S02.E04: Treason

[Pollock]

7 hours ago, Phebemarie said:

Maybe Yael is working on an expose of the reality show industry.

That was my take on it also. If she carries a press card, does the confidentiality agreement stand?

Or she's Rachel's secret sister and it's one of those "we told you she looked like her, soooooooo many times, how couldn't you see that coming"?! If so, please note for future reference, that I called it! 

[voiceover]

"Yael" was the name of the never-seen lesbian artist on an early SATC ep ("The Cheating Curve") where Charlotte gets involved with a group of lesbians and the girls find out that Carrie's back with Big.

[formerlyfreedom]

Please take the discussion on the interviews and articles to the Media topic. This is to discuss the episode. Going forward, posts will be deleted that are off topic.

[Emily Thrace]

That was better still messy but not bad.

I think Rachel is playing Coleman. I think she likes him and thinks maybe it could be more than that someday but for now its about the show.

I suspect Yael taking the keys is about wheels. Either she and Jeremy are going to get hammered and smash a production vehicle or she needs to get off the set for something.

Jay reaction to the baby on set was hysterical.

[RCharter]

1 minute ago, Emily Thrace said:

That was better still messy but not bad.

I think Rachel is playing Coleman. I think she likes him and thinks maybe it could be more than that someday but for now its about the show.

I suspect Yael taking the keys is about wheels. Either she and Jeremy are going to get hammered and smash a production vehicle or she needs to get off the set for something.

Jay reaction to the baby on set was hysterical.

I can see Yael wanting to get off the set for something, but it seems like someone is always watching, so wouldn't they stop her pretty quickly?  I can't see how there would be a stealthy way to leave.  And she seems desperate to stay, so even if she were to leave, I can't see how anyone would let her back on the set.  But maybe?

 I think she wants to use it to get into some secret location on set....maybe Quinn's office, maybe Coleman's office, maybe Darius's room, maybe the control room when no one is there so she can gather info on the other women.   I don't think Yael has any particular interest in Jeremy other than in getting those keys, so I don't see her wanting to get drunk with him.

I would like to think that Rachel is playing Coleman -- except she told him the truth about Darius.  I think if she was playing him she would have made something up because she wouldn't trust him with such a secret and would have gone another route to find a doctor willing to give a "second opinion"

[chocolatine]

Can people walk under an epidural? I've never had one, but my understanding was that it makes you lose all feeling in your back and lower body.

[xqueenfrostine]

2 hours ago, Pollock said:

That was my take on it also. If she carries a press card, does the confidentiality agreement stand?

Sure, why wouldn't it?  At least in the US one's profession doesn't make you exempt from from being subject to basic contract law.  Journalists are asked to sign NDAs all the time, even while doing their job.  They're particularly common in tech and entertainment journalism (i.e. for film, tv, music and tech reviews).  Some publications even forbid their employees from signing such agreements out of fear that they could end up legally liable if their reporter breaks the terms of a NDA they signed.

 

1 hour ago, chocolatine said:

Can people walk under an epidural? I've never had one, but my understanding was that it makes you lose all feeling in your back and lower body.

There's actually something called a walking/mobile epidural that allows you remain mobile after the shot.  It uses a different cocktail of meds and a slightly different delivery procedure than a regular epidural. 

 

1 hour ago, RCharter said:

I would like to think that Rachel is playing Coleman -- except she told him the truth about Darius.  I think if she was playing him she would have made something up because she wouldn't trust him with such a secret and would have gone another route to find a doctor willing to give a "second opinion"

Yeah I don't get the impression that Rachel is playing Coleman.  If anything I'm a little concerned that they're going to use him to parallel Rachel's full transformation into Quinn 2.0 by making Coleman Rachel's Chet.

Edited June 29, 2016 by xqueenfrostine

[Pollock]

Just now, xqueenfrostine said:

Sure, why wouldn't it?  At least in the US one's profession doesn't make you exempt from from being subject to basic contract law.  Journalists are asked to sign NDAs all the time, even while doing their job.  They're particularly common in tech and entertainment journalism.

Oh ok. Thanks!

