S02.E08: Fugitive

[formerlyfreedom]

Quote

Rachel reveals a huge secret to Coleman in the aftermath of an incident with Darius. Meanwhile, Quinn attempts to balance her attention between her feelings for John and the chaos on set; and Chet receives attention from an unlikely source.

 

[earlbny]

This episode was a step in the right direction.   Not even close to season 1 but much better then last week. Still don't like the way they handled Darius and Romeo. Speaking of Romeo how's he doing? In real life the show would have been pulled from the air. No clip show. Aww Ruby. Coleman needs to go and take Yael with him. Rachel's secret was not so shocking. Unless the cop comes back that was a waited charactor.

Edited July 26, 2016 by earlbny

[annewithaneee]

I had high hopes this show could tackle an issue as complex and loaded as race. So far, it's a big fat nope for me. I don't really care that Rachel is nearly catatonic with white guilt (and mommy's prescriptions). Poor Romeo is an offscreen, exploited prop. We don't even really see Darius's reaction. As a viewer, I'm now basically stuck. I don't want to see things get any darker, really, but if things get soapier it's going to disgust me even more what they did with this subplot. It's been grossly mishandled.

[Knuckles]

48 minutes ago, earlbny said:

 

This episode was a step in the right direction.

 

Agreed, but still a distance from the first season. Finally the reveal on the source of Rachel's fragility, and that Coleman is just the narcissistic dick that he first appeared to be. Quinn going toe to toe with Rachel's mom was fun, Ruby blowing off Darius, and Jay laying down some hard facts to Darius was like the old UnREal. Not so cool...Romeo is shot, but he is ok?? The cops have the evidence, but have agreed to sit on it? How likely is this? 

Another poster called Yael as a reporter, so props for that. And Tiffany is an odd duck...she's gorgeous, rich, smart and well-connected and she's on a reality dating show and, in between events, is anybody's baby? Really? Possible, but there's no reason why, except plot.

Too much sad, not enough snark and backstabbing. Jameson the cop had some game, but she was offed just as she started to show some spark. And did Adam just head back to Westeros? They have a lot of pieces flying around, but but it hasn't really come together.

[earlbny]

I am not one to cause any trouble especially get anyone shot. However if I did I would just show a clip show and move on. Props to the people that knew she was a reporter.  I am still pissed that last week the UnREAL Twitter page was silent yet this week they tweet from the beginning of the episode till the end of the episode. They totally avoided the elephant in the room. Own up or don't show it. I doubt it's going to come together in 2 episodes. I hope I am proven wrong.

Edited July 26, 2016 by earlbny

[basically]

oh Season 2 why? Why are you doing this to me? You had so much potential. We were all rooting for you. I don't want to give up because I loved this show so much last summer, but I'm running out of excuses here.

No Romeo, no real aftermath, so there really was no point even having the shooting last week, if they were just gonna pretend it didn't happen this week.

And I wanted Colman to be up to something because his insta love of Rachel and vice versa was so ridiculous to me and made NO sense, but now I still have no reason for the insta love and I hate him.

I really hope that Shiri Appleby and Constance Zimmers careers, as well as the rest of the cast, don't suffer from all the backlash the shows gotten this season. They are all so far above the material their being asked to play. Bad, bad, writing is killing this show and it really pains me to say it. Like seriously I'm just sad.

[LittleIggy]

Rachel's mom is a real piece of work. I can't believe a hospital would let her treat her own daughter.

Good to see Chet's dog again. I actually like Chet now.

[earlbny]

6 minutes ago, basically said:

oh Season 2 why? Why are you doing this to me? You had so much potential. We were all rooting for you. I don't want to give up because I loved this show so much last summer, but I'm running out of excuses here.

No Romeo, no real aftermath, so there really was no point even having the shooting last week, if they were just gonna pretend it didn't happen this week.

And I wanted Colman to be up to something because his insta love of Rachel and vice versa was so ridiculous to me and made NO sense, but now I still have no reason for the insta love and I hate him.

I really hope that Shiri Appleby and Constance Zimmers careers, as well as the rest of the cast, don't suffer from all the backlash the shows gotten this season. They are all so far above the material their being asked to play. Bad, bad, writing is killing this show and it really pains me to say it. Like seriously I'm just sad.

