S02.E01: War

[formerlyfreedom]

Quote

Quinn promotes Rachel to produce Season 14 of "Everlasting"; Rachel sets out to change history by casting the first African-American suitor; Chet arrives on set to reclaim control of the show.

[Primetimer]

And more not-quite-burning questions sparked by the Season 2 premiere!

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[portfino]

Good start. I like the new Suitor, and the scene with Rachel and the black activist was great. The new dynamic between Rachel and Quinn is also interesting. Shockingly, I was even interested in Jeremy. A little less enthralled with Chet because he's just not a credible threat.

[xqueenfrostine]

Wow, Chet got thin and kinda of hot (lookswise only obviously.  Every word that comes out of his mouth is revolting), but what the fuck happened to Jeremy since last season?  Josh Kelly's not looking so great (very puffy, and that darker hair color is not flattering on him), and his character is behaving even more dickish than I expected after we saw him in the finale.  It's only a matter of time before Chet takes him under his wing, right?

This was a decent episode.  Not nearly as good as last year's pilot, but it was a good set up for the rest of the season.  It'll be interesting to see by the end of the season if Rachel's transformation into the new Quinn becomes permanent or if she'll have a crisis of conscience by the finale.  I'm also curious to see if Madison will ever begin to excel at the producer job and grow to like it, or if she'll completely crack under the pressure.  She was obviously sobbing through the interview with one of the girls, but it clearly gave her some kind of rush since afterward she said it was "amazing."  Scenes like that really make me want them to do some flashbacks to Rachel's early days as a producer.  I'd love to see the parallel paths of her and Madison.

Edited June 7, 2016 by xqueenfrostine

[earlbny]

Shiri Appleby needs an Emmy. She's that good. Quinn's one liners could get played out real fast. She's great but after a while it's too much. Chet is so funny. He said in the season 2 press tour that he lost a Shiri. He went to Sarah and told her he needed to loose wait to feel better.  She said go for it. Well write it in. Jeremey is pure evil. Madison is awesome and really knows what's she's doing. I think she's playing everyone. The series premier was organic. The season premier was good but not as organic. I can't wait to see what they have I store for the rest of the season. 

[Emily Thrace]

Jeremy should be fired seriously. Regardless of his history with Rachel he is being completely unprofessional. He is one wall of crazy from being full on stalker

Madison has potential although the actress seems a little weak.

Where did Shia go?Did she just quit when Rachel got promoted?

Like the new suitor and some of the new girls.

Also I kinda love Jay and Rachel. Its seriously layered.

Chet should DIAF. He sounds like a Reddit MRA forum.

[TiffanyNichelle]

Really hoping Jeremy dies this season and are they writing in his weight gain because he looks different this season. But really, I'm so over his loser ass. He can take Chet with him as well.

I was so happy that after she threw up Madison got high over the manipulating because I did not want to watch a season where Rachel and Quinn are portrayed as devil bitches while Madison, Jay, and Wagerstein look in judgement. No, none of them are actual good people. Get off the high horse.

I hate that they are continuing Quinn's habit of shitting on Rachel whenever Quinn can't control Chet. I did have to agree with Jay that the relationship between Rachel and Quinn comes off as abusive a lot. But I still want them to take down the men. I rooted Rachel on when she fired the camera dude. Yeah it was to punish Jeremy but I liked that little grab of power.

[earlbny]

Jeremy needs to be fed to the wolves.

How is Rachel kind of acting like nothing happened last season. Did she forget what Quinn did to her? 

I think Maddison has some tricks up her sleeve.

I read a professional review about the 1st 2 episodes that started to say season 2 might be a sophomore slump. Then they went on to say they need to watch more episodes before they declare it a slump or not.

[TeapotWakeen]

I may be the only one, but I thought Chet looked a lot hotter last season (I like hulky men). Shiri Appleby is amazing at facial expressions. Sometimes there's just a little flash of emotion, and then it's gone again. She's fantastic. Great to have the show back!