To me it's so incompatible with journalism that they could be subject to a "gagging order" from a private company, which is basically what an NDA is from what I understand... Because if they want to go investigating the practices of a business, assess the treatment of their employees, the possible corrupted deals etc, from the inside undercover so to speak, which for some businesses is the only way to get infos, how could they do it if they are subject to a lawsuit because of a broken NDA? That was my reasoning! 

Anyway, again thanks for explaining and more on topic, at least a little, if anybody knows where to find the sweater with skulls Madison was wearing, I'll greatly appreciate the information. I looked on wornontv but nothing... 

[xqueenfrostine]

9 minutes ago, Pollock said:

To me it's so incompatible with journalism that they could be subject to a "gagging order" from a private company, which is basically what an NDA is from what I understand... Because if they want to go investigating the practices of a business, assess the treatment of their employees, the possible corrupted deals etc, from the inside undercover so to speak, which for some businesses is the only way to get infos, how could they do it if they are subject to a lawsuit because of a broken NDA? That was my reasoning! 

And many journalists will take the risk of breaking the law in order to get a story for just the reasons you mentioned, but that does not mean they're legally protected in doing so.  Journalists can be (and have been!) sued and even criminally prosecuted for breaking the law in order to get inside a company or organization for a story.   

[Chris Burgess]

2 hours ago, RCharter said:

I can see Yael wanting to get off the set for something, but it seems like someone is always watching, so wouldn't they stop her pretty quickly?  I can't see how there would be a stealthy way to leave.  And she seems desperate to stay, so even if she were to leave, I can't see how anyone would let her back on the set.  But maybe?

 I think she wants to use it to get into some secret location on set....maybe Quinn's office, maybe Coleman's office, maybe Darius's room, maybe the control room when no one is there so she can gather info on the other women.   I don't think Yael has any particular interest in Jeremy other than in getting those keys, so I don't see her wanting to get drunk with him.

I would like to think that Rachel is playing Coleman -- except she told him the truth about Darius.  I think if she was playing him she would have made something up because she wouldn't trust him with such a secret and would have gone another route to find a doctor willing to give a "second opinion"

Jeremy's keys only have access to his grip truck! His keys don't have access to the offices of Quinn and Coleman, and Darius' room! Why would the DP have keys to those rooms?

[Wings]

4 hours ago, Chris Burgess said:

Where is the link to that article? I don't see it in the media thread! If you are talking about that article in Variety where it said that SGS has a five season plan for the show, it didn't mention anything about the ENTIRE cast returning (minus Madison) returning for season three onwards! SGS wanted Jeremy originally gone after season one, then she wanted him gone after the fifth episode of season 2 (she then extended his storyline), so I think that SGS will get rid of Jeremy after this season is over! And when I PM'd Josh Kelly (he plays Jeremy) on June 16th (the last day the "UnREAL" cast filmed for season 2) if he was going to come back next season, or if season 2 was his last season, he told me he didn't know!

Sorry, I read it but have no link. You cannot believe all you read so this could be wrong. I try to always consider the source.  

Another article reported that the actor was upset with his character's perception and asked that some critical comments be deleted. He worried it would hurt his career.

I believe he will be back and we will like the changes.  No link on that either. Google would bring it up but I am not into searching. 

[Chris Burgess]

35 minutes ago, wings707 said:

Sorry, I read it but have no link. You cannot believe all you read so this could be wrong. I try to always consider the source.  

Another article reported that the actor was upset with his character's perception and asked that some critical comments be deleted. He worried it would hurt his career.

I believe he will be back and we will like the changes.  No link on that either. Google would bring it up but I am not into searching. 

I think you're referring to the New Yorker article about SGS? I really don't want JK/Jeremy back next season, because he doesn't serve a purpose on the show anymore since SGS has said in interviews that Rachel will never get back together with Jeremy! I think that she'll probably write him out after this season since she doesn't really care that much about the Jeremy character! And there was a controversial scene (not "critical comments" that he want deleted) that the writers wrote for Jeremy that JK didn't want to, but SGS convinced him to do it!

Edited June 29, 2016 by Chris Burgess

[RCharter]

39 minutes ago, xqueenfrostine said:

 

16 minutes ago, Chris Burgess said:

Jeremy's keys only have access to his grip truck! His keys don't have access to the offices of Quinn and Coleman, and Darius' room! Why would the DP have keys to those rooms?

How do you know what those keys have access to?  Was it mentioned on the show at all, or are you inferring that they only have access to his grip truck?