ITA 110%. Well said. I could not have said it any better. 

As much as I despise Rachel's mom they did a good casting job. 

Chets dog Boo is the only thing I like about Season 2. 

Edited July 26, 2016 by earlbny

[voiceover]

Sigh, and sigh again.

Sure, it was a reveal that made sense...I guess...but I am so far over the "secret sexual assault" card that gets pulled on Strong Woman Characters.  Hugely grateful that SATC, as a comedy, neverever went down that road.

Can't a woman be powerful and complicated and dark without that as her motivator?

[lovelynn]

Coleman really sucks - if he really wanted to expose things he would go on camera himself and not have drugged up Rachel do it. Yael is a terrible journalist. Rachel's reveal didn't explain why she still lets her mother 'treat' her or have anything to do with her really. How is it even legal for a mother to treat her daughter? That's so messed up but I don't actually care. Rachel as so dysfunctional at her age is annoying not endearing.

Oh yea... something about the suitor... Meh. Writers don't care about him, why should I. I really enjoyed season 1, I should just re-watch that one instead of finishing this season up.

[nara]

I liked the show parts -- the immunity challenge, the twist of having the girls vote someone off, and the double twist of Darius not allowing it. I finally had some respect for him.

Glad to see Ruby, but sorry Darius didn't to doing something publicly to declare his love. She was right, though,  and he just reached out because there was no other option. 

Glad to see Jay take charge.

Madison needs to stop doing her hair like a little girl-- it's been annoying be since that incident with Chet.

Quinn and Chet have really great chemistry. Despite her relationship with John and Chet's wistful look at Tiffany when she and Darius hooked up, they might end up together.

Rachel's reveal was not that shocking. I actually expected to hear that she was raped by her father or brother, so it was actually less shocking than I expected.  Sadly, I felt nothing for her...which is weird.

[catrice2]

10 minutes ago, nara said:

I liked the show parts -- the immunity challenge, the twist of having the girls vote someone off, and the double twist of Darius not allowing it. I finally had some respect for him.

Glad to see Ruby, but sorry Darius didn't to doing something publicly to declare his love. She was right, though,  and he just reached out because there was no other option. 

Glad to see Jay take charge.

Madison needs to stop doing her hair like a little girl-- it's been annoying be since that incident with Chet.

Quinn and Chet have really great chemistry. Despite her relationship with John and Chet's wistful look at Tiffany when she and Darius hooked up, they might end up together.

Rachel's reveal was not that shocking. I actually expected to hear that she was raped by her father or brother, so it was actually less shocking than I expected.  Sadly, I felt nothing for her...which is weird.

Probably because of the way she delivered the information.  I also had no real reaction to Rachel's revelation. I didn't watch last year and even I was not surprised. I fast forwarded through most of it. I cannot understand Darius coming back to the show. I also don't know if Coleman is trying to use Rachel or figure out how to save and protect her. 

I also do not understand the purpose and role of Jay and Madison, but they are both equally annoying. 

[BingeyKohan]

(heavy sigh). There was maybe 20 minutes of good episode in there. There's just way too much expositional dialogue this season, which unfortunately is doing Constance Zimmer no favors. (I love her but I don't think she'll repeat as an Emmy nominee.) She seems to have lost a little bit of her hold on Quinn, which shows how badly the material is failing her. Rachel had a lot of expositional dialogue this episode, too, but hers at least pushes some emotional buttons so Shiri Appleby had something to access. I also think flat, affectless delivery might be a specialty of Appleby's and they're playing to it.

I think they're exploring the idea that Coleman and Rachel are two sides of the same coin (hence the shot of them back to back on the floor at the end). Like Rachel did with featuring the first black suitor, he has convinced himself that the greater good of exposing Everlasting is worth whatever treacheries he has to commit to tell the story; he has probably convinced himself that in her right mind Rachel would agree with his tactics. Again, it's partly weak line-by-line material, but I don't think Michael Rady is a very strong actor. But even Craig Bierko seems to be struggling with connecting to the material so these are just inherently bad scripts, I think.