[xqueenfrostine]

9 minutes ago, earlbny said:

How is Rachel kind of acting like nothing happened last season. Did she forget what Quinn did to her? 

I'm guessing she's convinced herself that Quinn ultimately did her a favor by stopping her from running off with Adam.  Whether she still will feel that way when Quinn starts undermining Rachel's status as the new showrunner on set remains to be scene.

[Minneapple]

Jeremy is an ass. Full-on hate for him. Chet can go away too. They're both pretty much the worst.

Shiri Appleby, good Lord. Where was this acting talent when she was on Roswell? Maybe it was the crap writing on that show. Someone get her an Emmy or a Golden Globe for this one.

Loved Madison throwing up and then being all "THAT WAS AWESOME." You go, girl. Dive into the hell pit with the rest of them.

Quinn: Chet? Where...did the rest of you go?

Hah!

[AlliMo]

Holy crap, I didn't even recognize Craig Bierko at first. Then he started talking and it was like, "Oh, there he is." Of course he'd embrace that evo psych bullshit he was spouting.

Rachel not being able to fire Jeremy *should* be a lesson about sleeping where you eat, but not on this show. The way she handled it was probably even better than firing him, though.

Jay seriously needs to stop with the whining. If he has such tender sensibilities, he's on the wrong show and in the wrong business.

Rachel and Quinn's have a dysfunctional, mutually abusive relationship, sure, but it's probably the deepest one that either of them have had in a long time, if ever. Quinn may have been the one who bent the rail to derail the Adam/Rachel train, but the way Adam dealt with it proved she was right, and Rachel knows it.

I watch some fairly dark and violent shows, but not even "Game of Thrones" tops this, imo.

How much do I love the ads for this show with Heart's "Barracuda" playing over them. SO much.

Edited June 7, 2016 by AlliMo

[earlbny]

1 hour ago, TeapotWakeen said:

I may be the only one, but I thought Chet looked a lot hotter last season (I like hulky men). Shiri Appleby is amazing at facial expressions. Sometimes there's just a little flash of emotion, and then it's gone again. She's fantastic. Great to have the show back!

For obvious reasons I am not into Chet. I've been saying that about Shiri for years. She would have made a great silent film actress. Kind of off topic but go watch the short film An Entangelment. Shiri does her best facial expression in it while sitting in a diner.

58 minutes ago, xqueenfrostine said:

I'm guessing she's convinced herself that Quinn ultimately did her a favor by stopping her from running off with Adam.  Whether she still will feel that way when Quinn starts undermining Rachel's status as the new showrunner on set remains to be scene.

That makes sense. What's kind of funny is that Sarah has said she's team Adam and Rachel yet she's the one that wrote the episode. I am not sure how much Rachel or Quinn can take in there new rolls. I have a feeling someone will have a breakdown. Their relationship is going to be a roller coaster ride this season. I can't wait to watch it unfold. 

Edited June 7, 2016 by earlbny

[Minneapple]

5 minutes ago, AlliMo said:

I watch some fairly dark and violent shows, but not even "Game of Thrones" tops this, imo.

Not even sure Roose Bolton is on the same level as Quinn and Rachel. 

[xqueenfrostine]

18 minutes ago, earlbny said:

That makes sense. What's kind of funny is that Sarah has said she's team Adam and Rachel yet she's the one that wrote the episode.

 

Well she did sneak in an Easter Egg on that front.  Early in the episode, we see Rachel declining a call from Adam on her cell phone.  I wonder if that was just a gift to fans who watched last season, or if it's a sign that we might be seeing or hearing from Adam sometime in the future.  I *really* want to see him  pop back up, even if it's just for a scene or two.

[bilgistic]

Did Chet get those veneers in Patagonia?

[Silo]

I LOVE this show. So glad it's back.

who was the guy following the suitor around? His manager? Best friend? Entourage?

Edited June 7, 2016 by Silo

[xqueenfrostine]

5 minutes ago, Silo said:

His manager? Best friend? Entourage?

