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Celebrating 1,000 NCIS-franchise episodes

S09.E03: Leza and Linda

Tara Ariano

By Tara Ariano
in Hoarders [V]

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Tara Ariano

Tara Ariano

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A woman's home is red tagged as uninhabitable and she has to clean it up before an imposed deadline or risk losing her property. Also: unsanitary conditions prevent a woman from taking her husband home following a heart transplant.

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LittleIggy

LittleIggy

Linda seemed really sad. I liked how grateful she and her husband were about the cleanup. Which leads me to Lena. What an ungrateful bitch. They ruined her business! STFU! She was so hateful to her friend, too. 

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AuntTora

AuntTora

1 hour ago, islandgal140 said:

Lawd, Linda had an old can in her home labeled Food Reserves Ham Flavored Chunks. What even?!?!?  I laughed for a solid 3 minutes.

Right?? There were also "chicken flavored" chunks. Chunks! Flavored! WHAT ARE THEY MADE OF.

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BooksRule

BooksRule

(edited)

Linda's house was probably one of the cleanest and nicest looking houses after clean-up that I've ever seen.  I'm glad her husband has a clean place to go back to, but I hope that family and social services will be checking on them frequently.  Linda's habits won't get resolved quickly, and she could start trashing up the place very soon if she isn't monitored closely.

Leza was one of the most ungrateful people ever, wasn't she?  (Probably Ernestine from Louisiana or maybe Hannah of the hoarded farm animals was close.)  She wasn't grateful at all for the help.  All they did was take away her 'business' (telling fake fortunes, making 'Tarot' cards that were nothing but fortune cookie sayings turned into cards and self-publishing children's books.  I would have liked to see what her books looked like, though).  Nothing was her fault at all, and I would like to know how her health issues managed to hoard up her house for her.  I know people who have major health problems and they manage to keep their living spaces clean.  Finally, I did notice that when she 'read' the fortune of that guy at the beginning of the episode (I wonder if he was a real customer or a plant), she thanked him for his 'donation', to make it clear that he wasn't paying her for actually selling him anything.  

Edited by BooksRule
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Muffyn

Muffyn

2 hours ago, BooksRule said:

Leza was one of the most ungrateful people ever, wasn't she?  (Probably Ernestine from Louisiana or maybe Hannah of the hoarded farm animals was close.)  She wasn't grateful at all for the help.  All they did was take away her 'business' (telling fake fortunes, making 'Tarot' cards that were nothing but fortune cookie sayings turned into cards and self-publishing children's books.  I would have liked to see what her books looked like, though).  Nothing was her fault at all, and I would like to know how her health issues managed to hoard up her house for her.  I know people who have major health problems and they manage to keep their living spaces clean.  Finally, I did notice that when she 'read' the fortune of that guy at the beginning of the episode (I wonder if he was a real customer or a plant), she thanked him for his 'donation', to make it clear that he wasn't paying her for actually selling him anything.  

One little bit  of defense - health issues can make it much harder for people to keep their space clean.  With mobility issues, you tend to want the things you use very often near to where you spend most of your time.  Also, it can be hard to pick things up if you dropped them or to clean spaces that are high or low.  Of course, that wasn't Leza's issue.  She has some serious  health issues but she also filled her home with huge amounts of garbage because of her mental illness and not because anyone else did anything to her.  I noticed almost everything they tried to take out that was really strange (the dead tree, the jar o' bugs) he had been saving for "two years".  So, by her claims, was her house a model of cleanliness and efficiency two years ago?  I can't even imagine what kind of "art" she would create for the Day of the Dead with her dead bugs.

I enjoyed how carefully the person told her that the police cannot investigate if they cannot find any evidence of what she claims happened. It is almost impossible to tell if any local assholes are messing with her or if she is imagining all of it.  I am sure she is imagining most of it.  Then again, in her state,  someone walking their dog could be seen as a major threat.  She needs a helluva lot more help than Hoarders can offer.   Dorothy put that out there right in the beginning.  They were trying to save her home but she was not going to appreciate it at all.  She certainly didn't. 

Off to open a can of tasty chunk flavored chunks.     

