S02.E06: Casualty

[formerlyfreedom]

Quote

Rachel deals with a trauma, and Chet is there for her. Meanwhile, Quinn pursues a new relationship; Rachel learns something surprising on a hometown date;  and an angry Darius makes a startling decision.

 

[earlbny]

Tonights episode to me was like watching my kid in a play/talent show/sporting event. I am bias when it comes to Shiri so I can't say anything bad about her directorial debut. so proud of my girl.

Now on to the episode. I got to see a sneak preview of this episode a couple of weeks ago. When I saw the episode sitting in a full theater I missed a lot because everyone was laughing so hard. Now I got to hear every line. 

Rachel wanted to go to the cops but much like when Mary died they kept Jeremy's abuse in house. Rather then go to the cops. Rachel took some pics of her bruises but then deleted the pics. They're a crazy messed up family. Nobody should be above the law. Big deal they fired Jeremy. I don't think he's gone for good.

Rachel should have pulled Darius aside rather then air out the dirty laundry in public. I get it. They want to show Rachel all messed up. I loved Darius telling Rachel she sucks. It was like the show telling us they know S2 sucks.

Little Weirdo lol

Quinn and John Booth don't work for me either. Quinn just wants to die alone. She's lonely. She does not want to die alone like her dad.

The hometown date is what got a lot of laughs. The pregnancy reveal was cheesy. I don't watch the real show but I doubt that would ever be a storyline. Instead of Faith reveling she's a lesbian Beth Ann revels she pregnant. Some similarities. Except Rachel has to be crazy this time so they film the reveal. Beth Ann's family turns out to be not raciest at all. Even kind of boring. The baby daddy proposing and storming in was also cheesy. I get that he was manipulated but it was still silly and cheesy.  I still laughed. It was comic relief. Like a soap opera. Find out next to see who true father of the baby is.

Side note the baby daddy played by Zach McGowan used to be a waiter at Shiri's fiancées restaurant Animal. She friends with him in real life. I wonder if Shiri cast him in that role.  

Coleman talking to Quinn. I don't like any part of that. I thought you too are at odds. 

Loved Rachel's meltdown. Shiri killing it don't double duty. 

Chet wants a piece of the action with a deal?

The Dr. Wag scene was funny. We finally got to see/hear more of the contesters. Even through I still don't know much about all of them. It only took 6 episodes. Liquor and manipulation will do wonders for TV. 

Darius giving her money for the kid was nice.  I would have kept her.

When I am I going to find out about Yael?

Who banged the raciest? Lol

Dr wag actually had some real heart to heart words for Quinn. 

The sex scene at the end between Rachel and Coleman had no chemistry for me. Let's run away. 

 

Spoiler

Welcome back meat puppet.

 

Overall this was not a bad episode but I think I preferred last years home town date better. I just liked Faith better then Beth Ann. This episode felt more like season 1 then the 1st 5 episodes of the season. Even if the 2nd half turns out to be amazing I think my brain wants to say S1 was better.

Edited July 12, 2016 by earlbny
Spoiler tagged preview comment

[basically]

I like Coleman - however I have issues with Rachel & Coleman. They had chemistry in their first scene but they jumped into bed so quickly that it all just seems so forced to me. I like their non romantic scenes, but the minute it flips I just don't buy it because they never really built it. Especially now that Adam is back, and all I can think of was the awesome build up he and Rachel had where they were actually friends first and made me root for them. When Chet said that line about thinking Rachel is in love with Coleman because he's never seen her like this before it rang so false to me. Is real love what I'm supposed to be reading from their relationship? In my opinion she was more real with Adam, doomed as they may have been.

Also, so excited to have Freddie back -most excited I've been all season. Can't wait for his scenes with Shiri!

Edited July 12, 2016 by basically

[dbell1]

There were a few scenes where I was on the edge of my chair waiting to see what happened next. Hoping Rachel didn't delete all the photos. And no Jeremy, you don't get the right to leave bruises and slap someone around who's trying to get away from you. I cheered when Quinn told Jeremy she'd cut his balls off. I'd hand her a rusty, dull knife to help.

Welcome back Adam, why the beard? Roughing it at the vineyard?

Am I the only one who wants to push the smarmy host down the stairs?

[basically]

I actually really felt for Beth Ann in this episode and one of the biggest things I am not liking this season is Rachels sympathy for the contestants is completely gone. I get that Rachel was going through her own stuff and as Coleman said taking it out in her work (on Beth Ann) but her open show of glee over the havoc she created was too much.

Edited July 12, 2016 by basically

[xqueenfrostine]

Eh, this episode wasn't nearly as good as last week's, but it did please me to see Adam back.  I have no idea how they're going to use him (or if they'll even give him worthwhile things to do now that he's here), but I've missed him. 

I can't believe Jeremy was still on set when Quinn arrived.  Usually when disgruntled employees are fired, they're escorted out by security.  I would expect that to be doubly true for ones who were fired for an act of violence or aggression.  Surely it shouldn't have taken that long for Jeremy to get his shit together.  Seeing Quinn have the opportunity to grab him by the balls almost made up for how ridiculous it was to have him still lurking about, but not quite.  It made me a little angry to think about how he was able to wander around set with Rachel there.  At the very least there should have been a security guy waiting at the door of his trailer to make sure he went straight to he car after he had finished packing his stuff.  

I was really disappointed that Rachel deleted the pictures of her bruises.  I was so proud of her in the moment for having the foresight to take them, and document her bruises so thoroughly, so it was sad to see her definitively give up on the idea of reporting her assault.  Even if she didn't do it now, she should have left the door open to do it at a later date.

Madison's showing signs of having grown too big for her britches.  Queen loves her?  Please.  Also, I rolled my eyes so hard they almost cramped at Yael's hometown date proposal.  It's ironic that the Guggenheim would have a Frank Lloyd Wright exhibit?  I can't think of anything less ironic than an exhibit of an artist/architect being held in a place that is itself a prime exhibition of his or her work.

Also, I officially don't think Coleman is up to anything.  I'm still not a fan of his as he's kind of dull, but I don't think he's a schemer.  I'm convinced his role on the show is to represent the choice Rachel has to continue to make Everlasting her life or to leave it to pursue the sort of projects she claims she's always wanted to do.

Oh and we finally got a name and story on the other black contestant!  At least something worthwhile came out of the silly mirror session.  Jameson is not a name that I ever would have guessed.

