Season Four All Episodes Discussion

[ApathyMonger]

All episodes are up on Hulu now: https://www.hulu.com/unreal

[NeenerNeener]

God, what this show needed all along was Francois Arnaud. Well, at least for me anyway.

[Ms Blue Jay]

Just saw the premiere so far, and ugh.  I'll keep watching though.  LOL

Edited July 17, 2018 by Ms Blue Jay

[skotnikov]

The best season since the first one. And a brilliant series conclusion. Well done.  

[NeenerNeener]

I hate how needy they made Rachel in episode 4.3. I hope she gets over it by 4.8.

 

Edited to add: 

Spoiler

Nope. And when Quinn went on stage I knew she was going to throw Tommy under the bus instead of Rachel.

 

I never thought I'd feel sorry for Chet.

Edited July 18, 2018 by NeenerNeener

[Ms Blue Jay]

I CAN'T. STOP WATCHING. I CAN'T. I NEED HELP. I CAN'T STOP WATCHING.

[MostlyC]

I am so pissed off at the ending that I have no words.*

 

*I am sure I will eventually but right now I'm spitting nails.

[chocolatine]

On 7/17/2018 at 10:15 PM, Ms Blue Jay said:

I CAN'T. STOP WATCHING. I CAN'T. I NEED HELP. I CAN'T STOP WATCHING.

LOL, I'm with you. I want to punch the TV every time Rachel tosses her hair or does her shit-eating grin, but I need to know how it ends. Two more episodes to go...

[Save Yourself]

That was terrific, as poster above said, best season since the first one, if only it had been this quality for the seasons in between. Great final episode and kept me on my toes right to the end, I hardly saw any of those twists. Loved Rachel’s butterfly turning into a caterpillar - using her hair to indicate how she was rotting away with each despicable act was clever and who would have ever thought that Quinn would become the moral compass! 

[dmc]

Finished. Quinn and Rachel are the worst.  I mean throughout this show I kept asking myself why women characters need to be likeable?  There are ton of men that aren't and people route for them...but its hard for me with Quinn and Rachel.  First, they are friends but their friendship is more parasitic than symbiotic. Neither can be happy for the other one or come through when its not self serving.  Both haven't really grown as characters since the first season. 

[dmc]

On ‎7‎/‎18‎/‎2018 at 9:50 AM, MostlyC said:

I am so pissed off at the ending that I have no words.*

 

*I am sure I will eventually but right now I'm spitting nails.

I have got some words LOLOL but I don't want a mod to flag me

[dubbel zout]

39 minutes ago, dmc said:

I have got some words LOLOL but I don't want a mod to flag me

As long as those words aren't directed at your fellow posters, have at it!

[dmc]

16 minutes ago, dubbel zout said:

As long as those words aren't directed at your fellow posters, have at it!

LOL they are not, they are directed strictly at the content.  I mean the show knew this would probably be the last season which means they intentionally gave us that ending and thought it was good enough.  It was gratuitous and self serving.  They clearly thought Quinn and Rachel supporting each other one final time was a good enough ending,  The issue is that by Season 4, I am not sure Quinn and Rachel should even be friends.  The relationship is not good for either of them.  Quinn does save Rachel from ruin but her inability to be consistent as a support system leaves Rachel chasing after another person's approval she can never completely have.  Rachel wants Quinn's approval but has an inability to accept any aspect of Quinn's life that means Quinn could be moving past or apart from her.  The relationship keeps them both in a place where they are unable to be happy, change or be accountable.  Rachel's behavior was atrocious this season, not even in the context of producing the show but period.  Nothing that happened to her up to this point excuses any of her actions.  She is completely trying to make everyone feel as badly as she does no matter what the cost.  Quinn doesn't want to see her completely destroyed but at the same time has no ability to direct her towards the help she needs.   At any point, Quinn could have fired her.  She doesn't, because she is so tied to the success of the show and she knows Rachel falling apart is Rachel at her best work for the show.  So how can we in good conscience vote for this friendship?  It's not girl power, it's abuse from both parties. 

 

Also let's discuss Quinn's "f"ed up treatment of her black friend showrunner.  You know your friend finally gets the job of their dreams and she basically get her canned. 

