fancy" like the outlying areas.

 

Juliet tells people she's from Chicago, but I'm pretty sure she's from the northern suburbs. Or even northwest suburbs. I don't believe Juliet is from Long Grove. I keep thinking Arlington Heights or Niles, but I don't think that's it either. Might be a North Shore suburb. The North Shore is ritzy. I'm sure that Caroline S. and Annabelle would piss all over the North Shore as being gauche.  ;-)

Edited September 16, 2015 by Surrealist

[retiredviewer]

This show is too fake this year. The Baroness gave up her title to marry her husband, Carline S's business is gone, and Julie should know how to behave at dinners since she has been married to a future Earl for quite a while. I just want to see how they live and not a bunch of wanna be Americans.

Edited September 17, 2015 by retiredviewer

[Mrs peel]

Juliet tells people she's from Chicago, but I'm pretty sure she's from the northern suburbs. Or even northwest suburbs. I don't believe Juliet is from Long Grove. I keep thinking Arlington Heights or Niles, but I don't think that's it either. Might be a North Shore suburb. The North Shore is ritzy. I'm sure that Caroline S. and Annabelle would piss all over the North Shore as being gauche.  ;-)

This doesn't bother me about Juliet because, unless you are in the Midwest, most people have never heard of the specific suburbs. In London? This crowd of inbreds would be lucky to know of Chicago.

Caroline S and Annabelle would hate the North Shore because the homes aren't from the 17h century or earlier.

I can't get over that Caroline S appears to be so distant from both her children AND her business. Did I hear correctly that the company had been selling items which they learned, pretty late in the Christmas season, would not in fact be available for delivery before Christmas? What the heck?!? So clearly she is really a housewife who doess none of the traditional housewife work, and the money is hubby's. Query, how high up in British society can Caroline S be with a husband who isn't English?

Julie should be happy she isn't invited more often to sad little "openings" like that. But she should cut out the "I can't walk in heels" mantra. Jeez, wear flats or practice!

[Surrealist]

This doesn't bother me about Juliet because, unless you are in the Midwest, most people have never heard of the specific suburbs. In London? This crowd of inbreds would be lucky to know of Chicago.

Caroline S and Annabelle would hate the North Shore because the homes aren't from the 17h century or earlier.

I can't get over that Caroline S appears to be so distant from both her children AND her business. Did I hear correctly that the company had been selling items which they learned, pretty late in the Christmas season, would not in fact be available for delivery before Christmas? What the heck?!? So clearly she is really a housewife who does none of the traditional housewife work, and the money is hubby's. Query, how high up in British society can Caroline S be with a husband who isn't English?

Julie should be happy she isn't invited more often to sad little "openings" like that. But she should cut out the "I can't walk in heels" mantra. Jeez, wear flats or practice!

 

A person could say which suburb (s)he is from and follow that up with how far it is from Chicago giving another person a reference point. When I lived in Chicago, I had some guy telling me he was a Chicagoan and when I asked which neighborhood, he told me Rockford. Which isn't anywhere near Chicago, let alone a suburb. Not to mention Rockford's kind of a shithole. At any rate, it's a peeve of mine. Lol.

 

You're right about Caroline S's and Annabelle's attitude toward North Shore houses. There are so many pretty houses in that area, but those would be "common" dwellings to those two. Heh.

 

I'm glad that you brought up Caroline's husband and the fact that he's not an Englishman. Is she looked down upon as a result? At least, Marissa got that part right. Not that it matters a whole lot because she'll still be perceived as an American who lives in London (British citizenship and all).

 

I agree with you about Julie and not being invited to those events. I'd be happy about that too. Who wants to spend her time around those brats? I sure as hell wouldn't.

Edited September 17, 2015 by Surrealist

[Mrs peel]

Surrealist, I totally agree with you about Rockford not being Chicago. But if I grew up In Evanston or even Naperville, yeah in California I would just say Chicago. I actually live in Chicago (really within the confines, in fact very close to "the friendly
confines" ), but I am from NY. I usually just say NYC and then maybe "the suburbs," because no one (other than Carolyn Radziwell, because our high schools were football rivals) has ever heard of the town in which I grew up!

I agree with others in not getting the love of the aristocracy. It's all inherited, not for your own hard work. Perhaps the current lord of the manor has to actually work to keep the place, but they aren't at a factor job each day. We fought a war of independence to get away from them, I don't get the scrapping and bowing to a title.

 

Edited because "Chicago" got changed to "hi ago" by Apple auto-correct!