 

6 minutes ago, basically said:

I actually really felt for Beth Ann in this episode and one of the biggest things I am not liking this season is Rachels sympathy for the contestants is completely gone. I get that Rachel was going through her own stuff and as Coleman said taking it out in her work (on Beth Ann) but her glee over the havoc she created was just too much.

I saw her glee as almost a high.  It seems clear that the sort of control she gets from producing is like a drug to her, and like an addict, she needed that hit to get her through a really low moment.   It was gross and unkind, but I think she's trying to shove down the powerlessness she feels toward what's going on in her own life by feeling powerful by playing God in someone else's. 

Edited July 12, 2016 by xqueenfrostine

[Tara Ariano]

4 minutes ago, xqueenfrostine said:

I saw her glee as almost a high.  It seems clear that the sort of control she gets from producing is like a drug to her, and like an addict, she needed that hit to get her through a really low moment.

They also established last season that Rachel has bipolar, and strongly hinted in this episode that she went on the road without her meds (which she shouldn't have anyway, maybe, since she's been getting them from her mother, who shouldn't be treating her, but that's a whole other issue). So I think when Quinn called Coleman and accurately described the way Rachel was behaving, it's because she's seen Rachel have a manic cycle during times of extreme stress.

[Knuckles]

I'm watching Coleman and seeing him almost frightened as he watched the manic and ruthless Rachel at full throttle in Alabama...and then telling her later that he thinks she is wonderful...are we to believe the shrewd network player is entranced by a human trainwreck? I liked that the family in Alabama was genuinely welcoming and decent...apparently that was too much for Rachel to allow. Had to smash it somehow. We know Rachel has plenty of buttons to push...but there seems to be a hole in the characterization of Coleman. Who is this guy?  He's fully committed to the crazy after sleeping with her a few times, and nothing she does deters him?

I'm amused this week by Chet doing a Quinn...welcome back Adam. Love Freddie Stroma. Time for Coleman to get kicked to the curb. And no, Jeremy will not go quietly...he's union, and without a police report, he has ways to hold onto his job.

And Quinn in love...can't be. The only significant relationship she has is with Rachel. 

[xqueenfrostine]

14 minutes ago, Tara Ariano said:

They also established last season that Rachel has bipolar, and strongly hinted in this episode that she went on the road without her meds -- which she shouldn't have anyway, maybe, since she's been getting them from her mother, who shouldn't be treating her, but that's a whole other issue.

No they didn't, that was Mary.  The only diagnoses we've ever seen for Rachel came from her mother who a) I don't trust to correctly diagnose her own daughter and b) has diagnosed and re-diagnosed Rachel multiple times over the course of her life with borderline personality disorder and/or narcissistic personality disorder being the most recent.  I'm sure Rachel is suffering from mental illness and needs help, but I definitely don't feel comfortable taking either Rachel's mom or Dr. Wagerstein's word seriously on the subject.  Both are clearly untrustworthy quacks who operate in unethical fashions.  There are reasons why we don't let parents who are doctors treat their family members, and Dr. Goldberg is a clear example of why it's considered highly unethical.

Edited July 12, 2016 by xqueenfrostine

[voiceover]

Ugh.  The only stereotypical behavior revealed was that group of LA assjacks so positive the country is that old New Yorker cover -- the US consisting of NYC and LA, with what's in-between a cultural suck-hole.

Nice moment with Darius, offering the scholarship.  Proof that his reset button is taking care of people by throwing money at the problem (his family, his buddies, BethAnn) -- but as reset buttons go, it's rather a sweet one.

[portfino]

We don't need to vote for Trump because now that Quinn brought Adam back America is already great again.

I thought this was a good episode overall. The show had gotten a little loose. We got back to the fundamental journey of the compromises Rachel has made to her soul and what she can live with, but still using the vehicle of Everlasting effectively. 

[Emily Thrace]

40 minutes ago, basically said:

I actually really felt for Beth Ann in this episode and one of the biggest things I am not liking this season is Rachels sympathy for the contestants is completely gone. I get that Rachel was going through her own stuff and as Coleman said taking it out in her work (on Beth Ann) but her open show of glee over the havoc she created was too much.

I almost felt sorry because she is clearly a small town girl just trying to GTFO but then I remembered the repugnant way she was seeking attention. I just can't with someone who clearly knows better deliberately employing racists bullshit to get a head. I might have found some empathy if she had simply been ignorant but this episode made it clear she knew exactly what buttons she was pushing. 

As for Rachel, I've never felt the need for female characters to be soft or cuddly to identify with them, Hell I'm not even all that picky about likable. I just want them to be entertaining and she certainly delivered on that score tonight.

I'm still not sure if she is actually crazy. She definitely acts out but that doesn't mean she has any underlying imbalance or pathology. In Rachel's case I almost wonder if it a case of her being told shes crazy so much shes learned to act that way because she was never taught an appropriate way to handle things. Her mother certainly never would have encouraged healthy coping mechanisms. Someone who is truly Bi-polar doesn't react that quickly to going of their meds for one. We saw that last year with Mary. I think on some level Rachel believes she is crazy and so that amplifies her dysfunction but I'm not sure she is suffering anything other than depression. 

[xqueenfrostine]

7 minutes ago, Emily Thrace said:

I'm still not sure if she is actually crazy. She definitely acts out but that doesn't mean she has any underlying imbalance or pathology. In Rachel's case I almost wonder if it a case of her being told shes crazy so much shes learned to act that way because she was never taught an appropriate way to handle things. Her mother certainly never would have encouraged healthy coping mechanisms. Someone who is truly Bi-polar doesn't react that quickly to going of their meds for one. We saw that last year with Mary. I think on some level Rachel believes she is crazy and so that amplifies her dysfunction but I'm not sure she is suffering anything other than depression. 

To be fair, I don't know that Rachel has ever been taking her meds, or if she has if she's been taking them consistently enough for them to be effective.  I got the impression that her mom has been sending her care packages full of pills, and that for the most part Rachel hasn't been taking them.  Which I wouldn't blame her for. If I were in her shoes, I wouldn't take any prescription medications that weren't prescribed to me by a doctor who didn't have the appropriate level of professional distance to treat me in a responsible manner.

I don't think it's been established that Rachel has a mood disorder or a personality disorder, or that she has any sort of pre-existing condition that wasn't caused by her mother treating her like a patient instead of a child.   But at the very least she has had a severe depressive episode in her recent past (the period between her breakdown and coming back to work) and that combined with the rest of her behavior is a sign that she probably needs some sort of professional help.  That doesn't mean she's crazy (I don't think that word should be used on anyone who's not suffering from serious delusions anyway), or even mean that she needs long term psychiatric treatment.  But I do think that everything she's been dealing with for the last few years is more than she can handle on her own, because as you pointed out it seems unlikely that she learned many healthy coping skills as a kid.