What I saw was a giant set of keys.  And it would make sense for the head of every department to have a master set of keys to all areas of the set.  Especially the DP who may need to access those areas with a producer who didn't have a master set of keys, or may have to go to certain areas to get b-footage.  As for the "offices" of Quinn/Coleman and Darius -- the offices are just generally areas of the mansion which in theory could be used for other purposes if necessary.  As for Darius's room, since he would have to film there it would make sense for him to have a key in case he need to get in there in a hurry and he isn't with someone who has a key.

[jhlipton]

On 6/27/2016 at 8:11 PM, xqueenfrostine said:

Sooo do we think Ruby knew about the camera?  I'm going to be heartbroken if she did, because I had started shipping Ruby and Darius after their sweet heart-to-heart.  They're so cute together.

On 6/27/2016 at 11:59 PM, RCharter said:

1. Ack, I hope Ruby isn't playing Darius, because I really, really, really like them together.  But I thought I saw a mic pack on the back of her dress.

Ruby is either manipulative (if she knew about te cameras) or dumb (thinking that she -- or more likely Darius -- wouldn't have someone watching them in case of DRAMA.  I don't like either choice.

 

On 6/28/2016 at 0:13 AM, RCharter said:

I wouldn't be surprised if Quinn called the police herself. 

I'm pretty sure she did.  She had a "Gotcha!" smile after Chet was taken away.

 

12 hours ago, Fable said:

Darius is just as culpable though.  He should have disclosed all of this when he signed up.  He has now been injured several times during filming, and for him to believe Rachel when she says she will not allow that to happen is very shortsighted, since in spite of her earlier efforts to do just that, he was still manipulated into putting himself in harm’s way. 

After being tackled, Darius uis an idiot to trust Rachel (or Coleman).  They couldn't keep him safe for 5 minutes, but they're going to keep him safe for 5 episodes.  Nyuh uh!

[RCharter]

^^there are some guys* that feel invincible, especially if they have a job that has involved so much physical exertion.  They have been taught to "play through the pain" and sometimes its an incredible amount of pain.

In short, I think Darius was a fool to ever let himself get talked onto that field.  There was a reason he was supposed to be commentating with Tiffany.  I can't blame anyone but him, he is a grown ass man, and he seems pretty bright.  He knows damn well that Rachel is running the show, and beyond that, he knows his own shaky medical condition.  Why he would let some sloppy ass drunk girl talk him onto the field is a mystery to me.

* -- I'm sure women also go through this, but I've only seen this with men.

Edited June 29, 2016 by RCharter

[NutmegsDad]

17 hours ago, Phebemarie said:

Maybe Yael is working on an expose of the reality show industry.

Yael/Hot Rachel working on a expose. Coleman maybe working on one.....

Why not both working together?

Edited June 29, 2016 by NutmegsDad
Commented out meta-speculation

[NutmegsDad]

On the other hand, I'm loving the treatment of the host. This is what happens when you deny a showrunner tricks-or-treats.

Edited June 29, 2016 by NutmegsDad
Double post repurposed. One day, I'll get the hang of editing...

[Joimiaroxeu]

Is "square-jawed, Midwestern type" code for something not glaringly obvious? Anyway, so much for the spumors that Darius' big secret is that he's on the downlow. Guess the producers will save that "scandalous" issue another season.

[Wings]

7 hours ago, Chris Burgess said:

I think you're referring to the New Yorker article about SGS? I really don't want JK/Jeremy back next season, because he doesn't serve a purpose on the show anymore since SGS has said in interviews that Rachel will never get back together with Jeremy! I think that she'll probably write him out after this season since she doesn't really care that much about the Jeremy character! And there was a controversial scene (not "critical comments" that he want deleted) that the writers wrote for Jeremy that JK didn't want to, but SGS convinced him to do it!

Thank you. 

note to self: don't try to remember an article, look for the link!

[NaughtyKitty]

10 hours ago, chocolatine said:

Can people walk under an epidural? I've never had one, but my understanding was that it makes you lose all feeling in your back and lower body.

I just had my 5th lumbar epidural.  I've never lost any feeling in my back or legs, and walked fine (a little weak) afterwards.  It acts more like a super anti-inflammatory than a pain reliever--it does lessen some of the pain.  I hated that scene because when I had my shots I was in a surgical suite, with an IV, and they use an X-ray machine to guide the needle to the correct place.  No way would they do it with him laying on the bed.  Details....

