S03.E03: Clarity

[formerlyfreedom]

A patriarchal group date infuriates Serena, who refuses to heed Chet's advice on how women should act; Rachel opens up about her past to Dr. Simon; one of the contestants reveals the real reason why he came on the show

[earlbny]

Quinn is still banging manbun dude. Enough already. Once was one too many.

The game of thrones thing was almost as bad as last year’s obstacle curse/football game.

Serena seems to change every episode.  Does she even know what she wants?

Jay finally has some lines and a story. What took them so long? The kiss was long overdue. People do crazy things when they’re drunk?  I hope the explore that some more. Gay people need love too.

 

The line about the summer show on a niche network is true but still does erase what happens last season. We get it you can make fun of yourself. Once is enough. You don’t need to do it every single episode.

 

Since when is Jeremy a saint?

 

Gram is funny

 

If I drank on the job I would be fired

 

I can’t believe thy fired John the Bartender :( he was my favorite wink wink

 

Owen kind of reminds me of Aaron Judge maybe/maybe not

 

I really liked Rachel this episode she brought out some S1 manipulation magic

 

Rachel turning the tables on Quinn

 

Quinn is a bitch. She is probably my least favorite character on the show at least after Jeremy and Chet. I can’t stand her anymore. She’s annoying and whiny and her one liners are not funny.

 

Much like Madison’s obernight transformation overnight Quinn transformed into a mess in a matter of minutes. Most good shows will stretch that out for an entire season before they break down.

 

Maddison has yet to join the Darkside

Jermey should run off with Charlie and get married and never come back to Everlasting

Rachel kind of coming clean is a start in the right direction. Don’t forget about it next week. Someone needs to pay. My guess which is something I thought of before the season even started is that Jeremy is going to take the fall. Bye bye Jeremy. Thrbfar  majority don’t like him plus Rachel kind of is the show. Either he admits it on his own or someone else throws them under the bus. Rachel’s not going anywhere. 

 After thinking about it some more I think Dr. Simon is going to talk to the press/tabloids ?  That’s what was going to happen last season before the car crash. They will probably finish what they started using Dr. Simon.

 Can we just in the plot and move on already?  Stop dragging it out. 

The Silver Fox was my favorite :( wink wink did he ever speak prier to leaving?

Since when does Quinn have morels?

I bet the Dr is going to put them to a reporter? 

I don’t need to see Quinn on the bowl eww I get why they did it. Still eww!

This episode was much better. It was a step in the right direction. They have work to do to get back to S1.  I have a feeling they’re going to drag out all the mess from last season and save it for the finale. I still wish Rachel never came back and we got that spin off. 

Next week we get to meet Rachel’s attacker yay!  Now we can hopefully finally move on.

Edited March 13, 2018 by earlbny

[LittleIggy]

“August is your UTI!” ?

Who was that guy Rachel went to see at the end, after looking at pics of him?

[earlbny]

1 hour ago, LittleIggy said:

“August is your UTI!” ?

Who was that guy Rachel went to see at the end, after looking at pics of him?

How come we’ve never seen those pics before? Where and when were they taken ?  I don’t remember ever seeing them. That dude is probably the guy who raped Rachel.

 

ETA: I think the guy in the pics is Raresh DiMofte who plays the role of Sergei. He’s only credited with being in one episode. My guess is that Rachel confronts him for like a quick minute and then that’s the end of that.

Edited March 13, 2018 by earlbny

[LittleIggy]

28 minutes ago, earlbny said:

How come we’ve never seen those pics before? Where and when were they taken ?  I don’t remember ever seeing them. That dude is probably the guy who raped Rachel.

Why would she have all those pics of someone who raped her?

[earlbny]

5 minutes ago, LittleIggy said:

Why would she have all those pics of someone who raped her?

 Because it’s UnREAL and we all know that everyone keeps photos of there rapist. 

[BingeyKohan]

I couldn’t make it past the sight gag of Serena in the tower as Rapunzel. The writing has gotten too dumb. I used to blame the serious drop-off in quality from S1 on losing Marti Noxon but now I think Lifetime took advantage of that instability to give them notes about intentionally making the show dumber, and easier to follow if you didn’t even have the sound on, like they thought it was too smart for its own good or too much of an outlier from the rest of their programming. It makes me sad for the cast who are for the most part very talented.