Stray thoughts: I sort of liked Jay this episode. It's beyond ridiculous we haven't seen Romeo again since his eyes went glassy last episode. I don't buy the John Booth character as resembling a real human even a little bit. Do we ever need to see Rachel's mother again now that we know the family secret? It seems like the only plot use for that info now is Coleman using it as context for the expose, damage begetting damage. Another thing I'm tired of is the faux early-morning sunlight streaming into all the show's interior spaces-it gives the show a vaguely sci-fi feel. It makes me think of Orphan Black for some reason - maybe it's a Canadian production thing.

[HunterHunted]

Although Yael says she's a journalist, there's no way the show would have let her on if she'd been employed as a journalist or working in a news organization in the last 5 to 10 years. For this to really work, Yael would have to be independently conducting her investigation and then pitching it to a news organization after she's done. Coleman and Yael are a perfect pair. They are both manipulative, duplicitous, and self-righteous.

It's not legal for Rachel's mom to be treating her, but her mom is manipulative enough that I suspect that she's calling in meds for a fake patient and that at some point she got Rachel to sign a mental health advance directive.

[earlbny]

Romeo was used as a prop to help get to Rachel's reveal. Before the season started SGS was was making the rounds talking about the 1st black suitor. She thought she was going to change the world. Now more shows will use UnREAL as an example on why not to go this route.  The dunk tank thing felt more like Survivor, Big Brother or The Challenge. If Everlasting was real the video of Darius and Romeo would have been all over the news and people would be protesting and the show would have been cancelled. Instead they show a clip show and move on like it never happened. 

Edited July 26, 2016 by earlbny

[Sparger Springs]

13 minutes ago, earlbny said:

Romeo was used as a prop to help get to Rachel's reveal. Before the season started SGS was was making the rounds talking about the 1st black suitor. She thought she was going to change the world. Now more shows will use UnREAL as an example on why not to go this route.  The dunk tank thing felt more like Big Brother or The Challenge. 

How did she think she was going to change the world by having a black suitor on her over the top fictional reality show. I know reality shows are largely scripted but the contestants are themselves. I don't think any reality show would look to this mess for any reason to do or not do anything. Its faker than the real reality shows.

[earlbny]

5 minutes ago, Sparger Springs said:

How did she think she was going to change the world by having a black suitor on her over the top fictional reality show. I know reality shows are largely scripted but the contestants are themselves. I don't think any reality show would look to this mess for any reason to do or not do anything. Its faker than the real reality shows.

True. I think SGS truly believed that the Bachelor/Bachelorette was going to follow UnREAL and cast the 1st black person. She thought it was groundbreaking. It wasn't but that's because UnREAL is a scripted show.

[dubbel zout]

10 hours ago, Knuckles said:

The cops have the evidence, but have agreed to sit on it? How likely is this? 

Pretty likely, I think, if someone with enough juice presses in them hard enough.

10 hours ago, voiceover said:

Can't a woman be powerful and complicated and dark without that as her motivator?

How long before we find out Quinn was molested by her father?

9 hours ago, nara said:

the immunity challenge

I loved the way that was shot. During an ad break there was a little feature on the director, who said she came from music videos. The only way she could explain how she wanted that scene shot was to play a specific for the crew, and they got what she rhythm was after. That was really interesting.

9 hours ago, nara said:

Madison needs to stop doing her hair like a little girl-- it's been annoying be since that incident with Chet.

I think that's exactly why she's keeping the braids: People see that hair and don't expect her to be calculating. I"m really enjoying her story.

[kassa]

The police cover up makes absolutely no sense (I mean, it makes sense that they'd want to hide a shooting, especially one caught on camera, but not that a gunshot victim could magically be treated with no followup)

They might have managed to get around it had they thought ahead enough to introduce a corrupt local police chief who cut corners for them in the past in exchange for illicit photos of/contact with the contestants or something. Quinn could have held his cover up of the Anna death against him as leverage for covering this up.

It's like the writers have never watched soaps before.  Everything happens off screen for no logical reason, but we're supposed to just go with it.

I will say that the Hawaiian -themed shirts/leis snarky host stuff was funny.

[candall]

Quinn vs. Evil Mom was pretty darn fun.  No surprise to hear Rachel was sexually assaulted, but the maternal cover-up was a twist I didn't expect.  So Quinn and Evil Mom BOTH have potentially career-ending dark secrets in Rachel's jello brain repository.

 

Good for you, Ruby!  You hung tough even after the wounded bird pitch. 