[RCharter]

36 minutes ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

Is "square-jawed, Midwestern type" code for something not glaringly obvious? Anyway, so much for the spumors that Darius' big secret is that he's on the downlow. Guess the producers will save that "scandalous" issue another season.

I thought it was code for "traditional white guy"

[Joimiaroxeu]

Right, so why use four words just to say "White"? It seemed a little heavy-handed to me but maybe I'm reading too much into it. (And the Google image search results for "square-jawed" are telling. I never before considered that a race-related term.) Yikes, this show.

Edited June 29, 2016 by Joimiaroxeu

[topanga]

20 hours ago, Fable said:

Rachel is becoming very unlikeable.  Whatever conscience she had left is falling to the wayside.  It’s one thing to play with someone’s emotions and something altogether different to put someone at risk of great bodily harm.  Quinn is even worse, arranging to have him injured.  Good Lord!  The way the production team is toying around with Darius and his back injury is beyond the pale. 

Darius is just as culpable though.  He should have disclosed all of this when he signed up.  He has now been injured several times during filming, and for him to believe Rachel when she says she will not allow that to happen is very shortsighted, since in spite of her earlier efforts to do just that, he was still manipulated into putting himself in harm’s way. 

This season, I feel like I'm watching a (somewhat) interesting story, but from a distance. Last season, the show felt more intimate, and I felt like I was inside Rachel's head-- it made me fall in love with the show and root for her no matter how despicable her behavior was at times. I don't know if the writers have deliberately taken a step back from Rachel so we have a better perspective on other characters, but the show has suffered for it. Now, I don't understand anyone's true feelings or motivations. Last season I could ask myself if Rachel was simply producing Adam or if she really liked him--and we found out that she did. 

--And that's another thing. There is absolutely no chemistry between her and Dick for Brains, as Chet affectionately called the new showrunner (I'm blanking on his name). Rachel and Adam had amazing chemistry, and it's sad not to see that with Rachel's new love interest.

I also find Darius a bit bland. He always feels like he's faking it for the cameras, even during his "real" moments--like when he was lying in bed with severe back pain. Maybe it's the actor, but I enjoy BJ Britt's performances on Being Mary Jane.  

And FTR, an epidural is not as big a deal as the show made it out to be. Regular people with disc problems get them all of the time, and even pro athletes have gotten them when necessary with no ill effects: Peyton Manning, Ben Rothlisberger, LeBron James, Tony Romo, etc.

[dubbel zout]

35 minutes ago, topanga said:

Rachel and Adam had amazing chemistry

I disagree, but it's a mileage thing for sure. I have a hard time seeing chemistry with anyone Rachel is with, mostly because I never know who's using whom and to what degree. It's hard for me to buy a romantic relationship in those circumstances.

[ketose]

If anyone is doing an exposė on Everlasting this season, it has really crossed the meta line. UnReal exists because a former producer decided to expose the reality behind a reality show. I'd actually like to see the reality show first. Someone jumping off a roof and the show still going forward is already ridiculous enough. Now they're going to drag out this storyline of a guy who has some perilous condition that could paralyze him, but probably won't unless the writing is that bereft of actual plot and characterization this season.

[Wings]

1 hour ago, topanga said:

This season, I feel like I'm watching a (somewhat) interesting story, but from a distance. Last season, the show felt more intimate, and I felt like I was inside Rachel's head-- it made me fall in love with the show and root for her no matter how despicable her behavior was at times.

Well said.  This is exactly how feel.  I watch without attachment and await a better season 3. 

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it, here's the Previously.TV post on the episode!

Does Anyone On UnREAL Have Darius's Best Interests At Heart?

And more not-quite-burning questions about 'Treason.'

[dixiecricket]

2 hours ago, NaughtyKitty said:

I just had my 5th lumbar epidural.  I've never lost any feeling in my back or legs, and walked fine (a little weak) afterwards.  It acts more like a super anti-inflammatory than a pain reliever--it does lessen some of the pain.  I hated that scene because when I had my shots I was in a surgical suite, with an IV, and they use an X-ray machine to guide the needle to the correct place.  No way would they do it with him laying on the bed.  Details....