[voiceover]

Ha!  Dr Wags'  use of "Into-Me-See" was a direct rip-off of Season 2 SATC...Sam & her unendowed bf visited a shrink who wrote a book with that title.

[RCharter]

I just can't anymore with Jeremy.  He is seriously a caricature at this point.  "Wahhhh, but look at my eye where Rachel hit me"

The only good thing about him is Quinn tearing into him

I'm all about a man making a visit south of the border, but how often does Rachel shower/groom herself?  If I were him, I might have taken a raincheck on that.

I'm so happy unnamed black girl got some facetime AND that she has a name.  Jameson!  Very hip, very cool.

Just when I was feeling sorry for the racist, she has to go and glance over at Darius when her dad asks who the father could be.  Oh hell no.  I don't care what kind of backpedaling she did at the ceremony (when she was removed from daddy) that is a woman I wouldn't want either of my brothers involved with.  Just, no.

Having said that, boy did Rachel ever screw that girl over.

I still hate Darius -- but I'm glad he at least has a conscience enough to want to be the hell off the show.

 

14 hours ago, Knuckles said:

 

And Quinn in love...can't be. The only significant relationship she has is with Rachel. 

Quinn is in love....with Chet....and I think she will always go back to that toxic relationship.

[anonymiss]

4 hours ago, Knuckles said:

I'm watching Coleman and seeing him almost frightened as he watched the manic and ruthless Rachel at full throttle in Alabama...and then telling her later that he thinks she is wonderful...are we to believe the shrewd network player is entranced by a human trainwreck?

Yeah I don't like that he's the male equivalent of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl right now. 

[RCharter]

14 hours ago, xqueenfrostine said:

No they didn't, that was Mary.  The only diagnoses we've ever seen for Rachel came from her mother who a) I don't trust to correctly diagnose her own daughter and b) has diagnosed and re-diagnosed Rachel multiple times over the course of her life with borderline personality disorder and/or narcissistic personality disorder being the most recent.  I'm sure Rachel is suffering from mental illness and needs help, but I definitely don't feel comfortable taking either Rachel's mom or Dr. Wagerstein's word seriously on the subject.  Both are clearly untrustworthy quacks who operate in unethical fashions.  There are reasons why we don't let parents who are doctors treat their family members, and Dr. Goldberg is a clear example of why it's considered highly unethical.

I only took one psychology class in college, but she does appear to present all the symptoms that would be needed for "bipolar on a TV show" with the wild mood swings and what not.

I definitely agree with you in real life.  I wouldn't trust Rachel's mother or Dr. Wag.  I just think that for the purposes of the show they have really tried to make it clear that Rachel is supposed to be some sort of bi-polar.

 

14 hours ago, xqueenfrostine said:

Also, I officially don't think Coleman is up to anything.  I'm still not a fan of his as he's kind of dull, but I don't think he's a schemer.  I'm convinced his role on the show is to represent the choice Rachel has to continue to make Everlasting her life or to leave it to pursue the sort of projects she claims she's always wanted to do.

I still hold out hope for a Google Glasses Expose!

The thing is, he isn't scheming at all, and that would be the beauty of the story.  That these are just all pretty awful people, and they don't need any help to show how terrible they can be.

[BingeyKohan]

Other than a few instances of sloppy writing and lazy characterization (which I think we've all resigned ourselves to in season 2), I thought this was a solid episode. Nice directorial touches, especially the hyperreality of the scene where Rachel examines her bruising then documents it. (Her holding up her bruised wrist and photographing it was a nice, eerie callback to the 'money/dick/power' tattoo selfie, a way of showing she'd been branded as powerless against Jeremy's brutality.) I liked the pan from Quinn leaning back alone on her couch to the same posture for Rachel where she's being...pleasured. (This show does make a running motif of filming Rachel from above, with her head back.)

Something else I'm resigned to--although to be fair I now have grudging admiration for it--is that I don't think the show ever really intended to take on race in a meaningful way. I think maybe we (or at least I) imposed that intent on them because Rachel took such pride in successfully agitating for the first black suitor. But look at the way Beth Ann's story, which Rachel dismisses as an informercial for the post-racial South, had no purpose other than highlighting Rachel's need to find stability in destabilizing others. I'm starting to see that *anything* presented by the suitors and contestants, no matter how sensitive or taboo, is just going to be a device for illustrating Q&R's ruthlessness. I can imagine SGS leading the writers' room by asking, 'ok, what's the most fraught subject we could introduce as something that even Quinn and Rachel believe they'd handle with sensitivity, only to get them to a place where they're raping and pillaging even *that* for ratings?' And someone else in the room raises her hand and says, 'um, race?' On some level, you have to admire a show that is this committed to the 'if it bleeds it leads' ambition of its characters (especially women characters) even to the point of making them recklessly indifferent to the way they are, through Everlasting, shaping the national race dialogue. I guess what I'm saying is: UnReal owes us faithfulness to its lead characters before it owes us social commentary, and it's delivering on that list of priorities.

Some character moments that didn't work: We seemed to have skipped several beats in John Booth's wooing of Quinn. They might as well have been chasing and tickling each other through the cemetery. And I still don't understand why Chet is around other than as a plot device to whisper in Madison's ear or strike a deal with Tiffany. I think this episode did a good job of beginning to show Quinn is right to label Coleman Rachel's Chet - I think (for now) he's less morally compromised than Quinn or Rachel but we're seeing a Lex Luthor like origin story of him starting to understand he can weaponize Rachel to produce anything he wants her to. 

[thesupremediva1]

I've been waiting from the first shot of this season (Adam calling Rachel's phone) for Freddie Stroma to appear. I knew Adam was the person Quinn would call. I swear I heard the Hallelujah chorus when he stepped out of the limo. 

Everything up until this ep has felt like a drawn-out construction effort. I'm hoping the payoff was worth the wait. This was the first episode all season where I felt actual tension and characters dialing a phone number felt important. Shiri did an outstanding job directing this.

Quinn's white top gave me life. She looked radiant in every shot.

I buy Rachel wanting to hang onto Coleman but I'm not sure I understand why Coleman cares so much for Rachel. The show hasn't done a great job of explaining that connection. I like Coleman a lot as a character but I don't see nearly as much chemistry between him and Rachel as I did between Adam and Rachel. I just still can't tell if that's actor chemistry failing or if it's by design to illustrate a larger point. 