Edited September 17, 2015 by Mrs peel

[FozzyBear]

The "Chicago" thing doesn't bug me. I think lots of people from small towns/suburbs just say the area name when people ask them where they're from. I don't think of it as dishonest so much as simplifying. Maybe it's because I'm from CA which is FULL of metro areas. Most people I know just say LA or San Francisco or Sacramento or whatever when they're traveling. Because who ever heard of Roseville or Torrence? Plus I have enough reasons to want to smack Juliet without that one.

[Surrealist]

Surrealist, I totally agree with you about Rockford not being Chicago. But if I grew up In Evanston or even Naperville, yeah in California I would just say hi ago. I actually live in Chicago (really within the confines, in fact very close to "the friendly confines" ), but I am from NY. I usually just say NYC and then maybe "the suburbs," because no one (other than Carolyn Radziwell, because our high schools were football rivals) has ever heard of the town in which I grew up!

I agree with others in not getting the love of the aristocracy. It's all inherited, not for your own hard work. Perhaps the current lord of the manor has to actually work to keep the place, but they aren't at a factor job each day. We fought a war of independence to get away from them, I don't get the scrapping and bowing to a title.

 

Just don't make the mistake of saying you're from Chicago to a native Chicagoan and follow that up with "I live in Evanston" or "I live in Naperville."  ;-)

 

New York for Chicago? Why? Lol. I used to want to live in NY, but it's so expensive now. Which Chicago neighborhood?

 

I don't understand the fascination with aristocracy. There seem to be a number of Americans who qualify as Anglophiles, but I've never really understood the interest. Mostly I watch this show for the England scenery and London house porn.

 

Juliet is the quintessential suburbanite, so I don't necessarily get mad when Caroline S. or Annabelle make digs at her (or Marissa's) socioeconomic status because I expect nothing less from them. The English ladies aren't that impressive either. Caroline S. said she's old money, but she didn't marry someone from old money. Annabelle's grandmother is a marchioness, but I'm not sure how that factors into her life. She doesn't stand a chance at gaining a title, does she? 

 

Caroline F. lost her title (and she's Danish anyway) if I'm reading things correctly here. Marissa's husband is English, but I'm not sure from which socioeconomic class his family's in. I don't know where Marissa and her husband fall on the ladder now.

 

The English class system feels slightly more complicated than America's.

Edited September 17, 2015 by Surrealist

[Bebecat]

i think Marissa is a bitch, as well as delusional if she thinks she is "one of them". And why these Americans are so desperate to be "in" with these witches is beyond me.

Annabelle is a snob of the highest order.

Lol,they do all have thin, flat-looking hair, not in a good way. Is the water to hard or too soft?

[TheFinalRose]

Just don't make the mistake of saying you're from Chicago to a native Chicagoan and follow that up with "I live in Evanston" or "I live in Naperville."  ;-)

 

 

Eh, many many Chicagoans of my parents' generation left the city neighborhoods and moved to the new housing in the collar suburbs in the 50s and 60s.  Mine did, and I've never heard of any of them having to give up their Chicago card because of that. I grew up in a suburb but I say I'm from Chicago when I'm out of the state. I read the Chicago Tribune, I root for the Cubs, or the Bulls, or the Bears, I listen to the Chicago weather reports. I went to college in the city, hubby went to law school in the city, both kids went to high school in the city, I've lived in the city, worked in the city, and shop and eat out in the city all the time. The fact that now I take the Kennedy past the last Chicago exits doesn't mean I'm not a Chicagoan.  From my experience most people consider Chicago and the suburbs one big metro area. 

 

But, yowzer. I did not know that the Lady Julie of Sandwich came from Sugar Grove. Sugar Grove! OMG. That's way out there in the country. Wow. What a change in lifestyle.  Anyway, for those who were waiting for McQueen to get name-dropped tonight was the night. That red dress looked like a sack on Julie; her makeup was too orange, her hair didn't look as if anything had been done to it. Would it kill her to dye her hair brown and add some color to her persona?  What is wrong with brown hair?? Some people do not look good with blonde hair.  She's still nice, though.

 

Juliet is from Northbrook, which is not as North Shorey as the really ritzy North Shore suburbs like Lake Forest, (a suburb the Ladies of London would feel right at home in because its downtown is like a little English village). She does look miserable, but maybe eating outside in the rain added to that? I mean, seriously, would they simply not allow cameras inside? What a miserable dinner that looked. Her husband seemed really nice. The whole Marissa and Juliet fight is so boring to me. It was all so badly edited I have no idea of what is really going on and I don't care. I do wish we had had a food shot of the Bumpkin dinner. I like to look at food.