 

Call me a sap, but I wouldn't have minded if true love had plucked Rachel from the over-druggy mental hospital.  Ha, I guess Coleman recording her doped up confessional pretty much put paid to any purity of motive.

 

I'm in favor of Darius and Football Princess--eyes wide open--joining forces to Machiavelli their way through pro ball.  Take over all the franchises, I don't care.

 

LOL at Quinn's fecundity being addressed and dismissed.  Masters of the Universe rule!

 

They should have left Romeo out of the whole thing entirely if they weren't ever planning to do anything more than skate over the surface of such a serious issue in the first place.

 

ETA:  Forgot to say, Quinn saved the blowjob card to play at the right time.  Bobbsey Twin Madison's self-congratulatory power crowing was annoying me, too. 

Edited July 26, 2016 by candall
People still know the Bobbseys, right?

[xaxat]

Even if the network and police colluded in a cover up of the shooting, it only works if Darius is on board and keeps his mouth shut. And him returning to film a TV show over making sure his cousin gets some kind of resolution makes no damn sense. And I'm assuming Romeo is dead or in a coma because there's no way he would be complicit in all of this. (Me: "Damn Darius. You had surgery that ended your career and you're on the lam from Everlasting? You really need to call your agent. Oh, wait. . . )

So the shooting was a McGuffin. And not a very well thought out one at that.

[Lurky McLurkerson]

The only parts of that episode I enjoyed at all were Ruby telling Darius to get lost and Quinn calling Rachel's mother out for what an awful excuse for a human being she is.  (And she is awful -- what kind of parent tells their child that a trauma that they have suffered renders them unlovable?  I assume Quinn knows about this and that's why she confronted her.)

Other than that, I'm about done with UnReal.  This show has no idea what story it's trying to tell, and it doesn't seem to understand that characters are not interesting simply because they are unlikable.

[Chris Burgess]

10 hours ago, lovelynn said:

Coleman really sucks - if he really wanted to expose things he would go on camera himself and not have drugged up Rachel do it. Yael is a terrible journalist. Rachel's reveal didn't explain why she still lets her mother 'treat' her or have anything to do with her really. How is it even legal for a mother to treat her daughter? That's so messed up but I don't actually care. Rachel as so dysfunctional at her age is annoying not endearing.

Oh yea... something about the suitor... Meh. Writers don't care about him, why should I. I really enjoyed season 1, I should just re-watch that one instead of finishing this season up.

Coleman didn't drugged up Rachel, it was her mother and the doctors that drugged her up, and Rachel being raped by one of her mother's patients did explain why she's a messed up person and her mother treats her like one of her patients!

[earlbny]

Here's something I don't understand. How is Darius walking around after having Back Surgery. I know he has a cane but still. One of my friends has had back surgery. After the surgery she was in bed for quite a while. Granted she had some complications and had to have the surgery X2. 

 

What about Rachel's dad being drugged up last season?

Edited July 26, 2016 by earlbny

[BingeyKohan]

2 minutes ago, Chris Burgess said:

Rachel being raped by one of her mother's patients did explain why she's a messed up person and her mother treats her like one of her patients!

But that's the problem, all this show does is "explain." Characters trade information to nudge the plot along, then Quinn makes a quip. "UnReal" (as a title) wants to be a clever synonym for "really most sincerely real," and the writers, I think, do just as messy a job presenting text that they think is subtext.

[Chris Burgess]

18 minutes ago, xaxat said:

Even if the network and police colluded in a cover up of the shooting, it only works if Darius is on board and keeps his mouth shut. And him returning to film a TV show over making sure his cousin gets some kind of resolution makes no damn sense. And I'm assuming Romeo is dead or in a coma because there's no way he would be complicit in all of this. (Me: "Damn Darius. You had surgery that ended your career and you're on the lam from Everlasting? You really need to call your agent. Oh, wait. . . )

So the shooting was a McGuffin. And not a very well thought out one at that.

There was a scene in the mental hospital where Coleman was talking to Rachel saying that both Darius and Romeo were fine, so Romeo isn't in a coma and he's doing well. SGS had said in an interview that there was a two week time jump in between episodes 7 and 8, and that Romeo has recovered from his gunshot wound.