What a 180 on Jeremy. Last season he was plaid Prince Charming with some smarmy traits and now he's a full-on abusive prick. Tells you a lot about those self-proclaimed "nice guys"...

Quinn will never be over Chet. And Rachel's her mini so she's never going to let go of her either. In a weird way, Quinn and Chet are like Rachel's parents. They are all the height of dysfunction but they can't separate from each other or they'd cease to exist. That little trio might be worth exploring in more detail instead of the soap opera antics they've been up to this season.

[BingeyKohan]

One all-time great moment I forgot to mention: When Beth Ann's babydaddy is storming off set (a gunshot breakup instead of a gunshot wedding) and Rachel hands him his bike helmet and says 'thankyousomuch' like he fixed a flat or checked a coat for her.

[Primetimer]

As always, we're grading on a curve.

View the full article

[StaceyNotStacie]

That was interesting. I was surprised that Beth Ann went back to Los Angeles for the elimination ceremony. With all of the fighting at the BBQ, I expected someone to injure Darius. 

I half expected Adam to walk in on Rachel and Coleman. 

[xqueenfrostine]

4 hours ago, RCharter said:

I only took one psychology class in college, but she does appear to present all the symptoms that would be needed for "bipolar on a TV show" with the wild mood swings and what not.

I definitely agree with you in real life.  I wouldn't trust Rachel's mother or Dr. Wag.  I just think that for the purposes of the show they have really tried to make it clear that Rachel is supposed to be some sort of bi-polar.

i disagree.  Mood swings as a symptom aren't exclusive to bipolar disorder, and it's a misconception among people unfamiliar with bipolar disorder that people suffering from that condition careen from mood to mood over a short period of time.  That's generally not how it happens.  Manic and depressive episodes usually linger for several days, if not weeks or months at a time.  People with bipolar also usually have long stretches of time where their moods are normal/stable, which is something that doesn't seem true for Rachel who has always been depicted as barely keeping things together.  And while I'm loathe to give any credence at all to Rachel's mom, I do think it's telling that she herself had moved on from bipolar disorder as her chosen theory for what's wrong with Rachel.  Borderline personality disorder, her mom's current diagnosis, is also characterized by mood swings and has other criteria that better fit Rachel far better than bipolar disorder.  The fact that Rachel's mood swings are often triggered by events in her life alone is a pretty good sign that she's not bipolar.  The defining characteristic of bipolar disorder is that the severe shift in mood seems to come out of nowhere.  We don't see that at all with Rachel.  Her extreme moods are almost always a reaction to something that's going on at work or with her personal relationships.

Edited July 12, 2016 by xqueenfrostine

[Pepper Mostly]

9 hours ago, Knuckles said:

I'm watching Coleman and seeing him almost frightened as he watched the manic and ruthless Rachel at full throttle in Alabama...and then telling her later that he thinks she is wonderful...are we to believe the shrewd network player is entranced by a human trainwreck? I liked that the family in Alabama was genuinely welcoming and decent...apparently that was too much for Rachel to allow. Had to smash it somehow. We know Rachel has plenty of buttons to push...but there seems to be a hole in the characterization of Coleman. Who is this guy?  He's fully committed to the crazy after sleeping with her a few times, and nothing she does deters him?

I'm amused this week by Chet doing a Quinn...welcome back Adam. Love Freddie Stroma. Time for Coleman to get kicked to the curb. And no, Jeremy will not go quietly...he's union, and without a police report, he has ways to hold onto his job.

And Quinn in love...can't be. The only significant relationship she has is with Rachel. 

I don't know, guys. To me this is dipping too far into soap opera. Everything is too rushed, I'm not getting character development or anything like subtlety. Madison is now as savvy and cynical as Jay? Chet is on top of things and decent? Quinn is a giggly teen with a new bf? How, why? How are Coleman and Rachel in love already? How did smart observant producer Rachel allow herself to be pushed to the edge in the first five minutes at Bethann's?? Of course her family would be polite! Why wasn't she snooping through the medicine cabinet,  and assessing the rest of the family to find the secret Klan member (who she would then ply with booze to get the confrontation she wanted?) She's freaking out because no one burned a cross in the first five minutes? And really? The girl is pregnant? What's next? someone goes blind? Everything I loved about the show is going out the window. 

36 minutes ago, BingeyKohan said:

One all-time great moment I forgot to mention: When Beth Ann's babydaddy is storming off set (a gunshot breakup instead of a gunshot wedding) and Rachel hands him his bike helmet and says 'thankyousomuch' like he fixed a flat or checked a coat for her.

That was hysterical.

[Empress1]

1 hour ago, thesupremediva1 said:

Quinn's white top gave me life. She looked radiant in every shot.

That shirt is gorgeous. I was looking at it like, "Just how low does it dip in the back? Could I wear a bra with it?" (Constance Zimmer can go braless. I cannot.)

Adam does nothing for me, especially with his longer hair. I shrugged at the big reveal that he's back. I don't see chemistry between Rachel and Coleman either, and Coleman is clearly not long for the show given that he has, you know, scruples.

It feels weird and late to get a name and introduction on Jameson - I think this is the first time we've heard her speak. 

I was waiting for Tiffany (is that her name? The team owner's daughter?) and Yael to get into a "who's sluttier?" argument, given that they've both hooked up with people who are not Darius.

Why does the shrink care about Quinn? For what? How has Quinn earned that loyalty? Let her die alone, who cares? She's an asshole. When you treat people badly, they tend to leave (unless they are Rachel, but Rachel has serious mommy issues). Let her learn that lesson the hard way.

Spoiler

I am really, really not comfortable with the preview for next episode. At all. I know this was filmed before last week, but Rachel reporting a stolen car that two black men are in could quite literally get those two men killed, and I am not comfortable with that. I'm also not comfortable because I don't think the show ever intended to deal with race in any real sort of way, so I don't think they're going to handle it well. Next week might be my last week watching, if they fuck that up.

[dubbel zout]

10 hours ago, dbell1 said:

Am I the only one who wants to push the smarmy host down the stairs?

I love him. His tone-deafness to everything is hilarious.

9 hours ago, Emily Thrace said:

In Rachel's case I almost wonder if it a case of her being told shes crazy so much shes learned to act that way because she was never taught an appropriate way to handle things.

Same here. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy: People have told her she's crazy so she acts crazy.

1 hour ago, thesupremediva1 said:

I buy Rachel wanting to hang onto Coleman but I'm not sure I understand why Coleman cares so much for Rachel. The show hasn't done a great job of explaining that connection.