He is possibly all three of those things, but for sure he's Darius's manager.

[earlbny]

6 hours ago, xqueenfrostine said:

 

Well she did sneak in an Easter Egg on that front.  Early in the episode, we see Rachel declining a call from Adam on her cell phone.  I wonder if that was just a gift to fans who watched last season, or if it's a sign that we might be seeing or hearing from Adam sometime in the future.  I *really* want to see him  pop back up, even if it's just for a scene or two.

He'll be back I think. 

 

That guy following the suitor around is Darus's cousin and manager.

Edited June 7, 2016 by earlbny

[scartact]

Overall, I really enjoyed this premiere.

I absolutely love how the new status quo is set up for Chet/Quinn/Rachel/Madison/[Jay] and how everyone struggles to re-contextualize their respective relationships to one another. It's a very cool and interesting move, and I loved the interplay of Quinn guiding Rachel to guide Madison. That was such a fantastic and incredibly dark scene, and really gives you a sense of origin story both for Rachel and for Madison. I absolutely love how the show complicates these power dynamics between everyone. But then we had to suffer through Jeremy's self-righteous bullshit bating and acting like he's morally above it so he could apologize to Madison on Rachel's behalf. As if he even has any authority to do it, other than his own so-called "good will." Ugh. Shut up, asshat.

Jay actually also pinged on my BS radar too, but I'm willing to give him more of a pass. He's done his share of shady shit (e.g. recovering footage of Faith's coming out and giving it to Chet), so him side-eyeing Rachel with Wagerstein of all people was really hypocritical. Plus, I could also understand his resistance to recruiting Ruby, even though it felt a little like he was portrayed much softer than he actually was last season. At least Jay's stakes make more sense; Jeremy's level of righteousness and outright insubordination is so annoying. Are the writers intentionally writing him to be the worst thing ever? I seriously cannot stand him or the actor playing him. He's got as much charisma as a wooden board.

Not to nitpick because I love when my alma mater gets a fictional shout out, but when Rachel went to fetch Ruby and Ruby mentioned getting into Berkeley, my first thought was, "If that's supposed to be the Cal campus, that resembles no side of Berkeley I've ever seen before!" It'll be interesting to see how the show characterizes her activism. As someone who's been exposed to her fair of POC activist jargon, it'll be interesting to see how exactly they characterize her and how much that portrayal resonates with my own experiences.

Also, I cackled when Quinn laughed at Rachel and Hot Rachel side by side.

[Margherita Erdman]

2 hours ago, Silo said:

who was the guy following the suitor around? His manager? Best friend? Entourage?

Was I the only one getting a boyfriend vibe off that relationship?

Also, much as I am glad this show is back, the biggest "ooh!" for me in this episode was the discovery that there is a James Franco remake of Mother May I Sleep With Danger! Airing later this month on Lifetime or LMN or maybe both? How did I not know this????? And where on PTV is it being discussed?

[allonsyalice]

It was a solid opener. I wanted to punch Chet straight in the mouth every time he opened it, so mission accomplished. I loved seeing thing trying to rework their relationships ("why is no one yelling cut?" "Rachel, that's you.") also the discussion of if the host guy spray tans his balls, and Madison knowing the answer (ugh, ew)

I pretty much find Madison insufferable, to be honest, but that scene with Rachel coaching her was phenomenal. It's a solid change in dynamic, and I'm excited to see them work out.

I can't comment on any of the girls yet, except for damn, they are beautiful.  

and of course Rachel is all preachy about getting a black suitor. Like, it's happening, Rachel. Stop selling it. (to be fair, I would easily be the same way, but hey, I'm black.)

I'm honestly just so glad this show is back!

[ZoloftBlob]

I thought Jeremy was over the top unless he's genuinely lost it and is stalking Rachel. It otherwise doesn't make much sense that he's so hung up on a woman he pretty clearly despises. I know getting a job in the entertainment industry is tough but unlike Rachel, he doesn't seem chained to it and seems skilled enough to move on. That he isn't means it's all about Rachel... plus frankly, going to her mom (who clearly has her own issues) just seems creepy and over the line, even for Los Angeles.