 

I enjoyed Carolyn F's dinner party, but I have to say that these parties look really kind of boring. Just the same five women with a few makeup artists thrown in. They are all clearly just getting together to film for the show and get out. 

 

That being said I am so happy that they filmed this in winter/Christmas time. Love the English Christmas scenes.  This show is so much fun, I will take these mean British women and pathetic American social climbers with the badly colored hair over the NJ's Guidice fraudsters in their faux mansions or Caroline Manzo and her lazy loser family anyday.

[slitz]

Finally got to watch this episode.  While I agree that Marissa did come off a bit cold and smug at the tea with Juliet...I kinda get it too.  I have had similar friendships and they are exhausting.  You are constantly feeling as though you're walking on eggshells around them, not wanting to say the wrong thing or do the wrong thing for fear of upsetting them.  By the end of it, you're just done.  You don't have the energy anymore and you just want it all to be over with.  You wish them no harm and can still be friendly, but that closeness that once was is gone.  It seems as though both ladies are feeling this way about each other.  

 

What strikes me the most in these first two episodes of this season is how sad Juliet seems to be.  There was a certain lightness to her last season that is gone now.  I don't know if it's her husband being gone so much for work, having moved further away from the other ladies, and presumably her other friends, or just plain being homesick at the holidays, but she just seems so depressed.  

 

Of all the ladies this season, so far I like Julie and the Baroness the most.  Annabelle is a close third.  Marissa and Juliet are...meh.  Could take or leave either one of them.  Can't stand Caroline S.  IMHO, she's not witty or charming or delightfully British.  She's rude, mean-spirited and just plain selfish.  

[nyxy]

 

Everybody's hair is so greenish yellow.

 

Oh good; I thought it was just me.

 

That yellow color comes and goes and is very distracting. It's visible mostly on hair, but during Baroness Caroline's party,I thought the entire dinner looked yellow. The Baroness kept calling the fruit she was forcing into Caroline S's mouth oranges, but it too looked bright yellow.

 

That yellow hue is ugliest on Julie's hair for some reason.

 

.  I'm watching it on Amazon Prime & was too cheap to buy the HD so I thought it was my inferior resolution.

 

On another note, did anyone think Juliet's husband, Gregory, was hot....not so much to look at, though he's pleasant enough, but the way he calmed down Juliet and talked to their adorable kid. .

[Surrealist]

Juliet is from Northbrook, which is not as North Shorey as the really ritzy North Shore suburbs like Lake Forest, (a suburb the Ladies of London would feel right at home in because its downtown is like a little English village).

 

Ah. Northbrook. That's it. I knew it was somewhere close, but I knew it wasn't some place like Lake Forrest or Winnetka.

 

I don't know about that. I think the London ladies would find plenty wrong with Lake Forest because that's just how they are.

[ScoobieDoobs]

Given that Annabelle & Duckface Caroline seem to sneer at everything/everyone, they sure would.  Is there an undercurrent of American hate/snobbishness coming outta them?  Not quite sure if it's hatred, but I definitely sniff a stench of snobbishness against Americans, particularly from those 2, and I really don't care for it.

[EtheltoTillie]

Scoobs, I think it's more than just an undercurrent . . . 

[ScoobieDoobs]

Er, I was a bit skeered to actually say that I've encountered this many times when I've been in London.  Surprised the heck outta me really, cuz I totally didn't expect it.  Sure, I figured titled types like Julie's husb would be snooty.  Btw, notice how he doesn't seem snobbish in the least.  But what about this rather nasty snobbishness against Americans coming from average people like Annabelle & Duckface?  Well, like I said, I got it thrown toward me many times & it came from ordinary people.  And yeah, Annabelle & Duckface, despite your silly pretensions, you're both average as can be -- in looks & in every other way.

 

Now, the sneering on Juliet is just plain entertaining to me.  Her ridiculous behavior would get sneers anywhere.  But it seems especially enjoyable watching it coming from Brits -- particularly Annabelle & Duckface.

[sheetmoss]

 

Juliet is from Northbrook, which is not as North Shorey as the really ritzy North Shore suburbs like Lake Forest, (a suburb the Ladies of London would feel right at home in because its downtown is like a little English village). She does look miserable, but maybe eating outside in the rain added to that? I mean, seriously, would they simply not allow cameras inside? What a miserable dinner that looked. Her husband seemed really nice. The whole Marissa and Juliet fight is so boring to me. It was all so badly edited I have no idea of what is really going on and I don't care. I do wish we had had a food shot of the Bumpkin dinner. I like to look at food.