 She's very, very good at her job, so I get the connection on a professional level. I agree the personal side is weaker, and especially now that he's seen just how messed up Rachel is, I'd think he'd want to rethink any relationship. Plus, he's seen the dysfunction that is the Everlasting set. Does he really want to get more enmeshed in that?

35 minutes ago, Pepper Mostly said:

Madison is now as savvy and cynical as Jay?

I think this was a bit rushed, but I also see Madison as using her perceived naivety to her advantage. She just needed a little encouragement and success.

[Pepper Mostly]

10 minutes ago, Empress1 said:

Why does the shrink care about Quinn? For what? How has Quinn earned that loyalty? Let her die alone, who cares?

Yes, this. Last season Wagerstein was inffectual and everyone treated her like a joke. Now she's suddenly got clout, she's smart and perceptive and cares about Quinn? Except of course she's Dr. Exposition in that scene. Instead of someone clunkily telling me something, I'd rather be shown, by good writing and good acting, what is happening with a character.

 

3 minutes ago, dubbel zout said:

I also see Madison as using her perceived naivety to her advantage. She just needed a little encouragement and success.

Oh, I always suspected that Madison would find her inner Rachel. Watching that happen was something I was looking forward to in this season. But from flinching, insecure, unsure of herself Madison to cocky, assured Madison, with nothing in between? We see her in the first episode crying and throwing up after an interview, and now she's all cool as a cucumber, making bets with Jay that she can blow up a scene? It just doesn't feel organic to me.

If Tiffany was outed for her playtime with Romeo, why isn't someone outing Yael for her extra credit with Jeremy? Don't tell me no one noticed!

10 minutes ago, dubbel zout said:

I love him. His tone-deafness to everything is hilarious.

Hahahaha! I do too. He's so "host-y". Like Ryan Seacrest on Idol. Pure plastic.

[dixiecricket]

This episode infuriated me for one reason, and one reason only---------hello, Hollywood? Alabama no longer equals racist ideology. I wish I had counted the number of times that the words Alabama and racist were used because, even though Rachel's character eventually commented that the family was a nice post-racial tension example of the South, everything ELSE about the episode was made clear to drive home that everyone in Alabama is a hood-wearing, cross-burning racist.

So, as a lifelong resident of Alabama (could anyone have guessed?), I would like for Hollywood, or this show, to address, if we are nothing but a bunch of knuckle-dragging racists, then why is it that all of the recent *alleged* race-based police brutality events happened NOT IN ALABAMA?

 

Seriously, from the first 5 minutes of this show, I forced myself to watch through seething disappointment at this episode.

On a lighter note, I love that the show portrays the Everlasting host as completely vapid and devoid of anything other than vanity. His character is a breath of fresh air on such a dark show.

[Lovecat]

57 minutes ago, Pepper Mostly said:

If Tiffany was outed for her playtime with Romeo, why isn't someone outing Yael for her extra credit with Jeremy? Don't tell me no one noticed!

That cat's already out of the bag, no?  Didn't the tall sporty girl rat her out, and get bounced for being a tattletale?

[CalamityBoPeep]

11 minutes ago, dixiecricket said:

This episode infuriated me for one reason, and one reason only---------hello, Hollywood? Alabama no longer equals racist ideology. I wish I had counted the number of times that the words Alabama and racist were used because, even though Rachel's character eventually commented that the family was a nice post-racial tension example of the South, everything ELSE about the episode was made clear to drive home that everyone in Alabama is a hood-wearing, cross-burning racist.

So, as a lifelong resident of Alabama (could anyone have guessed?), I would like for Hollywood, or this show, to address, if we are nothing but a bunch of knuckle-dragging racists, then why is it that all of the recent *alleged* race-based police brutality events happened NOT IN ALABAMA?

 

Seriously, from the first 5 minutes of this show, I forced myself to watch through seething disappointment at this episode.

On a lighter note, I love that the show portrays the Everlasting host as completely vapid and devoid of anything other than vanity. His character is a breath of fresh air on such a dark show.

I agree so much with this. I'm a Hoosier now (but yeah... still flyover country) and I spent all of my teens living just outside Memphis, Tennessee. And moved back to the area briefly in 2000-2002. It irks the hell out of me that the Hollywood interpretation of the South hasn't changed since 1950. Stupid myopic Hollywood, and their preferred narrative.

The one thing that I did find pretty satisfying though, was that all Rachel's expectations were proven false. I'm not convinced that SGS understands quite how much she undermined her own narrative there, because I get the impression that she sees the South in the typical Hollywood way. The same thing happened in the hometown visit last season. Where SGS wanted to emphasize the South's "homophobia" (which... nope, they're pretty accepting of gays too), the show actually showed a pretty loving environment. I'll never think that Faith's Southern Lady Grandmother didn't know Faith was a lesbian. Southern Grandma's know all. So, in spite of SGS's preconceived notions, she still ends up showing the South in an accidentally positive light.

(Or maybe she is doing it to undermine Hollywood's take on the South? Confusing... I've always figured Rachel is her "stand-in" and voice. But in this case... I don't know.)

[phoenics]

10 hours ago, voiceover said:

Ugh.  The only stereotypical behavior revealed was that group of LA assjacks so positive the country is that old New Yorker cover -- the US consisting of NYC and LA, with what's in-between a cultural suck-hole.

Nice moment with Darius, offering the scholarship.  Proof that his reset button is taking care of people by throwing money at the problem (his family, his buddies, BethAnn) -- but as reset buttons go, it's rather a sweet one.

It was sweet of Darius to give BethAnn money for getting pregnant and not knowing who the father was - wonder why he couldn't slip a huge donation to BLM on behalf of Ruby.

That made Darius look worse to me.

[xqueenfrostine]

17 minutes ago, dixiecricket said:

This episode infuriated me for one reason, and one reason only---------hello, Hollywood? Alabama no longer equals racist ideology. I wish I had counted the number of times that the words Alabama and racist were used because, even though Rachel's character eventually commented that the family was a nice post-racial tension example of the South, everything ELSE about the episode was made clear to drive home that everyone in Alabama is a hood-wearing, cross-burning racist.

 

To be fair they weren't *only* expecting Beth Ann's family to be racist because they're from Alabama.  Beth Ann gave off a lot of signals early on about not being the most racially tolerant person in the world.  Besides the Confederate flag bikini that got her cast on the show and her controversial social media persona, she was freaked out in the premiere by being assigned a black roommate AND was visibly alarmed to hear that the suitor this year was black.  She only appeared to turn around on the idea of a black suitor once she found out that he was a famous football player.    I suspect Beth Ann's family's reception of Darius would have been different if he wasn't a star athlete, not because they're from Alabama but because they raised Beth Ann.