I get that there are some required wacky hijinks but not buying that Jeremy can't be shuffled off the show.

[earlbny]

I need to re watch this episode again. I really need to soak it in a little bit more.

[Pepper Mostly]

10 hours ago, xqueenfrostine said:

Wow, Chet got thin and kinda of hot (lookswise only obviously.  Every word that comes out of his mouth is revolting), but what the fuck happened to Jeremy since last season?  Josh Kelly's not looking so great (very puffy, and that darker hair color is not flattering on him), and his character is behaving even more dickish than I expected after we saw him in the finale.  It's only a matter of time before Chet takes him under his wing, right?

This was a decent episode.  Not nearly as good as last year's pilot, but it was a good set up for the rest of the season.  It'll be interesting to see by the end of the season if Rachel's transformation into the new Quinn becomes permanent or if she'll have a crisis of conscience by the finale.  I'm also curious to see if Madison will ever begin to excel at the producer job and grow to like it, or if she'll completely crack under the pressure.  She was obviously sobbing through the interview with one of the girls, but it clearly gave her some kind of rush since afterward she said it was "amazing."  Scenes like that really make me want them to do some flashbacks to Rachel's early days as a producer.  I'd love to see the parallel paths of her and Madison.

Chet always hung out with the crew. You just know that he's going to exploit Jeremy's rage for his own ends. And surprise, Jeremy is no better than any of these other ethically bankrupt souls, for all he climbs down off his cross every now and then to frolic in the mud with the rest of them. I hope his ex girlfriend from last season is thanking all the gods each and every day for escaping from him.

A little heavy on exposition but that's to be expected. I am giddy with joy that UnREAL is back!

10 hours ago, TiffanyNichelle said:

I was so happy that after she threw up Madison got high over the manipulating because I did not want to watch a season where Rachel and Quinn are portrayed as devil bitches while Madison, Jay, and Wagerstein look in judgement. No, none of them are actual good people. Get off the high horse.

I hate that they are continuing Quinn's habit of shitting on Rachel whenever Quinn can't control Chet. I did have to agree with Jay that the relationship between Rachel and Quinn comes off as abusive a lot. But I still want them to take down the men. I rooted Rachel on when she fired the camera dude. Yeah it was to punish Jeremy but I liked that little grab of power.

That's the funny part! Jay, Wagerstein and Madison are every bit as bad as Quinn and Rachel! They're just not as good at it as they are. Madison gets that, and while she's unsure of herself, she's not judgy. She wants in. Ever since she "entertained" Chet last season I knew she was no delicate flower. She's ambitious, and she hangs in there, even though she's terrified sometimes. I love her. Jay and Wagerstein are on their high horses for no good reason, they're just there because it helps them deal better with their own dirty hands. Just last season Jay was encouraging Shamiqua (who went to Julliard and clerked for a supreme court justice!) to act like Omarosa or Nene Leakes! He got Chet drugs and hookers so that he could have access to his ear to pitch his own ideas! Now he's Mr. Principled? Wagerstein used Madison to advance her own ambition. They're hypocrites of the first water, what's more, they know it. That's why they're biting back so hard. That amuses me.

Rachel firing Jeremy's guy was gold, I loved it.

10 hours ago, earlbny said:

How is Rachel kind of acting like nothing happened last season. Did she forget what Quinn did to her? 

 

Every soul shaking, heart breaking and emotionally crushing moment last season was followed by a swift blinking away of tears and a terse "So. Are we good?" and moving on to the matter at hand. To me that's the whole thing. Its all sacrificed on the altar of the show. Personal relationships are nothing to getting the job done. Rachel remembers because I don't think she forgets much. She remembers everything and uses it. But she is ambitious and wants success. Quinn's her road there. Adam bought what Quinn was selling, too. So she can hang on to that and think she dodged a bullet.