[dmc]

Am I the only one that finds Serena so annoying?

It's hard for me to be like the reason men don't like her is her success because she sooo annoying.

I sort of feel bad for Quinn.  I get that her toxic relationship with Chet is over and that he's moved on to Crystal but I surprised that someone as talented as she is would not just create another show solo and leave Everlasting.

Rachel needs more than a set therapist, she needs a real one that she visits weekly. 

 

Why is Jeremy still there

[earlbny]

1 hour ago, BingeyKohan said:

I couldn’t make it past the sight gag of Serena in the tower as Rapunzel. The writing has gotten too dumb. I used to blame the serious drop-off in quality from S1 on losing Marti Noxon but now I think Lifetime took advantage of that instability to give them notes about intentionally making the show dumber, and easier to follow if you didn’t even have the sound on, like they thought it was too smart for its own good or too much of an outlier from the rest of their programming. It makes me sad for the cast who are for the most part very talented.

That scene was way to dumb. As cheesy as the real show is I doubt they do stuff like this. They don't like talking bout her but she played a big part in S1. The minute she left everything went down the toilet. To be fair I've seen so many shows on other networks that started out so good and then turned into crap once the network got involved. I am starting to think the short film/S1 was a one hit wonder. They are set in their ways and probably just happy to have a job/paycheck. 

44 minutes ago, dmc said:

Am I the only one that finds Serena so annoying?

It's hard for me to be like the reason men don't like her is her success because she sooo annoying.

I sort of feel bad for Quinn.  I get that her toxic relationship with Chet is over and that he's moved on to Crystal but I surprised that someone as talented as she is would not just create another show solo and leave Everlasting.

Rachel needs more than a set therapist, she needs a real one that she visits weekly. 

 

Why is Jeremy still there

Serena is like watching paint dry. She's annoying and boring.

They should have let Quinn create another show. I would be all for it. I still think Rachel should have not come back and then we could of had a spinoff.  We could have followed her on her journey as she navigates life and gets everything in order. I am thinking of a CW coming of age show. 

 

Jeremy needed to go a long time ago. He serves no purpose. I am sticking by theory that he will be gone by the end of the season. They will drag that car crash out out as long as they can.

 

Every time I hear about Rachel's issues I am reminded of Romeo. They should bring him back and do one of those disgruntled employee story lines.

 

I would have done the opening scene of S3E1 differently. You could still show Rachel lying in that lake and Quinn standing there but also show Jeremy getting put into handcuffs and going off to jail. They could have even played a news clip like they did with the car crash that said something like "A cameraman who worked on the hit show Everlasting gets life in prison for the fetal car crash that killed 2 people".  Quinn could explain to Rachel that hes gone and cant hurt her anymore and then we could move on. Instead hes hanging around like life is good.

Edited March 13, 2018 by earlbny

[Pepper Mostly]

UnREAL. Come for the shitty writing, stay for the overacting. 

1 hour ago, earlbny said:

You could still show Rachel lying in that lake and Quinn standing there but also show Jeremy getting put into handcuffs and going off to jail. They could have even played a news clip like they did with the car crash that said something like "A cameraman who worked on the hit show Everlasting gets life in prison for the fetal car crash that killed 2 people".  Quinn could explain to Rachel that hes gone and cant hurt her anymore and then we could move on. Instead hes hanging around like life is good

That would have been a much better story. ANYTHING would have been a better story. One of my biggest gripes about TV shows is that they paint themselves into a corner by clinging to the same characters. Thats not what happens in real life. People move on, get new jobs, move away, break up, whatever. Why is Jeremy wandering around acting all normal? And getting all flirty with the new camera operator? For real? No one has taken her aside and said "hey, stay away from Jeremy--he has a history." 

And Madison? Is she now competent, with a finely honed killer instinct? Or is she a flaky wannabe who crumbles under pressure? 

A PA brings Quinn antibiotics and cranberry juice right out in the open in front of everyone? I don't care where you work--who would last 5 minutes if he was that indiscreet? 

The sensitive firefighter is a woman hating douche? who didn't see that coming? 