 

2 minutes ago, Lovecat said:

That cat's already out of the bag, no?  Didn't the tall sporty girl rat her out, and get bounced for being a tattletale?

Yeah everyone definitely already knows about Yael at this point, though I'm surprised that the girls didn't give her more shit about it.  Particularly after Yael said that she thought the reason Darius didn't pick her was because he was intimidated by her intelligence and no because she was hooking up with a crew member.

[BingeyKohan]

Re: the depiction of "the South," I am a Southerner, and proud to be, but we have to admit the defense of the Confederate flag is a not-distant-enough memory, and I happen to know a good number of the people doing the defending on Facebook (some of them my hometown acquaintances) live lives not unlike that of Beth Ann and her family. Other than the giant Confederate flag on the side of the barn going unremarked-upon, and that elsewhere their property looked like the set of a Hidden Valley Ranch commercial, I didn't find the depiction to be too broadly drawn. (But then I also think the show is an equal opportunity offender.) 

Speaking of commercials I LOVED it when Rachel taunted Darius that he was making safe, boring choices that would drive the show to a niche cable network where it would be sponsored by Ambien (then, a few commercial breaks later, an anti-depressant commercial). SGS miiiiiight be winning me back over by baring her fangs.

[dixiecricket]

While

11 minutes ago, xqueenfrostine said:

 

To be fair they weren't *only* expecting Beth Ann's family to be racist because they're from Alabama.  Beth Ann gave off a lot of signals early on about not being the most racially tolerant person in the world.  Besides the Confederate flag bikini that got her cast on the show and her controversial social media persona, she was freaked out in the premiere by being assigned a black roommate AND was visibly alarmed to hear that the suitor this year was black.  She only appeared to turn around on the idea of a black suitor once she found out that he was a famous football player.    I suspect Beth Ann's family's reception of Darius would have been different if he wasn't a star athlete, not because they're from Alabama but because they raised Beth Ann.

 

While I agree with this presumption of her character (based off her previous scripts), the show was CLEAR that they weren't only looking for her family to be racist....Darius talked about being back on the plantation, I am pretty sure that the setting was in the midst of cotton fields. They weren't even in a neighborhood, they were in a rural setting. It was all presented as this is Hollywood's stereotype of Alabama.

 

Listen, when I was in England when I was just out of high school; I met a family from upper NY. Long story short, the kids (ages 16-25) all, individually, expressed their relief that I had shoes. I thought they were joking and laughed, only to be met with serious stares. They then proceeded to grill me on "life in Alabama". Did I ride a horse to school? Were roads paved? Did we have air conditioning? Were people still poor? Were cities/businesses/schools still segregated? Did I have any family in the Klan? ---------------------------------So, yeah, I don't need Hollywood to continue perpetuating this stereotype.

Edited July 12, 2016 by dixiecricket

[phoenics]

One thought about Quinn:  WTH is wrong with her?  I mean - if John Booth or whoever he is rolled up on me like that, Everlasting would be literally in my rearview as I left it in the dust.  And she seems almost sickened at the idea of being with him.  Is it because she feels like she can't have both the man and the dream job?  I WISH I had her problem, lol.  I mean - I just don't understand her issue.  I would date the hell out of John Booth and have a bushel of biracial semi-ashy babies with him.  I mean - LOOK AT HIM.

Is this some issue SGS has that she's working out through Quinn and Rachel?  I mean - why SHOULDN'T Rachel want to get off this show?  Is the problem that being a manipulative wretch is just who she is, so she won't be happy elsewhere?  Same with Quinn?  Or is it that both women have really successful men interested in them now?  Cause - this is looking like win-win... Rachel has been wanting off the show for some time now - but has she joined Quinn on the dark side or something?

And Quinn - girl - you got John Booth offering you a network to run AND himself on a platter.  Run to that and don't look back.

Rachel - girl - you got Coleman (you had better chem with Adam, but nevermind) offering you the chance to produce together AND himself on a platter.  Run to that and don't look back.

Sheesh - there's girl power and then there's just ... foolishness.   I find that I cannot identify.  I understood Rachel's dream of running off with Adam was unrealistic - but this time she's got heart and career aligned with Coleman - just like Quinn could have with John... why aren't they just going for it?

I know it's not that kind of show, but I'm struggling to identify the struggle here.  I feel like SGS is working through some personal feminism issues and dragging us along for the ride - but I cannot IDENTIFY with the struggle she's penning anymore.  I WANT Rachel and Quinn to get out and have real lives with love.  

[dixiecricket]

11 hours ago, xqueenfrostine said:

Eh, this episode wasn't nearly as good as last week's, but it did please me to see Adam back.  I have no idea how they're going to use him (or if they'll even give him worthwhile things to do now that he's here), but I've missed him. 

I can't believe Jeremy was still on set when Quinn arrived.  Usually when disgruntled employees are fired, they're escorted out by security.  I would expect that to be doubly true for ones who were fired for an act of violence or aggression.  Surely it shouldn't have taken that long for Jeremy to get his shit together.  Seeing Quinn have the opportunity to grab him by the balls almost made up for how ridiculous it was to have him still lurking about, but not quite.  It made me a little angry to think about how he was able to wander around set with Rachel there.  At the very least there should have been a security guy waiting at the door of his trailer to make sure he went straight to he car after he had finished packing his stuff.  

I was really disappointed that Rachel deleted the pictures of her bruises.  I was so proud of her in the moment for having the foresight to take them, and document her bruises so thoroughly, so it was sad to see her definitively give up on the idea of reporting her assault.  Even if she didn't do it now, she should have left the door open to do it at a later date.

Madison's showing signs of having grown too big for her britches.  Queen loves her?  Please.  Also, I rolled my eyes so hard they almost cramped at Yael's hometown date proposal.  It's ironic that the Guggenheim would have a Frank Lloyd Wright exhibit?  I can't think of anything less ironic than an exhibit of an artist/architect being held in a place that is itself a prime exhibition of his or her work.

Also, I officially don't think Coleman is up to anything.  I'm still not a fan of his as he's kind of dull, but I don't think he's a schemer.  I'm convinced his role on the show is to represent the choice Rachel has to continue to make Everlasting her life or to leave it to pursue the sort of projects she claims she's always wanted to do.

Oh and we finally got a name and story on the other black contestant!  At least something worthwhile came out of the silly mirror session.  Jameson is not a name that I ever would have guessed.