8 hours ago, AlliMo said:

Holy crap, I didn't even recognize Craig Bierko at first. Then he started talking and it was like, "Oh, there he is." Of course he'd embrace that evo psych bullshit he was spouting.

Rachel not being able to fire Jeremy *should* be a lesson about sleeping where you eat, but not on this show. The way she handled it was probably even better than firing him, though.

Jay seriously needs to stop with the whining. If he has such tender sensibilities, he's on the wrong show and in the wrong business.

Rachel and Quinn's have a dysfunctional, mutually abusive relationship, sure, but it's probably the deepest one that either of them have had in a long time, if ever. Quinn may have been the one who bent the rail to derail the Adam/Rachel train, but the way Adam dealt with it proved she was right, and Rachel knows it.

I watch some fairly dark and violent shows, but not even "Game of Thrones" tops this, imo.

How much do I love the ads for this show with Heart's "Barracuda" playing over them. SO much.

I cosign every word of this. Chet's new persona made me laugh, for real. In the 90's he'd have read Iron John and gone to drum circles. What a dope. But a dope with power.

7 hours ago, xqueenfrostine said:

He is possibly all three of those things, but for sure he's Darius's manager.

And holy moly, does anyone else think he leaves Darius in the shade? My my (fanning self)

[joanne3482]

5 hours ago, Margherita Erdman said:

Was I the only one getting a boyfriend vibe off that relationship?

Nope. Until someone upthread said he was also Darius's cousin, I thought the same thing. Now that would be an explosive show. 

[Princess Sparkle]

10 hours ago, Emily Thrace said:

Where did Shia go?Did she just quit when Rachel got promoted?

Shia got fired last season after what happened with Mary.  She tried to stay by saying she still had a girl on the show (Maya), but Quinn told her that Maya quit so she had to leave.

[earlbny]

Darius's cousin is in just about every BTS UnREAL pic on social media. So that leaves me to believe he must play a bigger roll then just a manager/sidekick. I am not really sure. Either that or he's not aloud to leave the set. 

I never liked Shia. So am glad shes gone. 

 

I think the the fact that the show only has 10 episodes does not give them a lot of time to work with. So everything has to be crammed in.

Edited June 7, 2016 by earlbny

[EdnasEdibles]

So am I the only one planning to get a tattoo on my wrist that says "money dick power"?

[earlbny]

In the promo pic for this episode we see Rachel and Quinn getting the Money Dick Power tattoos. However in the episode they are seen in a different tattoo place. I know it's a silly minor thing but something I noticed.

 

Edited June 7, 2016 by earlbny

[scartact]

51 minutes ago, Pepper Mostly said:

Every soul shaking, heart breaking and emotionally crushing moment last season was followed by a swift blinking away of tears and a terse "So. Are we good?" and moving on to the matter at hand. To me that's the whole thing. Its all sacrificed on the altar of the show. Personal relationships are nothing to getting the job done. Rachel remembers because I don't think she forgets much. She remembers everything and uses it. But she is ambitious and wants success. Quinn's her road there. Adam bought what Quinn was selling, too. So she can hang on to that and think she dodged a bullet.

Quinn is also one of the only people who ever validates Rachel. She's the one who tells Rachel she's talented and damn good at her job, that there's absolutely nothing wrong with her, and even though in the first season she hangs Rachel's previous breakdown over her head as a way to keep Rachel under her guidance, she doesn't necessarily hold it against Rachel and believes she's crazy for it. They can be extremely unhealthy and enabling, but I think there is genuine love and care in that relationship.

However, that relationship in itself collides with the sexist and mysogynist world of their industry, where they have to navigate gender and sexual politics as best they can. So there's also an interesting dynamic of the desire to upend traditional roles and stereotypes, yet also having to operate within that system. And as far as that goes, when you're exposed to an institution inherently set up against you, how do you, and can you even, overcome it at all?