To be fair (and I don't know if there are different types of epidurals given) during childbirth, they just had me hunch over my pregnant belly while having contractions and breathing heavily. It might explain why in 1 pregnancy the epidural worked, and in the other the anesthesiologist said "I guess I missed"--> and, I STILL had to pay her :(

[xqueenfrostine]

10 hours ago, Chris Burgess said:

Jeremy's keys only have access to his grip truck! His keys don't have access to the offices of Quinn and Coleman, and Darius' room! Why would the DP have keys to those rooms?

Why would you assume that the DP would only have keys to his grip truck?  As DP, Jeremy would be responsible for supervising camera set up for the entire show, which would likely give him access to any area that isn't strictly off-stage like someone's personal office.  I'd even expect him to have keyed access to the editing room even though he doesn't film in there, as presumably that's where all the footage from the show is stored.

1 hour ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

Right, so why use four words just to say "White"? It seemed a little heavy-handed to me but maybe I'm reading too much into it. (And the Google image search results for "square-jawed" are telling. I never before considered that a race-related term.) Yikes, this show.

Because it's not code for *just* white.  Strong jawed Midwestern type is a particular breed of white dude.  Strong-jawed usually implies someone being traditionally handsome and masculine (i.e. no one vaguely androgynous looking or particularly pretty) and Midwestern type is usually code for bland and inoffensive to the sensibilities of white Middle America.  A hipster from Brooklyn, a EDM DJ from LA or a fancy British lord could all be white, but still not fit the "strong jaw Midwestern type" archetype.

[Wings]

Her taking his keys is just a simple plot device to move her story line forward.  Clearly she is up to no good and wants access to behind the scenes.  Why he would have a key to the jewels, is irrelevant, he does.  

Edited June 29, 2016 by wings707

[Chris Burgess]

3 hours ago, wings707 said:

Thank you. 

note to self: don't try to remember an article, look for the link!

Why do you think that JK/Jeremy will be back for season 3?

[Wings]

15 minutes ago, Chris Burgess said:

Why do you think that JK/Jeremy will be back for season 3?

He is a lead and it has been said they will all remain through entire run.  Good writing can turn a character around.  If this is true and he does return he could be an interesting and likable person; it happens all the time. 

Edited June 29, 2016 by wings707

[Chris Burgess]

1 hour ago, wings707 said:

He is a lead and it has been said they will all remain through entire run.  Good writing can turn a character around.  If this is true and he does return he could be an interesting and likable person; it happens all the time. 

It has NEVER been said that the entire cast will remain on the show throughout its run!

[Wings]

1 minute ago, Chris Burgess said:

It has NEVER been said that the entire cast will remain on the show throughout its run!

Correct, just the leads.  

[Chris Burgess]

2 hours ago, wings707 said:

Correct, just the leads.  

JK/Jeremy is not a leading character, he is a supporting character! And what else is left for Jeremy on "UnREAL" after he broke up with Rachel and slept with Yael? His continuing hatred of Rachel will get old if his character continues to the third season!

Edited June 29, 2016 by Chris Burgess

[formerlyfreedom]

Episode please.

[Wings]

Ok Chris, I hear you.

[Raja]

On 6/27/2016 at 9:44 PM, ketose said:

Hot Rachel seems to have found the guys who are into less hot Rachel. I'm not sure how a reality show is worth the sleeping around she's doing.

Since Darius is a TV character, I could care less if he's paralyzed by the end of the show. What's dumb is that he's going to have to do some physical activity. Adventure dates are a key element of these shows because of the misattribution of arousal thing. Did he really think he could sit at a chair the whole time?

 

Unlike for most who I say that by this point should have seen the show and know what they are getting into no matter what a Rachel says to them when recruited Darius comes in as a "real" celebrity not someone working his way up to that status and might think that in the end his star power gives him control. Never haven seen more than a couple of minutes of the source shows I had no ideal that the one and not the many trying to get the one had to be in on the challenges,

[Marsupial]

When Quinn was talking about how she made Rachel, she bucks Rachel up and keeps Rachel from cracking, Rachel can't do it without her...I found myself nodding my head and saying "yup!" out loud. Nobody has had Rachel's back like Quinn, and their relationship has its dysfunctions certainly, but in Season 1 you saw a real affection and caring even if it was of a fucked-up variety. Quinn stepped in at every juncture to rescue Rachel, shield her from criticism, protect her against most of her stupidest impulses, and repeatedly assure her that she was not crazy despite what everyone else said. 