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Sienna

Sienna

I was amazed at the amount of stuff they allowed Leza to keep. It really did seem as though they made an effort to bring the house up to code, but not get rid of more than they had to. Of course, Leza didn't seem to appreciate any of it. I did love Dorothy Breininger with her "And she's going to HATE IT" comment.

I really hope she commits to therapy, and is somehow able to continue it after the after care funds run out.

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sourpickles

sourpickles

I'm a lurker on this show, but I do have to say this, or else I'll explode. OK on the ham chunks, but right next to it are POTATO GRANULES. WTF IS that even? Like, potato bullion? And what company is/was that, I'd like to know. I haven't seen labels like that in decades. I DO get the whole post Depression "hoarding" thing. I grew up (along with friends) with many a grandparent who lived through that and they had rooms that were packed. But CLEAN. This is a whole nother ball of wax.

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enoughcats

enoughcats

If I were queen of the world , I'd forbid Hoarders from placing so much as one empty trash bag for anyone who declares themselves an artist.  

Re the donation:  no sales tax if no sale.  

Would she have continued to live in the hotel/motel if the Elder Aid's money hadn't run out?  Just sitting, waiting for the world to serve her.  

Poster child for "no good deed goes unpunished"

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enoughcats

enoughcats

Re the granules and chunks, could those have been thrown out by the food bank where Linda works?  And she saved them from the dumpster?  those ingredients sound like what it would take to feed 200 people nutrient rich casseroles without massive time to chop up 'grocery store' ingredients.  I hate to admit, but I could see those going into a soup and being pretty good (assuming they hadn't gone bad.)

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notyrmomma

notyrmomma

Lena reminded me exactly why I don't visit psychics.  I love how one's psychic ability has rules--they can't read their own future...phleeze! She's been a hustler since birth.  

I know it's been said before, but what would have come of Lena's "business" if she were out on the streets?  I don't think a shopping cart will hold that 15 ft dead tree.  And the homeless folks would really be able to get off a good shot at her with their pellet guns if she is sleeping on the street. 

Now Linda, I wanted to give her a hug.  She definitely recognized that she has issues and needs to change.  I thought her mental illness of hoarding food was interesting--she hoards, but does not necessarily eat it as she was somewhat a normal-ish weight (I would be constantly eating).  I also think food hoarding is more common than we think.  I threw out some moldy provolone cheese that was in my sister's fridge a couple months ago (she found said moldy cheese in the garbage as I didn't tell her I was throwing it out) and boy, did I get yelled at!  I told that provolone is not blue cheese and you can't eat it moldy...unless you want to get really sick.  I get that food costs a lot of money and you hate to waste it, but make it a lesson for next time you go to the store, and don't buy more than you can eat!  EVEN IF ITS ON SALE

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NYCFree

NYCFree

I was thinking that even if the food lady does continue her habit, she may at least keep it confined to canned or packaged goods.  I don't think that would hurt her husband's health (unless she decides to feed it to him in a few years). 

Saint Dorothy certainly earned her unofficial title with psychic psycho.  I think that Dorothy just made it a personal goal that the woman wouldn't be homeless and moved on from there.

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auntjess

auntjess

What shocked me was that Linda kept her refrigerator.  Usually, or at least frequently, they haul it out and get a new one, and considering her husband's vulnerability, I wouldn't trust that every single contaminated cranny of the old fridge was sterile.
I hope a lot of the "donations" end up in the trash.

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Gbb

Gbb

(edited)
49 minutes ago, Toaster Strudel said:

The heart transplant recipient was a slob too, judging by the basement.  He couldn't keep his own area clean.  I don't think he's long for this world.  His wife is a hoarder and a slob... he's just a slob.

Someone on the heart transplant list is not going to have the strength or stamina to keep their own area clean. He moved downstairs (not to the basement, I believe, but just down to the main floor) because he could no longer go up and down stairs. People are often on transplant lists for years before they receive one, so we have no idea how long he was ill or how ill he was. It's quite possible he barely had the strength to go back and forth from the couch to the bathroom. Too ill to clean does not (necessarily) equal "slob" imo. 