I just love that UnREAL is about these power dynamics and how complicated and difficult they are to navigate, especially when you identify as marginalized in some way. Look how quickly Chet climbs into power, how easy it is for Jeremy to still feel safe in his position; meanwhile, Rachel and Quinn feel that discomfort most. Then, they are still able to access their own privileges to do something like encourage a black student activist to leave school so that she could potentially use Everlasting as a "platform" for her ideals, much to Jay's discomfort. I think it's great that the show wants to explore these uncomfortable topics.

Edited June 7, 2016 by scartact

[dubbel zout]

13 minutes ago, scartact said:

encourage a black student activist to leave school so that she could potentially use Everlasting as a "platform" for her ideals, much to Jay's discomfort.

I don't quite get his discomfort with that. I do on a basic level, but it's not Everlasting's first season, and it's certainly not his. At this point, the outside world should have a bead on the show? I've read a number of articles in which some contestants go on a reality show specifically to get some idea across, even if they know they'll get cut pretty quickly. And what about the ideas the shows themselves present, through editing? I'm with the group who think Jay needs to stuff it with his (seemingly) sudden moral awakening.

[scartact]

27 minutes ago, dubbel zout said:

I don't quite get his discomfort with that. I do on a basic level, but it's not Everlasting's first season, and it's certainly not his. At this point, the outside world should have a bead on the show? I've read a number of articles in which some contestants go on a reality show specifically to get some idea across, even if they know they'll get cut pretty quickly. And what about the ideas the shows themselves present, through editing? I'm with the group who think Jay needs to stuff it with his (seemingly) sudden moral awakening.

Yeah, I'm actually not fully sold on his pointed looks at Rachel and generally acting like the choices Rachel makes are extremely beneath him when we've seen him do underhanded stuff too. Intellectually though, I do appreciate more of the struggle with amoral actions. Jay claims in this episode too that Ruby was the line he didn't want to cross. He much more advocated for her to stay in school and finish her education, which is why Rachel had to go to her and seal the deal. To me, the show wouldn't be nearly as compelling if the characters didn't have some resistance.

[guilfoyleatpp]

ITA with the above - Jay's got dirty hands. He needs to remember all the crap he's done.

This show reminds me of my brief stint at a cable network and all the reasons I left. But it's well done, funny and captures the essence of the fun bits. 

The only thing that seems to be missing is the ever present idiot nephew/cousin/best friend of someone who can't seem to do the job but lingers on because of nepotism.

[meep.meep]

1 hour ago, Pepper Mostly said:

 

And holy moly, does anyone else think he leaves Darius in the shade? My my (fanning self)

I'm with you.  I couldn't figure out why they cast the well built guy as the manager rather than the NFL quarterback.

[Deanie87]

Quote

And holy moly, does anyone else think he leaves Darius in the shade? My my (fanning self)

Yes, and its no wonder Rachel kept him for herself :)  So far the bachelor isn't that interesting or attractive to me (which is right in line with nearly all of the Bachelors in real life).  I actually think that Jay is the best looking guy on the show, 

I enjoyed this first episode, but I hope that they don't try to up the ante on everything and try to top the drama last season.  I think that it was just the right balance of cynical and believable while still being pretty over the top and entertaining.  The scene with the coke and Rachel having sex up against the glass, the tattoos and nearly every line out of Quinn's mouth being some kind of vulgar hashtag worthy catchphrase make me a little wary of whats to come.  I think that Chet returning and having the first black Bachelor should provide enough drama without going overboard.  

[romantic idiot]

Now that Adam's out, agreed with Jay being the best looking guy left. 

20 minutes ago, guilfoyleatpp said:

ITA with the above - Jay's got dirty hands. He needs to remember all the crap he's done.

This show reminds me of my brief stint at a cable network and all the reasons I left. But it's well done, funny and captures the essence of the fun bits. 

The only thing that seems to be missing is the ever present idiot nephew/cousin/best friend of someone who can't seem to do the job but lingers on because of nepotism.

That's Madison and Chet filling these roles now.

[guilfoyleatpp]

I also briefly toyed with the "money, dick, power" tattoo idea.