 

Ahh, that makes sense Juliet liking Caroline's hse. Caroline's hse is more Northbrook & Highland Park.

 

I have no problem with if somebody says "I'm from Northbrook, a burb of Chicago" as an identifier over I'm from Chicago and then have to say Evanston. Sugar Grove , etc.

[Thumper]

Or just say "the Chicago area."  Nobody cares, evidently, except those who actually live IN Chicago, and IMO it is their own snobbishness!  lol   And really, it depends  on the context.   In Illinois, it may make a difference.  Can't imagine folks in London would even know much about Illinois other than Chicago.  Heck, when I lived in California, some people there barely knew where Wisconsin was!  LOL 

[Neurochick]

Yes, and Marissa is too smug to notice that she is tolerated, not accepted into the imagined aristocrat superiority club.  I'm sure she knows lots of people because of her husband's restaurant, so is able to network and have lots of acquaintances who are in the club, but that doesn't means she is one of them, nor that they consider her to be in the club, nor that they see her as anything but another gauche American whose husband owns a restaurant.

 

 

Julie was the one who mentioned that, regarding Marissa.  She said that Marissa is in "society" because she's married to a Brit, and Juliet doesn't have that.  

 

Look, I'm all for boundaries, and cutting ties with folks who drain you.  But, I don't see Marissa as put upon at all.  I mean she probably has help with her children and/or her home.  It's not like Marissa has to get up early, take the subway, take her children to day care then race to a  job she hates.  I would think Juliet would provide some drama in Marissa's life.  My point is, I don't see Marissa's life to be as hard as Julie's.  I can see Julie cutting ties with Juliet, because Julie really looks like she HAS to work.  

[NewDigs]

They sure pack a lot into each show! It's almost kind of difficult to create a timeline. They must shoot for many months.

And I'm having a sometimes difficult time telling these women apart. Too many (bad) blondes and then Caroline's shitty extensions threw me. And there should be an edict against too many similarly named "ladies". I need to learn to look for ducklips as an identifier. Hope no one else does the lip plump, I'll be lost, like some seasons of RHoBH.

Juliet was, imho, a complete ass about Thanksgiving but Marissa was out of line to exclude just one of the group. And now I want to do the RAH carol-sing!

I got really really really tired hearing about how very special and important the Duchess and her family are. I'm with those who think she's trying too hard to be the quirky one. All I got out of her performance was that she was the annoying one. Blech.

Edited September 19, 2015 by NewDigs

[TheFinalRose]

I got really really really tired hearing about how very special and important the Duchess and her family are. I'm with those who think she's trying too hard to be the quirky one. All I got out of her performance was that she was the annoying one. Blech.

 

 

I think it's cool if she is real royalty from Denmark, but if it's so cool to be a royal then why did she leave that country? Anyway, the best thing about Fleming is that she has a bonafide luxury home in a super expensive residential area in London. Her interiors are so interesting to me and I want to watch the show again just for her scenes. I want to see how someone with money does up their place, because I can't get that from HGTV anymore and Million Dollar Listings interiors are looking all the same too me. So the duchess can stay, IMO, as she is fulfilling what I see as her end of the obligation by providing me with a look at her home life, and not just taking up a spot on my television so she can sell me something (yes, I'm looking at you Heather Thompson of the NYC ho-wives!)

[NewDigs]

Maybe I'll have to take another look. I usually enjoy some good house porn but I didn't notice much of her house. I mainly remember lots of camera angles that showed lots of close-ups of decor and accessories. And the accessories seemed to be piled on top of accessories. I could barely see the furniture.

And what I most noticed was HRH flitting about being Fun! and Quirky! and Look at Me! I'm Barefoot! I Do it All! Even though I'm Royal! And my family my family my family... Here, let me shove some food in your mouth! Okay! Everyone! Stop Eating! Out! All of You!

[trimthatfat]

I have to ask, why do all of the blondes look like they have yellow hair? It was pretty apparent and distracting during Caroline F's dinner. Maybe it was the lighting? I love Caroline F's obnoxious laugh. She sounds like a duck quacking.

 

I am not team Marissa or Juliet. Honestly, I find them both extremely irritating. 

 

Still enjoying Original Caroline and Julie.