There's too much ridiculous. I can't. 

[earlbny]

35 minutes ago, Pepper Mostly said:

UnREAL. Come for the shitty writing, stay for the overacting. 

That would have been a much better story. ANYTHING would have been a better story. One of my biggest gripes about TV shows is that they paint themselves into a corner by clinging to the same characters. Thats not what happens in real life. People move on, get new jobs, move away, break up, whatever. Why is Jeremy wandering around acting all normal? And getting all flirty with the new camera operator? For real? No one has taken her aside and said "hey, stay away from Jeremy--he has a history." 

And Madison? Is she now competent, with a finely honed killer instinct? Or is she a flaky wannabe who crumbles under pressure? 

A PA brings Quinn antibiotics and cranberry juice right out in the open in front of everyone? I don't care where you work--who would last 5 minutes if he was that indiscreet? 

The sensitive firefighter is a woman hating douche? who didn't see that coming? 

There's too much ridiculous. I can't. 

Your 1st line had me ROTFLOL. So true. Don't tell Sarah that. She thinks they are edgy and Emmy worthy. 

The new camera operator came out of nowhere like shes been on the set for years. Where did she come from and why would someone want to work for Everlasting? Haven't they heard all the rumors. In the real world people indeed move on. Jeremy is a saint. He can do no wrong. In the words of  Michelle Tanner “OH, PUH-LEEEZE.” 

Madison is the same old Madison just without the braids. I'll give her a pass because her body is probably still going through that change. 

As for the ridiculousness this is only the beginning.

Anyone with half a brain can easily figure this show out. I remember reading a comment from someone who was shocked that I guessed Ruby was coming back and Darius was picking her. 

Here are some stray observations from the AV club

At least Quinn mentioned the two dead people.

Why does the cowboy still hang around? Who is he?

“Quinn, this princess in a castle crap is dumb even for us.”

Why cast Cameron Bancroft and only have him say only like two lines? Does no one remember his turn on 90210 as Donna’s boyfriend?

Next week: We find out who Rachel was looking up.

 

https://www.avclub.com/a-lot-of-this-unreal-season-seems-painfully-familiar-1823720957

Edited March 13, 2018 by earlbny

[BingeyKohan]

One more thing I will say about UnReal (and then I will back away, because I hope there are diehard fans out there and don't want to pile on with only negativity): I am so tired of the aesthetics of this show. The Everlasting set is so ugly, and the show's design (with the exception of Madison's pigtails) has not changed one iota since the pilot. It's like going to a theme restaurant over and over again until you can't stand the sight of it anymore. 

[HunterHunted]

Losing weight hasn't made Jeremy any less insufferable. Why on Earth is he so beleaguered and sanctimonious when he, of his own volition and not at all requested by Rachel, decided to murder 2 people? He doesn't get to retroactively blame Rachel because he regrets his actions. Furthermore the show has him do this every season without any real exploration of his character. He makes some horrid decision, regrets it, blames Rachel, and then proceeds to abuse and berate her left and right rather than take responsibility for what he did and why he's addicted to being Captain Save-a-ho for Rachel. He's not a good dude, but the show doesn't let us get his interior life so he remains this superficial abusive douche.

Jeremy should be gone, but I know Lifetime wanted him back for season 2. I assume they spoke up about season 3.

Even in their private moments, nothing about Quinn and August/man bun indicates that they've caught feelings for each other. Or why they've caught feelings. I know that that they've suggested it on August's end when he suggested that he and Quinn go hiking. But why does he feel this way when she treats him like crap when they're together and she treats him worse when they're with other people?

I wish the show was smart enough to school Serena on the fact that the men aren't into her not because she's successful or a feminist, but because she's as intent on crushing her opponents as they are. These guys aren't becoming friends because they are too alpha to ever relax around each other. This is Serena's problem too. 

I don't know what to make of Alexei kissing Jay. I feel like as a ballet dancer/model he's fairly comfortable around gay men. It was a bit too full on to be thought of as a casual kiss, but at the same time he didn't seem to be the least bit bothered by it being out in public. It makes me think Alexei might be a bit of a libertine

That princess shit is literally too stupid even for the Bachelor.

Shut up Madison.