I sort of love it.

[luckyroll3]

7 hours ago, Margherita Erdman said:

Also, much as I am glad this show is back, the biggest "ooh!" for me in this episode was the discovery that there is a James Franco remake of Mother May I Sleep With Danger! Airing later this month on Lifetime or LMN or maybe both? How did I not know this????? And where on PTV is it being discussed?

So looking forward to this!  It's being discussed in the Lifetime Original Movies thread in the "Specials, TV Movies & Other One Offs" section (http://forums.previously.tv/forum/937-specials-tv-movies-other-one-offs/).

I love how this show continues to be extremely dark and hilarious at the same time. 

[dubbel zout]

28 minutes ago, Deanie87 said:

I enjoyed this first episode, but I hope that they don't try to up the ante on everything and try to top the drama last season.  I think that it was just the right balance of cynical and believable while still being pretty over the top and entertaining.  The scene with the coke and Rachel having sex up against the glass, the tattoos and nearly every line out of Quinn's mouth being some kind of vulgar hashtag worthy catchphrase make me a little wary of whats to come.  I think that Chet returning and having the first black Bachelor should provide enough drama without going overboard.  

Same here. The show can so easily tip over that very fine line its currently walking. In some ways, becoming a media darling is not a good thing.

[tvsoothesthespirit]

Quote

Was I the only one getting a boyfriend vibe off that relationship?

You are not!  Perhaps they aren't cousins but instead "cousins" pretending for the show.  I kept waiting for some discussion about him being gay and how he was going to have to pretend for the show.

[earlbny]

I thought about that idea as well. The only problem I had with that is that last season we had faith. I know it's a little bit different. I hope they don't do the same storyline with different cast members. 

Here's the reason for all the sex drugs and rock and roll in episode one. In my opinion anyway. It's season 2 so they want to up the anti. Were not just getting to know these characters. They want to shock the viewers by going over the top. There's a difference between over the top and a complete circus. They want people to talk about the show. OMG they killed someone and it was not the final. Also they only have 10 episodes so they have to cram a lot into every episode. I wish they had more episodes so they spread out the crazy drama.

Edited June 7, 2016 by earlbny

[Eolivet]

I liked the show for the most part, but I found Chet -- who I actually enjoyed last season -- extremely shoe-horned in. What is he, exactly -- and why did they never feel the need to tell us? Is he an executive producer? The new head of entertainment for the network? If he's the latter, I could see that as potentially running into problems with Quinn, but he just seemed to be able to run a lot of interference for absolutely no reason other than to be a jerk about it. The show is usually tighter than that, so it stuck out to me. Rachel as "new Quinn" and Quinn as "new Chet" were great, and then here's Chet to...put everyone back into their old roles? Lame.

I want to see everyone in new roles, not...repurposed roles because they didn't want to get rid of Craig Bierko. I realize Quinn needs an adversary, but it was just so clumsily done. I hope we get clarification of who exactly Chet is now and what he does -- otherwise, I'm dubbing his new role "Plot Device."

[EdnasEdibles]

I love how Chet is under the mistaken impression that his problem was that he wasn't being a big enough alpha male. Oh Chet. That wasn't your problem.  Your problem is that you're an asshole. 

[Pepper Mostly]

1 hour ago, dubbel zout said:

Same here. The show can so easily tip over that very fine line its currently walking. In some ways, becoming a media darling is not a good thing.

I am fervently hoping that the over the top opener was a kind of meta, sly wink to the viewers--a show within a show. Everlasting has to top last season! UnREAL has to top last season!

 

39 minutes ago, EdnasEdibles said:

I love how Chet is under the mistaken impression that his problem was that he wasn't being a big enough alpha male.

Chet and Jeremy are both absolutely furious that Quinn and Rachel have not been punished. Jeremy thought he had put Rachel in her place with his non-proposal in front of the crew and cast, but lo and behold! She's back, she's the show runner, and she just fired one of his team. Chet is still remembering that Quinn embarrassed him when everything went to pieces in the big wedding finale and handed him the reins. They will band together in all their male fragility and try to make the girls cry. I have a feeling that will not go well.