 

I saw her glee as almost a high.  It seems clear that the sort of control she gets from producing is like a drug to her, and like an addict, she needed that hit to get her through a really low moment.   It was gross and unkind, but I think she's trying to shove down the powerlessness she feels toward what's going on in her own life by feeling powerful by playing God in someone else's. 

I think that this "glee" was the first time that the viewers were actually presented with quasi-evidence that Rachel does, indeed, suffer from a bipolar-type condition. She is clearly rattled from the Jeremy-thing and the pressure to sweep everything under the rug - so she goes from despair and trauma to a mania-type high within 24 hours (whereas previously she was always pretty even-keel with her emotions) and appears to want to just throw down with Coleman on the set while all racial hell is breaking loose in the background.

[BingeyKohan]

5 minutes ago, dixiecricket said:

I don't need Hollywood to continue perpetuating this stereotype.

But don't you think if stereotypes were being perpetuated it was Everlasting doing it, and not UnReal? We have to remember production would have gotten there first, and made sure there was watermelon on the table and guns to be shot. I agree the sequence was rushed; last season, we would have seen Beth Ann place misguided trust in a producer to sneak her the pregnancy test, all the while scheming to exploit the outcome. But I think UnReal (fairly or not) trusts us to know the m.o. by now and take some things for granted.

[dixiecricket]

Just now, BingeyKohan said:

But don't you think if stereotypes were being perpetuated it was Everlasting doing it, and not UnReal? We have to remember production would have gotten there first, and made sure there was watermelon on the table and guns to be shot. I agree the sequence was rushed; last season, we would have seen Beth Ann place misguided trust in a producer to sneak her the pregnancy test, all the while scheming to exploit the outcome. But I think UnReal (fairly or not) trusts us to know the m.o. by now and take some things for granted.

While it was Everlasting doing it, the show that I am watching on TV is UnReal.

 

All I am saying is that Hollywood should be bigger than this type of stereotype pandering.

Edited July 12, 2016 by dixiecricket

[dubbel zout]

10 minutes ago, phoenics said:

And Quinn - girl - you got John Booth offering you a network to run AND himself on a platter.  Run to that and don't look back.

Rachel - girl - you got Coleman (you had better chem with Adam, but nevermind) offering you the chance to produce together AND himself on a platter.  Run to that and don't look back.

Maybe they want to achieve success on their own terms, not because some man handed it to them "on a platter." Why should they have to be in a personal relationship to get opportunities? Quinn's already been burned by Chet and the network.

I understand your basic point—both Quinn and Rachel should run from Everlasting—but I don't want them to have to have a man for that to happen.

13 minutes ago, phoenics said:

a bushel of biracial semi-ashy babies

When was either Quinn or John Booth identified as nonwhite in any way? (N.B.: I do not in any way mean this to read as hostile or aggressive. I'm genuinely puzzled where this idea came from.)

13 minutes ago, BingeyKohan said:

But don't you think if stereotypes were being perpetuated it was Everlasting doing it, and not UnReal?

I do. I'd be shocked if Everlasting didn't perpetuate stereotypes. The entire show (Everlasting) is one giant stereotype: women fighting for a man's attention. UnREAL is commenting on that, IMO.

[phoenics]

14 minutes ago, dubbel zout said:

Maybe they want to achieve success on their own terms, not because some man handed it to them "on a platter." Why should they have to be in a personal relationship to get opportunities? Quinn's already been burned by Chet and the network.

I understand your basic point—both Quinn and Rachel should run from Everlasting—but I don't want them to have to have a man for that to happen.

My point was more that it wasn't like Rachel HAD to still date Coleman to get there.  Quinn either.  I get what you mean - but Quinn didn't really get EverLasting on her own either - Chet was there and basically stole it from her.  Her reticence about John Booth was about something else.  And Rachel isn't being legally held to EverLasting anymore - she could leave too on her own.  And probably make it somewhere else.  I just don't get what ties them to EverLasting specifically - the show isn't really doing a good job of driving that home for me.  I'm getting a serious case of that stereotype that black women get a lot of which is how black women's girl posse's actually hurting the black women's chance of having real love.

Rachel could break away and do her own thing - I don't think that's out of the realm of possibility - she doesn't NEED Everlasting.

Neither does Quinn.

They could BOTH leave and do better AND have the men.  And it doesn't mean they have to take what the men are offering either.  

My main point is that being a woman who made it on her own without a man, I don't see the appeal of Everlasting at all.  It's garbage and soul destroying.  And Rachel and Quinn seemed doomed to never find love and happiness while they are saddled with it.  GET OUT ladies!  It's not worth it!

Quote

When was either Quinn or John Booth identified as nonwhite in any way? (N.B.: I do not in any way mean this to read as hostile or aggressive. I'm genuinely puzzled where this idea came from.)

My comment was this:  "I would date the hell out of John Booth and have a bushel of biracial semi-ashy babies with him."

I'm a black woman.  Hence the biracial babies.  The ashy babies reference is from the movie Something New.  

Edited July 12, 2016 by phoenics

[dubbel zout]

5 minutes ago, phoenics said:

I'm a black woman.  Hence the biracial babies.

My misunderstanding. Apologies.

[TiffanyNichelle]

Other Random Black Lady has a name and lines and a career and everything. Wow! Of course she was only kept so they could have that drama of "will Darius cut Tiffany or Racist Beth Ann" but whatever. Finally Beth Anne is gone even though I'm still not sure how she lasted this long. That's one of the biggest problems with this season. The contestants are such an afterthought other than maybe two or three. Activist Ruby was an interesting character but to find out that Jameson was a cop? Could have been nice to explore some of that. Instead of trying to force fights between Ruby and Beth Anne (which went nowhere) I would have also liked to see how Ruby felt about Jameson being a black cop in Chicago.

Nice to see Jay do something other than bitch at Rachel.

Chet this episode felt like Chet from last season which makes me hate the MRA version we've had to suffer through for every episode until this one.

Edited July 12, 2016 by TiffanyNichelle

[BingeyKohan]

9 minutes ago, phoenics said:

 I just don't get what ties them to EverLasting specifically - the show isn't really doing a good job of driving that home for me.

I think this in particular will turn out to be UnReal's Achilles heel - with all the options for working in production these days there is very little justification, outside of psychological damage and self-sabotage, for either woman maintaining professional ties to Everlasting. I think the show, in some ways starting with this episode, is going to try to float the idea that the crews' dysfunctional family bonds keep them together at their own peril, which is why we get Chet calling Rachel 'the kid' to Quinn, and Waggerstein suddenly acting motherly.