Edited July 26, 2016 by Chris Burgess

[FormerMod-a1]

For me the horror for Rachel wasn't the rape alone, which would be plenty, but the fact that her mother covered it up to save her own skin, to keep her practice.  Her mother put protecting her own reputation above the needs of her daughter.  Then continued to work Rachel with drugs and telling her horrible things that she's now unlovable, so that no one would ever find out.  Rachel was 12!  Dear lord, it's a wonder she can function at all.  I'm glad Rachel finally is telling people, but with this show, of course it's to someone that's trying to use her and any information she has.   

[Chris Burgess]

2 minutes ago, aquarian1 said:

For me the horror for Rachel wasn't the rape alone, which would be plenty, but the fact that her mother covered it up to save her own skin, to keep her practice.  Her mother put protecting her own reputation above the needs of her daughter.  Then continued to work Rachel with drugs and telling her horrible things that she's now unlovable, so that no one would ever find out.  Rachel was 12!  Dear lord, it's a wonder she can function at all.  I'm glad Rachel finally is telling people, but with this show, of course it's to someone that's trying to use her and any information she has.   

I don't think that Coleman is using Rachel (or her being raped when she was a girl), I think he's helping her to bring Quinn and "Everlasting'' down!

[topanga]

1 hour ago, Sparger Springs said:

How did she think she was going to change the world by having a black suitor on her over the top fictional reality show. I know reality shows are largely scripted but the contestants are themselves. I don't think any reality show would look to this mess for any reason to do or not do anything. Its faker than the real reality shows.

 

1 hour ago, earlbny said:

True. I think SGS truly believed that the Bachelor/Bachelorette was going to follow UnREAL and cast the 1st black person. She thought it was groundbreaking. It wasn't but that's because UnREAL is a scripted show.

Good points, but I do think it was a groundbreaking concept to have a black suitor. I just don't think the execution of that concept has been good. How long have the Bachelor and Bachelorette shows been on TV? And how long have TV execs been saying that no one in America wants to see a romance show with a black lead? (Execs have actually said that). Apparently, Everlasting's ratings have been good this season, which means that America does want to watch a romance with a black lead. Unfortunately, this has not led UnReal to have any meaningful discussions about race other than the ones Ruby initiated. Or Quinn's quips about no one wanting to see a black suitor pick a black woman. It disappoints me that no one retorted with the fact that Quinn didn't think anyone would want a black suitor in the first place. 

The saddest and most touching line of this episode is when Ruby told Darius that he told America that she isn't a love story. As a black woman, the reality of that statement broke my heart. The world constantly tells black women that we're not beautiful or desirable as love interests--except in rare cases, and that's usually if we're light-skinned, bi-racial, or wearing long, blond weaves. 

 

53 minutes ago, kassa said:

The police cover up makes absolutely no sense (I mean, it makes sense that they'd want to hide a shooting, especially one caught on camera, but not that a gunshot victim could magically be treated with no followup)

They might have managed to get around it had they thought ahead enough to introduce a corrupt local police chief who cut corners for them in the past in exchange for illicit photos of/contact with the contestants or something. Quinn could have held his cover up of the Anna death against him as leverage for covering this up.

It's like the writers have never watched soaps before.  Everything happens off screen for no logical reason, but we're supposed to just go with it.

I will say that the Hawaiian -themed shirts/leis snarky host stuff was funny.

I thought Quinn said early in the episode that they hadn't released to the video to the police. She lied later when she told (someone?) that that the police were sitting on the footage. 

But the police have to file a report whenever they fire their guns. At the very least, they would have had to radio in to get medical assistance for Darius and Romeo. Someone with a police scanner could have picked up that communication. I can't imagine how the press would know nothing about a police shooting that involved this season's suitor. 

This episode was better than earlier episodes, but it still felt very soapy. At times I thought I was watching "Dynasty" or "General Hospital" (I know, I'm old). Like Darius's declaration that Tiffany "isn't going anywhere." Or Rachel's interactions with her mother and Coleman. 

I thought Rachel's reveal was going to be that she killed someone, maybe her dad (What happened to her dad? I forget). Although being raped by one of her mother's patients is pretty bad. 

And I love the constant digs at the clueless host. Something that continues to be funny week after week. 

[Primetimer]

Rachel reluctantly tells Coleman her life's biggest secret, but does his next move put him at the bottom of the episode's moral rankings?