Edited by Gbb
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Court

Court

Gosh, after candle eyebrow lady, I thought she was my most disliked hoarder. Leza now wins the title as the most ungrateful, horrible person.

She has no self awareness, delusions, and is just cruel. I was also surprised she was seeing a therapist. I'm sure she is telling him he's wrong. 

I don't think heart transplant guy was a slob. When I was on bedrest for 8 weeks, my bedroom was a horrible mess. My husband helped clean it but with 2 kids and a job, it was difficult for both of us. 

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Toaster Strudel

Toaster Strudel

I am on an organ transplant waiting list myself - it's not an excuse to live in a dumpster.  He can get some friends to help or hire a cleaning service for a few hours and keep his own environment clean.  But he was just fine sleeping on a filthy couch in a dark room full of garbage.

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Mrsjumbo

Mrsjumbo

My parents were depression kids & eating at their house is an adventure. Salad dressings in particular tend to be out of date by years.

Who else laughed seeing Dorothy's face sticking out of the garbage bag in the rain?! 

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funky-rat

funky-rat

On ‎1‎/‎2‎/‎2017 at 1:37 PM, Muffyn said:

One little bit  of defense - health issues can make it much harder for people to keep their space clean.  With mobility issues, you tend to want the things you use very often near to where you spend most of your time.  Also, it can be hard to pick things up if you dropped them or to clean spaces that are high or low.  Of course, that wasn't Leza's issue.  She has some serious  health issues but she also filled her home with huge amounts of garbage because of her mental illness and not because anyone else did anything to her.  I noticed almost everything they tried to take out that was really strange (the dead tree, the jar o' bugs) he had been saving for "two years".  So, by her claims, was her house a model of cleanliness and efficiency two years ago?  I can't even imagine what kind of "art" she would create for the Day of the Dead with her dead bugs.

I enjoyed how carefully the person told her that the police cannot investigate if they cannot find any evidence of what she claims happened. It is almost impossible to tell if any local assholes are messing with her or if she is imagining all of it.  I am sure she is imagining most of it.  Then again, in her state,  someone walking their dog could be seen as a major threat.  She needs a helluva lot more help than Hoarders can offer.   Dorothy put that out there right in the beginning.  They were trying to save her home but she was not going to appreciate it at all.  She certainly didn't. 

Off to open a can of tasty chunk flavored chunks.     

My Uncle's late wife (I refused to call her my Aunt) was Paranoid Schizophrenic, and she was just like Leza.  It was scary how much alike they were.  D (Uncle's late wife) was one for saving stuff in jars - namely cigarette butts.  When we helped them move, the deep freeze was full of toilet paper and frying pans.  No food.  She refused to drink water - she was convinced it was poison so she lived off Pepsi.  She was also convinced that TV was sending subliminal messages on channel 246 (back when TV's didn't go above 99) every night - naked men would come on a 2am and taunt her.  She called my mother at 4am one Sunday morning.  She demanded she go look at the newspaper.  The front page had a photo of a homeless man.  She said that if you connected the dots, it made a (male organ).  The scariest part, though, and what took me right back was the accusation of people taunting her (Leza and D) and how they'd poop on her lawn, shoot at her, and crawl through her basement windows, etc.  My mouth was hanging open.  It was D all over again.  When they lived in town, D called the cops almost nightly, saying there were bums living in her basement, and they would go through the crawlspaces and taunt her.  She'd also say the neighbor "looked at her funny".  Finally, the police told her to stop calling.  So they moved out to the country, to a doublewide.  No basement.  We went to visit, and it was really cold.  She had pie tins sitting over every single heat vent, with a brick in it.  She said it was because the bums found her, and went under the skirting, and were using the heat vents to pass drugs to each other.  She was in and out of mental hospitals for years.  Sadly, she could get violent and she beat my Uncle a number of times, but he loved her (he's developmentally delayed) and we could never convince him to leave her.  I hold zero hope for Leza.  D was like that until the day she passed away (lung cancer).