[phoenics]

1 minute ago, BingeyKohan said:

I think this in particular will turn out to be UnReal's Achilles heel - with all the options for working in production these days there is very little justification, outside of psychological damage and self-sabotage, for either woman maintaining professional ties to Everlasting. I think the show, in some ways starting with this episode, is going to try to float the idea that the crews' dysfunctional family bonds keep them together at their own peril, which is why we get Chet calling Rachel 'the kid' to Quinn, and Waggerstein suddenly acting motherly.

Yeah - I just cannot identify with that.  That feels so utterly hopeless that it's really not fun, lol.

[BingeyKohan]

Agree, phoenics. I like seeing the shabby glamour of behind-the-scenes work, like Rachel in her fatigue jacket and Vans, grabbing junk food from craft services, and the esprit de corps that goes with that. But I don't really enjoy the idea that they're only held together out of Stockholm syndrome. It's as depressing as on Orange is the New Black when Taystee got out of prison only to be bewildered by the world and get herself sent back.

[cali1981]

I used to think that the characters on How to Get Away With Murder were the most despicable group on TV but UnReal's folks make them look like Mother Teresa and Mahatma Ghandi rolled into one. This is the best train wreck on television right now.  I look forward to 10 PM on Monday night just to see how far beneath last week's sewer the lot of them can sink.  Will some one please tell Madison to get rid of the freaking pigtails? Genevieve Buechner is a very good looking girl but that hairstyle, yeech!

Edited July 12, 2016 by cali1981

[RCharter]

4 hours ago, xqueenfrostine said:

i disagree.  Mood swings as a symptom aren't exclusive to bipolar disorder, and it's a misconception among people unfamiliar with bipolar disorder that people suffering from that condition careen from mood to mood over a short period of time.  That's generally not how it happens.  Manic and depressive episodes usually linger for several days, if not weeks or months at a time.  People with bipolar also usually have long stretches of time where their moods are normal/stable, which is something that doesn't seem true for Rachel who has always been depicted as barely keeping things together.  And while I'm loathe to give any credence at all to Rachel's mom, I do think it's telling that she herself had moved on from bipolar disorder as her chosen theory for what's wrong with Rachel.  Borderline personality disorder, her mom's current diagnosis, is also characterized by mood swings and has other criteria that better fit Rachel far better than bipolar disorder.  The fact that Rachel's mood swings are often triggered by events in her life alone is a pretty good sign that she's not bipolar.  The defining characteristic of bipolar disorder is that the severe shift in mood seems to come out of nowhere.  We don't see that at all with Rachel.  Her extreme moods are almost always a reaction to something that's going on at work or with her personal relationships.

But, I think this is how writers will signal "bi-polar disorder" to a TV viewing audience that may be unfamiliar with the actual signs and symptoms.  Or just some variety of mental illness that needs to be treated.  And I just think that more people are familiar with the diagnosis of bi-polar.

However, in terms of what is actually wrong with Rachel -- it sounds like you have way more of a grasp of it than would the general viewing audience...and myself, of course.  

[RCharter]

4 hours ago, Pepper Mostly said:

I don't know, guys. To me this is dipping too far into soap opera. Everything is too rushed, I'm not getting character development or anything like subtlety. Madison is now as savvy and cynical as Jay? Chet is on top of things and decent? Quinn is a giggly teen with a new bf? How, why? How are Coleman and Rachel in love already? How did smart observant producer Rachel allow herself to be pushed to the edge in the first five minutes at Bethann's?? Of course her family would be polite! Why wasn't she snooping through the medicine cabinet,  and assessing the rest of the family to find the secret Klan member (who she would then ply with booze to get the confrontation she wanted?) She's freaking out because no one burned a cross in the first five minutes? And really? The girl is pregnant? What's next? someone goes blind? Everything I loved about the show is going out the window. 

That was hysterical.

Amnesia!  Secret Twins!  The suitor's long lost half sister is a contestant!

Edited July 12, 2016 by RCharter

[Pepper Mostly]

3 hours ago, Lovecat said:

That cat's already out of the bag, no?  Didn't the tall sporty girl rat her out, and get bounced for being a tattletale?

Oh of course, duh. But then why did no one mention it at Wagerstein's little exercise? I can't believe everyone else forgot too!

Edited July 12, 2016 by Pepper Mostly

[RCharter]

7 hours ago, phoenics said:

It was sweet of Darius to give BethAnn money for getting pregnant and not knowing who the father was - wonder why he couldn't slip a huge donation to BLM on behalf of Ruby.

That made Darius look worse to me.

white woman that nearly accused you of being her baby daddy > BLM for Darius I guess?

ETA: We don't know if Darius actually donated some money secretly to BLM, and it was still really nice of him to put aside money for BethAnn.  Goodness only knows she is going to be in a BAD situation when she gets home.

 

6 hours ago, BingeyKohan said:

But don't you think if stereotypes were being perpetuated it was Everlasting doing it, and not UnReal? We have to remember production would have gotten there first, and made sure there was watermelon on the table and guns to be shot. I agree the sequence was rushed; last season, we would have seen Beth Ann place misguided trust in a producer to sneak her the pregnancy test, all the while scheming to exploit the outcome. But I think UnReal (fairly or not) trusts us to know the m.o. by now and take some things for granted.

I think that Rachel's assumption of there being a racist southern family was based on the fact that: a) there are likely still a lot of racist holdovers in the South.  I'm not saying EVERYONE in the South is a racist, but given the long and storied history of racism in the South there may be more racists per square inch than in other places, and b) that Beth Anne saw fit to have/wear a confederate flag bikini and defend the confederate flag (which, frankly, I've had just about enough of, there are other symbols you can use to evidence your distaste for government that aren't steeped in slavery) and c) that Beth Anne doesn't even really seem to see Darius as a person at all but as "Quarterback" would all be clues that she might come from a family that is racist.  

If your family may not accept a black man, but will accept you dating "quarterback," it may be because they have issues with black men.

And words cannot describe how shitty it was for her to give her father the impression that Darius might be the father as he was holding a shotgun.  To me, that was a subtle callback to the days when a white woman would sleep with a black men and then claim to be raped and the man ended up getting lynched.

If I were Darius, I wouldn't have even wanted her to sit next to me on the plane, because who knows what other shit she would find to blame on him.

ETA: for some reason I didn't watch parts of the first episode, but I would have also assumed that they would have screened BethAnne for "racist southerner" if that was the narrative they wanted to go with when building their "cast"

Edited July 12, 2016 by RCharter