Now, that feeling that this was a real, if off-kilter, friendship is gone; and that's a big reason I find the season a big letdown. Now we have Quinn giving Rachel a big promotion and in return for this, and for everything else Quinn did, what she gets is a backstabbing bitch who tried to throw her under a bus. Quinn is also correct in everything she says to Coleman Le Douche.

I'm rooting for Quinn and Chet (or whoever) to take Rachel and Coleman down, all the way, hard. That's the only reason I'm still watching. 

And speaking of Rachel, she seems to have lost that magical producing touch. Her attempted seduction of Darius's friend was amateurish and obvious. Her little speech promising Darius that she would protect him wouldn't have fooled a slow five-year-old. The "chemistry" she and Coleman have varies from nonesistent to repulsive; are we really supposed to buy it that they're into each other?

Meanwhile, Madison has morphed into Super Producer who chortles like an evil child at her own clever producing ways mwah-hah-ha my pretty! But she still cries when bringing cornflakes to Quinn. WTF, show? Do you really think we're stupid, or not paying attention?

As for Jeremy, I'm not one to weigh in (heh) on anybody's weight problem, lord knows, but if a female lead allowed herself to get that fat and dumpy-looking, they'd write her off the show.

Make Chet fat and funny again, show, or get rid of him.

[xaxat]

In a rather unfortunate coincidence, the best pitcher in baseball, Clayton Kershaw, has an injury that required him to get an epidural.

Fortunately, and unlike Darius, his injury is not seen as career threatening. 

[xqueenfrostine]

3 hours ago, Marsupial said:

Make Chet fat and funny again, show, or get rid of him.

 

Making Chet funny again is a request they might be able to grant, but thin Chet is here to stay.  Chet's weight loss this season wasn't a writing choice, Craig Bierko wasn't willing to stay heavy for the part for another season.  

[ketose]

Fat suit.

[jhlipton]

On 6/29/2016 at 2:06 AM, RCharter said:

Why he would let some sloppy ass drunk girl talk him onto the field is a mystery to me.

PLOT!

On 6/29/2016 at 7:39 AM, Joimiaroxeu said:

Is "square-jawed, Midwestern type" code for something not glaringly obvious? Anyway, so much for the spumors that Darius' big secret is that he's on the downlow. Guess the producers will save that "scandalous" issue another season.

As others have said, this is code for a specific type of white guy (the prime exemplar is Clark Kent / Superman).  Using "dog whistles" is also a way that "I am not a racist" types use racist language and systemic racism without being fully conscious of it. (I have done plenty of this myself.)

[snowblossom2]

On June 28, 2016 at 0:32 PM, Pepper Mostly said:

I agree, I think a female family court judge awarded primary custody to Cynthia with the bare minimum of scheduled, supervised visitation. Chet stealing his son (I strongly doubt he would go to such lengths for a daughter) is part of the super masculine, testosterone fueled "take back my power" kick he's on. Taking back his boy child from the women's quarters and teaching him the way of the warrior! Right, Chet. Meanwhile he's pushing that ridiculous pram all over the set like a deranged Mary Poppins. That was gold.

I actually think it might be the other way around. Troubles with everything around him - including going to court over custody - propelled him to seek something that makes him feel like he has power, precisely BC he's been feeling so powerless.  Now, he could have gone to regular therapy, but instead went the MRA route

[aradia22]

Wow, I think this is the most I've hated Quinn. This wasn't just unlikable. This was evil... And also bad writing. This was like "Shia is the worst" kind of stuff, like switching out Mary's pills last season. This was worse than locking up the emotionally fragile (and claustrophobic?) MMA fighter and bringing in a fake mother. She was like let me physically injure a human being... and let Chet be in charge of orchestrating it. That was part of it too. Often Quinn's producing is carefully calibrated to bring about the right result. Chet was just like... bring Darius down... for reasons... just make sure you really bring him down. They made a point of showing that the girls were getting very drunk (something that I know happens on the actual Bachelor/Bachelorette). Their decision making skills were impaired. Even if Darius wasn't dealing with an injury it was an environment set up for chaos, not for a specific result. And on the other side of it, how the hell does Chet keep getting in there to mess things up unsupervised?