View the full article

[Chris Burgess]

Coleman REALLY does love Rachel, and I think he's helping her rather than use her to bring Quinn and ''Everlasting'' down!

[Phebemarie]

Does anyone think the original plan was for Romeo to be killed by the police and that's why there's no scenes between the cousins? They could have re-filmed a few moments of Quinn's scene with the crew to "explain" that both Romeo and Darius survived.  

[LittleIggy]

2 hours ago, HunterHunted said:

Although Yael says she's a journalist, there's no way the show would have let her on if she'd been employed as a journalist or working in a news organization in the last 5 to 10 years. For this to really work, Yael would have to be independently conducting her investigation and then pitching it to a news organization after she's done.

Exactly. What kind of vetting do they do of contestants if an employed reporter can infiltrate the show?

[Ms Lark]

6 hours ago, nosleepforme said:

Did I miss something last week or when did Quinn start talking about having babies with the new guy? And why does she have to talk about having babies now? I hated that.

Glad I'm not the only one who was going, "Huh?" I think I'd remember if she had a conversation last week with Ioan/John about having babies!

1 hour ago, dubbel zout said:

10 hours ago, nara said:

Madison needs to stop doing her hair like a little girl-- it's been annoying be since that incident with Chet.

I think that's exactly why she's keeping the braids: People see that hair and don't expect her to be calculating. I"m really enjoying her story.

Hah! Makes me think of Patty McCormack in The Bad Seed. Evil child! All she needs now is little tap shoes...

26 minutes ago, aquarian1 said:

For me the horror for Rachel wasn't the rape alone, which would be plenty, but the fact that her mother covered it up to save her own skin, to keep her practice.  Her mother put protecting her own reputation above the needs of her daughter.  Then continued to work Rachel with drugs and telling her horrible things that she's now unlovable, so that no one would ever find out.  Rachel was 12!  Dear lord, it's a wonder she can function at all.

Seems to me Mom just made things worse for Rachel. What a piece of work. Wonder if we'll find out she really doesn't have a license to practice; was nothing but a charlatan to begin with.

I'm really not enjoying this season as much as the first at all. It's a shame, there was a lot of potential there.

Edited July 26, 2016 by Ms Lark
grammar!

[Sparger Springs]

48 minutes ago, earlbny said:

Here's something I don't understand. How is Darius walking around after having Back Surgery. I know he has a cane but still. One of my friends has had back surgery. After the surgery she was in bed for quite a while. Granted she had some complications and had to have the surgery X2. 

 

What about Rachel's dad being drugged up last season?

Walking around with a cane and grimacing but ready for sex.  I guess he will lie there while she does all the work.

[Sparger Springs]

39 minutes ago, topanga said:

 

Good points, but I do think it was a groundbreaking concept to have a black suitor. I just don't think the execution of that concept has been good. How long have the Bachelor and Bachelorette shows been on TV? And how long have TV execs been saying that no one in America wants to see a romance show with a black lead? (Execs have actually said that). Apparently, Everlasting's ratings have been good this season, which means that America does want to watch a romance with a black lead. Unfortunately, this has not led UnReal to have any meaningful discussions about race other than the ones Ruby initiated. Or Quinn's quips about no one wanting to see a black suitor pick a black woman. It disappoints me that no one retorted with the fact that Quinn didn't think anyone would want a black suitor in the first place. 

 

UnReals ratings are worse than they were last year. A good night is less than 500k with maybe another 500k from DVR and online viewings. America is not pumped for a fictional or real Black suitor.

[topanga]

3 minutes ago, Sparger Springs said:

Walking around with a cane and grimacing but ready for sex.  I guess he will lie there while she does all the work.

Yes, I'm trying to overlook that. Plus the fact that his doctors know that his surgery "didn't work," although it's been less than 2 weeks since the surgery. H'es still in what's called the "post-op" phase. There's no way to determine if the surgery was effective, much less whether he'll be able to play football again.

[Sparger Springs]

1 minute ago, topanga said:

Yes, I'm trying to overlook that. Plus the fact that his doctors know that his surgery "didn't work," although it's been less than 2 weeks since the surgery. H'es still in what's called the "post-op" phase. There's no way to determine if the surgery was effective, much less whether he'll be able to play football again.