[Pepper Mostly]

23 minutes ago, HunterHunted said:

Losing weight hasn't made Jeremy any less insufferable. Why on Earth is he so beleaguered and sanctimonious when he, of his own volition and not at all requested by Rachel, decided to murder 2 people? He doesn't get to retroactively blame Rachel because he regrets his actions. Furthermore the show has him do this every season without any real exploration of his character. He makes some horrid decision, regrets it, blames Rachel, and then proceeds to abuse and berate her left and right rather than take responsibility for what he did and why he's addicted to being Captain Save-a-ho for Rachel. He's not a good dude, but the show doesn't let us get his interior life so he remains this superficial abusive douche.

Yes, this. Jeremy's whole character is "Baby, why do you make me hit you?"

24 minutes ago, HunterHunted said:

I don't know what to make of Alexei kissing Jay. I feel like as a ballet dancer/model he's fairly comfortable around gay men. It was a bit too full on to be thought of as a casual kiss, but at the same time he didn't seem to be the least bit bothered by it being out in public. It makes me think Alexei might be a bit of a libertine

But it was so edgy! So unexpected! 

Alexei is either bi or an opportunist. And I don't care which. I am utterly un-invested in any of these fools. 

[portfino]

The problem for me with Serena is that they're setting up this false belief that people need to act the way at work as they do in relationships to be authentic. Now if they were setting up the idea that Rachel can't tell the difference between personal and professional that might be interesting. But the way they seem to be dismissing non-work life as sexist and silly seems like they are on board with this idea.

One thing I have liked is the set up of this season of Everlasting as Jasper v. Owen, because that's how The Bachelorette works - always some variation of good guy v. bad boy. I wish there were more about the dynamics of having a Suitoress vs. a Suitor, but nope.

I can't tell whether I'm less interested in Jeremy's romance or last season's double murder.

[earlbny]

Unlike most shows on TV UnREAL has the ability to change things up every season.  Yet they don't and keep going in circles. I remember people asking Sarah if they would ever tackle another reality show and she said no they will stick with Everlasting. The possibilities could be endless.

 

Does this mean that next week we have to come up with a new name for manbun?

Edited March 13, 2018 by earlbny

[HunterHunted]

2 hours ago, earlbny said:

Unlike most shows on TV UnREAL has the ability to change things up every season.  Yet they don't and keep going in circles. I remember people asking Sarah if they would ever tackle another reality show and she said no they will stick with Everlasting. The possibilities could be endless.

 

There is so much reality TV out there so it's a shame that they won't branch out. There are your aspirational docudramas (real housewives, Keeping Up with the Kardashians, and the like), inspirational docudramas (Little People, Big World, Push Girls, Strut, The Prancing Elites Project), relationship docudramas (Tori and Dean, WAGs, Love and Hip Hop, Second Wives Club, Basketball Wives), subculture docudramas (Duck Dynasty, Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, Alaskan Bush People), Work or Workplace reality (Million Dollar Listing, Ice Road Truckers, Deadliest Catch), appraisal and financial transaction shows, court shows, makeover shows, redecorating and renovation shows, supernatural shows, competitive shows, dating shows, and structured special living environment (The Real World, the Surreal Life, 1900s House).

It's also too bad that the show isn't smart enough to make either Quinn, Rachel, it Chet a network executive so that we can see other shows on the network. There's never been a great explanation of the network as a place or real environment. How important or not important is Everlasting to them? Are they a CBS which has a ton of viewers, but no one really young. Is it ABC, which has primarily female viewers so Everlasting fits right in? Or is it an NBC and Everlasting is their big hit that's fading quickly?

Edited March 13, 2018 by HunterHunted

[earlbny]

6 minutes ago, HunterHunted said:

There is so much reality TV out there so it's a shame that they won't branch out. There are your aspirational docudramas (real housewives, Keeping Up with the Kardashians, and the like), inspirational docudramas (Little People, Big World, Push Girls, Strut, The Prancing Elites Project), relationship docudramas (Tori and Dean, WAGs, Love and Hip Hop, Second Wives Club, Basketball Wives), subculture docudramas (Duck Dynasty, Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, Alaskan Bush People), Work or Workplace reality (Million Dollar Listing, Ice Road Truckers, Deadliest Catch), appraisal and financial transaction shows, court shows, makeover shows, redecorating and renovation shows, supernatural shows, competitive shows, dating shows, and structured special living environment (The Real World, the Surreal Life, 1900s House).