[rubyred]

I can see why some would see Jay's reaction as hypocritical (and not saying that it isn't), but I bought his hesitancy. In the pre- "Black Suitor" world, it was accepted wisdom that POCs would rarely make it to Final Four, and their corresponding TV time usually only tracked two ways: the pretty, accomplished POC with "no chemistry" or the black bitch/Nene/ratchet screamer. Shamiqua and Athena went on the show knowing this; Jay didn't ask either of them to do anything beyond this.

But Jay is seeing the bigger picture with Ruby the Black Activist, and I think has reservations about how this show packages "reality" into catchy soundbites and favors contrived controversy over truthtelling. Rachel did a great job selling how the show was a great platform for Ruby's views, but Ruby is just idealistic and young enough not to understand the cynicism behind her casting. The show is crafted in the editing room, and her "platform" could  just as easily be completely undermined than showcased. Jay knows how the sausage is made, he's made some of it himself, so he sees the pitfalls, and I think that's realistic. It will be interesting to see if his reservations transform into actual action or if he too will be further drawn to the dark side like Rachel, in the interests of securing some money, dick and power for himself.

I have faith that what the show has in store for Chet and Jeremy will be epically humiliating.

[xqueenfrostine]

5 hours ago, Princess Sparkle said:

Shia got fired last season after what happened with Mary.  She tried to stay by saying she still had a girl on the show (Maya), but Quinn told her that Maya quit so she had to leave.

I didn't interpret that as Shia getting fired.  Quinn never told her she was fired, she told her that all of her girls were gone and to go home.  And as we saw with Jay after Shamiqua was eliminated, producers are done for the season as soon as their girls are all gone.  That doesn't mean of course that Shia was definitely *not* fired, we just don't know for sure that that has happened.  For all we know, she quit after stewing in her guilt over what happened to Mary or because she didn't want to face Quinn and Rachel again.

 

1 hour ago, Eolivet said:

2 hours ago, Eolivet said:

I liked the show for the most part, but I found Chet -- who I actually enjoyed last season -- extremely shoe-horned in. What is he, exactly -- and why did they never feel the need to tell us? Is he an executive producer? The new head of entertainment for the network?

He's the show's creator/owner.  Given that Chet was able to give Quinn a 40% stake in Everlasting without consulting the network, I assume that the show is owned entirely by Chet's production company until he decided to give Quinn a large share as a settlement for the lawsuit she tried to bring against him last season.  It's not uncommon for networks not to own or produce the shows that appear on their network.  

Edited June 7, 2016 by xqueenfrostine

[tennisgurl]

This show is back! This completely ridiculous show has returned! 

Rachel and Quinn are still awful, and I find it fascinating. I am just glad that Rachel has just embraced her dark side tendencies. Last season she spent so much time waffaling back and fourth between feeling guilty for her manipulation and going ahead and doing stuff anyway. 

Seems like an interesting season so far, with more of a focus on race this season (even more so than last season), that I think could be interesting. Lets see what happens. 

[ClareWalks]

I actually had to look on IMDB to make sure it was the same actor playing Jeremy. He was totally unrecognizable. Obvious weight gain, but even his facial hair looked totally different, color/texture-wise. 

Darius is sexy as hell. I can't believe so much controversy over his "bitch, please." I'm with Rachel and Quinn - it's a term of endearment! ;) I cannot wait to see the hot racist and the hotter Black activist power girl [sic] get into it.

[Wings]

I love this show and so happy it is back!!

Darius' manager was banging Rachael in the opening scene up against the glass so no gay theme there.  They did that last season so wouldn't do that again anyway.   

Craig looks like Hugh Laurie (House) now.  I love that character.  I see big changes coming for Madison this season.  She plays the innocent very well but she is going to expose a darker side.  Looking forward to that. 

The writers are excellent, such good one line zingers.