I don't think the Unreal production staff has any interest in what actually happens in the real world. I was reading on another board that the stats they gave Darius are abysmal and he would have a very low QB rating and be 31st out of 32 teams with the paltry stats they gave him.

[BingeyKohan]

We really need to develop a drinking game around all the times a character delivers a line downloading us on an important event that happened off-screen. Call it getting UnSober. I've been looking for an excuse to invest in some barware like Quinn's.

[okerry]

The way Shiri delivered the line about Rachel's secret, my first thought was, "Is that even true? Or is it was Rachel believes, or was told, or is the official party line, and this is really about something else?"

Her mother said something like, "No one would ever love you if they knew the truth - " Did she say, "if they knew what you did?" I'd have to see that scene again. But that doesn't seem to connect to what supposedly happened to Rachel.

Oh, well. I'm probably just reaching because I'm pretty disappointed in the show this season after last season's stellar performance.

[Gurkel]

10 minutes ago, Sparger Springs said:

UnReals ratings are worse than they were last year. A good night is less than 500k with maybe another 500k from DVR and online viewings. America is not pumped for a fictional or real Black suitor.

But ratings are good for the actual reality show, Everlasting. Yes, the ratings for UnReal suck--and deservedly so. 

 

1 hour ago, candall said:

Good for you, Ruby!  You hung tough even after the wounded bird pitch.

<SNIP>

ETA:  Forgot to say, Quinn saved the blowjob card to play at the right time.  Bobbsey Twin Madison's self-congratulatory power crowing was annoying me, too. 

Yay, Ruby! I has happy to see her and glad she had the last word. But was Darius being sincere, or was he just desperate? It's hard to tell based on the writing--and the actor's portrayal. 

Yes, I loved Quinn's digs about Madison giving Chet a blow job. I forgot Quinn's line about something being "short and fast," but it made me laugh. I'll have to watch it again. 

[dubbel zout]

21 minutes ago, topanga said:

There's no way to determine if the surgery was effective, much less whether he'll be able to play football again.

I thought Darius knew his football career was over, whether the surgery was effective or not. I thought at this point the surgery was to make sure he didn't end up in a wheelchair. And knowing Darius's football days were over was what Jay was able to use to get him to return to Everlasting. Darius still seems to believe he can use the show to rehab his image and get a TV job.

[formerlyfreedom]

1 hour ago, PreviouslyTV said:

Rachel reluctantly tells Coleman her life's biggest secret,

Until NEXT season, anyway...

[earlbny]

26 minutes ago, saoirse said:

Until NEXT season, anyway...

On a very special episode of. 

Someone on IMDB thinks that Quinn had a baby in college and gave her up for adoption and Rachel is Quinn's biological daughter. 

Here's something that pisses me off. The most recent UnREAL video that was upload to YouTube by Lifetime was Quinn's best one liners. That's what this show has become one liners and over the top soap stories. I am so over Quinn's one liners. They are so over the top and played out. No videos about Darius and Romeo.

Edited July 26, 2016 by earlbny

[Lurky McLurkerson]

1 hour ago, LittleIggy said:

Exactly. What kind of vetting do they do of contestants if an employed reporter can infiltrate the show?

I had the same thought when I was watching the episode, but, on further reflection, I don't think it would be a complete barrier to participation because Quinn seemed pretty confident in her reminder to Jameson about the confidentiality agreement she signed for the show.  That shut Jameson up pretty quickly, and I assume the threat of a protracted, expensive lawsuit is what the showrunners think would keep even a journalist contestant in line.

[candall]

27 minutes ago, Sparger Springs said:

UnReals ratings are worse than they were last year. A good night is less than 500k with maybe another 500k from DVR and online viewings. America is not pumped for a fictional or real Black suitor.

Hmm.  I don't think we can draw that conclusion from the poor UnReal ratings.  This season isn't a basic retread of Season One, except for a single variable.  There's barely a resemblance--which is the problem.

If "money, dick, power" Quinn were still mentoring her morally-tormented protégé, teaching her the tricks of the trade, we knew the bachelorettes, there was some manipulative slap & tickle going on in the corners and "the line we don't cross" kept slipping farther away, Season Two would probably be enjoying the same ratings bonanza as Season One. 

(To me, the ONLY improvement this season was giving the suitor some character and a compelling story, with multiple layers and concerns, instead of just "bland blond playboy develops a crush while trying to impress his wealthy pop.")