It's also too bad that the show isn't smart enough to make either Quinn, Rachel, it Chet a network executive so that we can see other shows on the network. There's never been a great explanation of the network as a place or real environment. How important or not important is Everlasting to them? Are they a CBS which has a ton of viewers, but no one really young. Is it ABC, which has primarily remale viewers so Everlasting fits right in? Or is it an NBC and Everlasting is their big hit that's fading quickly?

Well said. So many great shows to choose from. I would definitely love to know what network Everlasting is on. Maybe the show is on a small niche network. It will turn out to be a missed opportunity. We should tweet UnREAL, the cast, or the shows creator and ask them about the netowk?

[dubbel zout]

I don’t think we need a different reality show. We need new stories for everyone. I’m not learning anything about the Everlasting folks I didn’t already know.

 I’m so bored with everything and everyone.

[earlbny]

16 minutes ago, dubbel zout said:

I don’t think we need a different reality show. We need new stories for everyone. I’m not learning anything about the Everlasting folks I didn’t already know.

 I’m so bored with everything and everyone.

That would totally work. If they plan on keeping Jeremy around can we at least delve into his past?  Why is Rachel the only one seeing the shrink? They should all be seeing him.  

Edited March 13, 2018 by earlbny

[niklj]

Pros: SHIRI APPELBY. And Grant.

Cons: Everything else.

Can we have Adam back and replace the suitress, who they themselves keep telling us how boring she is?

What was the point of firing the bartender?

[earlbny]

18 hours ago, niklj said:

Pros: SHIRI APPELBY. And Grant.

Cons: Everything else.

Can we have Adam back and replace the suitress, who they themselves keep telling us how boring she is?

What was the point of firing the bartender?

I love Shiri Appleby. She's the only reason I am watching this show. Who's Grant?

ITA about everything else.

Anything is better then the suitress.

This show likes to pretend like it's the real thing. So when they brought in Darius they pumped their chest and said we got the 1st black bachelor. Like they one upped the Bachelor. So why would they not want to try an one up them again. They should have brought in someone who was LGBTQ. That would have been an even better 1st. Plus They like ripping stuff straight from the headlines.

I think firing the bartender was to show power and the fact that Rachel is back to being the old Rachel again. When they fired him I tweeted the show and said I cant believe you got rid of my favorite character. My tweet was to poke fun at the people they get rid of that never have any lines. They did not respond to my tweet. 

 

ETA: I was reading up on everyone that's not part of the core members of the show. Here's something that jumped out at me. Before the season started it was announced that Cold Case alumna Tracie Thoms is set for a recurring role in season 3. I forgot she was joining the cast. I loved her on cold Case and in Rent. I looked her up to see who she was playing. Here's what it said. 

Quote

 

Cold Case alumna Tracie Thoms is set for a recurring role on the third season of Lifetime’s hit series UnReal. She plays Fiona, a close friend of Quinn (Constance Zimmer) since early in their careers. Fiona is a high-end executive in the entertainment industry; a fun-loving, gorgeous gay woman with swagger.

SOURCE: Deadline

 

So why can't Quinn go to her close friend Fiona who we have never heard a mention of before and create her dream show without Chet and bring along whoever she wanted? Why pitch that underground Gay dance show to Gary when you can pitch it to your female friend who happens to also be Gay. That would be total girl power! Makes no sense.

Edited March 15, 2018 by earlbny

[Miles]

Could Quinn and Rachel stop fighting for no reason at all? I had more than enough of that last season. If this keeps going, I'm out.

[lezlers]

On ‎3‎/‎12‎/‎2018 at 9:43 PM, LittleIggy said:

Why would she have all those pics of someone who raped her?

It kind of looked like she was on facebook or some other social media site.  I don't think she was looking at her own personal pictures.

[chaifan]

I'm just watching this now on Hulu.  First problem - I hate the name Serena.  I'm dealing with Serena Joy on Handmaid's Tale, and now another Serena.  I wish she had a normal everyday name. 