On ‎1‎/‎2‎/‎2017 at 7:13 PM, sourpickles said:

I'm a lurker on this show, but I do have to say this, or else I'll explode. OK on the ham chunks, but right next to it are POTATO GRANULES. WTF IS that even? Like, potato bullion? And what company is/was that, I'd like to know. I haven't seen labels like that in decades. I DO get the whole post Depression "hoarding" thing. I grew up (along with friends) with many a grandparent who lived through that and they had rooms that were packed. But CLEAN. This is a whole nother ball of wax.

Potato Granules are potato flakes, potato buds, whatever you call powdered/instant potato.  My mom's parents were depression hoarders, but while their house was cluttered, it wasn't filthy.

On ‎1‎/‎3‎/‎2017 at 8:59 PM, auntjess said:

What shocked me was that Linda kept her refrigerator.  Usually, or at least frequently, they haul it out and get a new one, and considering her husband's vulnerability, I wouldn't trust that every single contaminated cranny of the old fridge was sterile.
I hope a lot of the "donations" end up in the trash.

It was a relatively new fridge - could tell by the design.  I've seen them steam-clean appliances on past shows.  I assume they did that this time, or at the very least gave it a deep clean.

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AZChristian

AZChristian

I finally had a chance to see this episode during today's marathon.

Leza was enough to trigger me back to remembering my mother's personality.  She would never allow herself to see the good in ANYTHING.  She once said that she wouldn't want to win the lottery because (1) the government would take out tax money, and (2) she'd lose her Social Security (a whopping $900 a month).  When she said that, I simply remarked, "You would NOT lose your Social Security.  And if you win a million and the government takes $300,000 you're still $700,000 ahead.  I'd take that deal any day of the week."

But, obviously, I'm an idiot and I don't know what I'm talking about, so she dropped that subject and went on to find negatives in everything else in her life.  No, we weren't close.  

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DB in CMH

DB in CMH

I know somebody who was on camera during the Linda episode. She said that Standolyn was a doll, the doctor wouldn't talk to them when not on camera, and they kept trying to stir up drama because there was none. It was filmed on the summer of 2015.

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smorbie

smorbie

On 1/3/2017 at 11:49 PM, Gbb said:

Someone on the heart transplant list is not going to have the strength or stamina to keep their own area clean. He moved downstairs (not to the basement, I believe, but just down to the main floor) because he could no longer go up and down stairs. People are often on transplant lists for years before they receive one, so we have no idea how long he was ill or how ill he was. It's quite possible he barely had the strength to go back and forth from the couch to the bathroom. Too ill to clean does not (necessarily) equal "slob" imo. 

That's true.  My BIL has known for years that he would eventually need a transplant, but he had to have a MAJOR heart attack causing his heart to function at about 20% before he even qualified for testing to be listed.  He's been really sick for a long time now.

On 1/4/2017 at 0:55 AM, Court said:

don't think heart transplant guy was a slob. When I was on bedrest for 8 weeks, my bedroom was a horrible mess.

When I was going through chemo, my house was a wreck.  Really.  I didn't vacuum regularly, waited until my bathroom was dirty before I cleaned it, and farmed my clothes out to my kids to wash.  Only when my son mentioned it did I realize I'd had a jar of peanut butter on a table in my living room for a couple of months.

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smorbie

smorbie

(edited)
On 1/25/2017 at 0:40 AM, DB in CMH said:

I know somebody who was on camera during the Linda episode. She said that Standolyn was a doll, the doctor wouldn't talk to them when not on camera, and they kept trying to stir up drama because there was none. It was filmed on the summer of 2015.

This has brought up my problem with all the Hoarders shows.  I have a background in counseling and I can not think of one instance where allowing family members and friends to yell at the mentally ill person is a good idea.  Yes, in family therapy you would have the group members share their experiences and how the illness has affected them.  But this show has them ganging up and screaming into the hoarder's face about how their lives are all ruined because the person hoards.  I honestly don't get that.  That's not therapeutic at all.  It would certainly not encourage the hoarder to seek or continue to get help.

The episode I saw had a Linda but it wasn't the one you guys are talking about.  Who is doctor who wouldn't talk unless being filmed?

Never mind.  I found the article.  It was Dr. Tompkins.  I can't say that surprises me.  He's one of those guys that makes you wonder who would actually go to him as a therapist.

Edited by smorbie
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