[Knuckles]

1 minute ago, candall said:

If "money, dick, power" Quinn were still mentoring her morally-tormented protégé, teaching her the tricks of the trade, we knew the bachelorettes, there was some manipulative slap & tickle going on in the corners and "the line we don't cross" kept slipping farther away, Season Two would probably be enjoying the same ratings bonanza as Season One. 

 

That's it in a nutshell. And it is the writing, not the actors that is the source of the trouble. The big Rachel reveal was unnecessary...it was enough that we knew that Rachel was emotionally unstable, and that that very instability gave her a laser-like insight into the weaknesses and vulnerabilities of the various bachelorettes. And in partnership with Quinn, a ruthless willingness to exploit those weaknesses. Around that premise was a hard edged willingness to accept   the costs involved. Quinn's personal life was a mess, so was Rachel's attempts at relationships...business and romantic. Everyone else involved was also equipped with enough ambition and moral relativism to keep pushing the envelope. There was no sentimentality just a cold-eyed realism...with plenty of black humor to boot. 

Since it is a work-related show, we don't need to have insight into their family or childhood dynamics...we don't have those at work either with our colleagues. Instead, we work with what we see, and what we see our work colleagues do...and from that, guess our own best strategies. That's what made the first season work...everyone was in the game, event the most unlikely players.

[BingeyKohan]

1 minute ago, Knuckles said:

Since it is a work-related show, we don't need to have insight into their family or childhood dynamics...we don't have those at work either with our colleagues. Instead, we work with what we see, and what we see our work colleagues do...and from that, guess our own best strategies. That's what made the first season work...everyone was in the game, event the most unlikely players.

Totally agree. This is the kind of third-act revelation you see in a stage play, like they think they're making August Osage County or something. 

[trouble]

Quote

UnReals ratings are worse than they were last year. A good night is less than 500k with maybe another 500k from DVR and online viewings. America is not pumped for a fictional or real Black suitor.

I don't get the feeling that the majority of people were watching this show because of the suitor, black or otherwise. That said, for those that in Season one became invested in Rachel and Adam's relationship, maybe when they realized that there wouldn't be a continuation that relationship, they tuned out? 

[basically]

In season one there were things that didn't make sense or were glossed over but the season as a whole was so solid that I was able to overlook it and it didn't seriously bother me. There's just way too much unbelievable stuff to ignore this season.

They tried to take on so much they couldn't do anything right. And I'm not exaggerating - the execution this season was horrible. They pulled out every stop this year and really didn't need to. It's only season 2 people - slow down. Instead of giving us shock after shock and trying to outdo themselves every episode, they should have just tried writing a good story. One good story - not 25 messy ones that all end with loose ends anyway while we move into the next shocker. Let us care about these characters and relationships - SHOW us why they make sense don't just tell us. That way when shit goes down we actually give a damn what happens to them.

Maybe they did have good intentions but they ended up butchering it all to hell. They didnt do enough prep to take on such important issues and the show is closer to being a soap that deserves to be on lifetime - and not even a fun one either. They didn't know what the hell to do with Chet or Jeremy - who despite my distaste for last season seemed completely out of character this year. Quinn is reduced to one liners and a wasted flop romance with Ioan Gruffud. Coleman would have been 10x more interesting had he NOT been a love interest for Rachel. Rachel would have been more interesting had she been actually producing this season or been blatantly (to the audience) using Coleman to get ahead instead of falling into another delusion of love. Contestants we weren't even given a chance to care about. Darious was never properly fleshed out.

One other problem I had this season was the separation of Rachel and Quinn. We all knew it would have to come eventually, but it was something that Should have been built to later in the season (or another season) instead of right out of the gate. They should have let us explore more of their dynamic together before tearing them apart. A lot of critics are saying nothing felt earned this season and I agree with them. 

Lifetime is crazy if they don't do everything in their power to bring Marti Noxon to comeback next season and tell Shapiro to deal just deal with it - they gave her a chance to run the show and she's pretty much destroyed the accross the board critical acclaim season 1 earned fair and square.

Who knows if Noxon can even fix it or would even want to at this point - but the decline between season 1 and 2 is so jarring - all signs point to her being the missing ingredient here.

Edited July 26, 2016 by basically