I liked how Charlie was all, no, I'm not going to hook up in a trailer with you.  If you want to ask me out on a real date go ahead.  Now that's the sign of a truly empowered woman on this show!  No manipulation BS or sucking up (or whatever) to get a head in your job.  Good for her.  Hope we have more of her.

I'm ok with Serena being a bit back on forth between her "true" self and the ditzy blonde persona.  She tried that on, didn't work for her, and she's going back to being herself. 

I think Manbun is up to something with Quinn, he has his eyes set on something other than her.  Or he's just a hound dog. 

I sort of like how Rachel's lying is approached as an addiction.  That once she's off the wagon she can't stop.  Loved the split scenes between rich guy and firefighter and her.

I need to go back and watch the last episode of season 2.  In my mind the accident was a bit more ambiguous, it showed Jeremy leaving and chasing after them, and then showed the crash.  But I don't remember it showing him actually running them off the road.  As long as there wasn't actual contact between the cars (which I think the police would notice in the investigation) Jeremy could have kept his mouth shut.  He could have just said I went after them to try and talk them out of publishing the story, and just as I was catching up they swerved off the road, wow they were going fast, too bad. 

[aradia22]

August/Manbun was awfully chatty during sex. I'm back to thinking he might be a reporter. 

Oh, come on. Letting the guys play a game to win the Bachelorette is classic stuff. Dressing her as a princess and them as knights doesn't make it meaningfully better or worse. This is what Rachel thinks of as a jump the shark moment?

Charlie, huh? A new love interest for Jeremy? Been there, done that. Still don't care.

Why can't Serena breathe? She's super skinny. That corset can't be laced that tightly.

Is every producer BTS on a reality show really like Rachel and Jay? Do they really think they're going to change the world with their programming. Go make documentaries, guys. Go do some reporting. 

Oh, no. Owen. Things were going so well. Also, fuck you, Jeremy.

Is Alexi gay? Or bi? Is Jay finally going to hook up with a contestant too? Jesus Christ, UnREAL, please do something interesting.

"Get this regressive, patriarchal shit off me!" she yells ripping her blond wig off her... blond hair. Woo?

Yeah, again. I hate to say this but Jasper has a point. No one needs Serena to play girly or dumb or unambitious. But being a bitter asshole chewing everyone out is not going to make anyone want to date you.

The date with August. The guys in the hot tub. This is all being filmed. The Bachelorette would not air such meta conversations about the show.

Wait, Quinn is concerned about losing a wifey? I thought the Bachelor/Bachelorette loved sniffing out people who are not there for the "right reasons."

I'm still not sure how we're supposed to see Serena. She fell for the "magic" pretty quickly on that date with August. Does she never have good dates?

OK, producer Rachel playing Jasper and Owen was funny. I'll give them that. Something about them both being shirtless during these heart-to-hearts made it even funnier.

Rachel, girl. You should not break this quickly. I get that there are only 10 episodes but you do not spill all your murder secrets to your therapist in your first session.

I mean, it's not enough to hang a season on but I am enjoying some of the Owen/Jasper/Serena drama. I just wish there was someone like Faith in season 1 that I could genuinely care about.

I like the actor playing Alexi. He has this way of grinning after all his lines. Like, he's so full of shit but still charming. 

Gasp! Alexi kissed Jay! Will something interesting happen now?

I don't know. Maybe there's a reason Jay is stuck on the B team. The best he can pitch is a dance-themed travel show?

OMG, I laughed so hard at someone cutting off August's man bun. It was so Pretty Little Liars.

[aradia22]

Quote

Even in their private moments, nothing about Quinn and August/man bun indicates that they've caught feelings for each other. Or why they've caught feelings. I know that that they've suggested it on August's end when he suggested that he and Quinn go hiking. But why does he feel this way when she treats him like crap when they're together and she treats him worse when they're with other people?

Lol. Maybe he has mommy issues?

[IDreamofJoaquin]

I noticed starting this episode the pages of postings went down dramatically.  I'm doing a binge watch so I'll finish it off.

Where did Quinn get all this power she is always referring to and throwing around?  She never mentions any other shows or other business ventures - is it all just from Everlasting?