Also, just poor writing in general throughout the episode. Madison's shoddy "producing" would not have worked on anyone. I don't get Romeo's character at all. I did like her pushing the camera guy to follow the girl at the end. At least she has some instincts. Jay is there to transition from scene to scene. What did they do to his character?

And who the hell cares about Yael? Stop trying to make Yael happen, UnReal. How was she even able to be out of the house to go find Jeremy at the truck? Is no one overseeing anyone this year? It's feeling less and less like a real world. There are no boundaries. There is no structure. This does not seem like a tightly run ship in its nth season. At least Ruby got to Darius because she had Jay's cooperation. UnReal needs Bachelor (not Everlasting's bogus week to week format) editing to clarify what the narratives are.

Meanwhile, the nefariousness of Rachel pushing Darius to get the epidural knowing (at least according to the rules of this show) that the lack of pain might lead him to step into aggravating his injury to a catastrophic degree is 100 times more interesting than Chet and Quinn's nonsense.

I feel like the interpersonal drama between Romeo and Darius was supposed to mean something to me but it doesn't because they didn't develop their characters enough.

Oh, and eyerolling so hard at the idea that the contestants just can't resist a baby. Gag me with a spoon.

[RCharter]

^^yeah, because only badass chicks like Rachel aren't completely bowled over by a random baby they don't even know.  And I like babies just as much as the next person, but I don't think women automatically become puddles of maternal instinct because a baby is within a 10 mile radius.  I would have respected that more if the women were at least using the baby to get closer to Chet because they think he has some power.

As for the "producing" it all seems so obvious to me.  Even Quinn's "producing," but I guess they pick women with super low self esteem so the are more likely to fall for it.

[aradia22]

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Which I'm sure he'd agree to do since he's definitely interested in working out his issues with Rachel by hooking up with her doppelgänger.

OK, if we get a scene with Jeremy and Yael where he calls her Rachel in a self-aware totally soapy way, I might be OK with this nonsense. But otherwise it's taking up too much show time.

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I agree that whatever Yael's agenda is, it's more than just staying in the show for the sake of staying on the show.  I don't think we know enough about Yael to be able to guess what her true goal is, but your theory is as good as any at this point.

I think this is one of the show's problems this year. It's OK to have a couple of mysteries but you need to know more about the characters' motives to know whether or not to root for them. Last season a lot of the characters' wants were confined to Everlasting. Mary and Anna were genuinely into Adam. And we were informed about the characters who did want things outside of the show like Faith and Adam. There's less of that this year.

Also, if I were watching Everlasting, this week would have been a complete failure as far as selling the romantic fantasy goes. I think they lost that part of the show.

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Jay needs to get over himself or quit and start making documentaries exposing sex traffickers. He chose the football uniforms to get upset about how the women are dressed on the show? 

But he gave London (?) enough Peptobismol to "drown a horse." Make up your mind.

You know in stead of mostly perfect Darius who is torn about being perfect and having to take care of everyone, I thought of something else they could have done. They introduced questions of masculinity and insecurity with Chet's MRA stuff (and to a lesser extent Jeremy) early on in the season. Why not bring that up with Darius as well? He's a football player. You've got a physical, full-contact sport with a macho locker room environment and all the bad press the NFL has dealt with lately. UnReal pulled its punches with "bitch please." For God's sake, he got an epidural. I'm sure it's applicable to other ailments, but most people would probably think of it in the context of childbirth. His body is already failing him. He was cajoled into joining the game with some lame jab and being afraid to take on girls in a football game. Now he's getting drugs women debate about taking when they're in labor? His masculinity is definitely being challenged. How would he react? This is where you get your social commentary. Not in false drama. And it's an easy way to flesh out Darius' character.

I don't mind Ruby being a little shady and playing up to the cameras but... why? I was more interested in the Ruby who was confronting issues of appearance/beauty and societal standards of femininity... and not hating it, that we've been seeing lately. If it's just about how much she likes Darius that's much less interesting.

There's no consistency in the lead writers for each episode according to wikipedia so I guess it's just a gamble week to week on whether we'll get a good episode or not.