[chocolatine]

On 7/18/2018 at 9:50 AM, MostlyC said:

I am so pissed off at the ending that I have no words.*

Yes, that really sucked. This season didn't work for me, not because I need the protagonists to be likable, but because I need them to be nuanced.  Rachel has always been flawed, but at least in past seasons she was conflicted about what she was doing and tried (albeit unsuccessfully) to break away from Quinn and the reality TV game. This season she was just a narcissist, indulging her worst qualities. So she lost some hair and had some indigestion towards the end? Boo hoo. 

I actually had some hope for Quinn and believed that she was genuinely balking at the stuff Rachel was pulling until the last-minute "twist". And, while I always have been and always will be pro-choice, I was stunned that Quinn lied to Chet about the baby having a life-threatening disability. I don't even like Chet, but nobody deserves to be manipulated like that.

[Spencer Hastings]

I made the mistake of binge watching seasons 3 and 4 together.  Rachel and Quinn are the most despicable characters in the history of television. I didn’t think it was possible but they somehow got worse as the show ended. Rachel has absolutely no redeeming qualities, I couldn’t even root for her at the end.  

Chet is the only character who experienced any kind of growth or development.  He deserves better than ended up with Quinn. 

[dmc]

also what is up with the new plot on tv shows where women allow other women to be sexually assaulted...first the handmaid's tale and now unreal

[SillyOldClothCat]

On 7/20/2018 at 5:20 AM, nosleepforme said:

[snip]

• [snip] It is also still  unrealistic that every man who enters Rachel's orbit falls for her. Shiri Appelby is cute, but come on.

 

THANK YOU!!

[MostlyC]

I don't think Quinn lied about her terminating the pregnancy.  I think there truly was something wrong with the baby.  

[chaifan]

I liked how the season started, but thought it took a bad turn with the rape/penis stabbing episode.  Here's the more plausible explanation to give to the authorities:  all cameras were on the lady giving birth and everyone else in the room for reaction shots.  The happened to scan through other cameras and saw the scene in the bedroom.  Someone immediately (immediately!) went to stop it, but by the time they got there Maya already got in and stabbed the guy.  She becomes the victim turned hero he ends up dickless and in jail.  How would that not have fit Rachel's narrative/storyline?  And avoided all liability. 

A few nitpicks:  Jay's coke plot line served no purpose.  How do they put together a carnival set up in a few hours, including a custom outfit for Graham?  It's not like they're on a studio lot and have a giant prop room to pick from.  How are they only scouting a location for the finale a few days in advance?  They say everything is on "live" tv, but there's no way they could show Rachel's sex scenes on network tv.  How does Rachel not cover the cameras in the rooms before sleeping with  ____ (fill in the blank)?  And Rachel setting the mansion on fire was just stupid.

Bottom line, they didn't need this season, and I thought the last episode of Season 3 tied everything up very neatly and in a much more satisfying manner. 

Why do some people think Quinn lied about the need to abort the baby?  I thought it was pretty clear by the expression on the doctor's face that something was wrong.  Did I miss something?

[ruby24]

I actually don't think Quinn NEEDED to lie to Chet about the baby. He might have been sad, but I still think he would have supported her if she'd just told him she changed her mind. He wasn't completely sure about raising August's kid anyway, as he had admitted to her earlier. I actually grew to like them together, in part because I liked the way they actually were just totally honest with each other about things. 

I never thought I'd say it but that's a healthier relationship than Quinn and Rachel. I don't think they should even be friends.

Edited July 24, 2018 by ruby24

[chocolatine]

6 hours ago, MostlyC said:

I don't think Quinn lied about her terminating the pregnancy.  I think there truly was something wrong with the baby.  

 

57 minutes ago, chaifan said:

Why do some people think Quinn lied about the need to abort the baby?  I thought it was pretty clear by the expression on the doctor's face that something was wrong.  Did I miss something?

My Hulu subscription ended a few days ago (I only subscribe when The Handmaid's Tale airs; the final season of UnREAL happened to air on the heels of the THT S2 finale), so I can't go back and double-check, but I thought when Rachel crawled into bed with Quinn at the end she said "there was nothing wrong with the baby, was there?" and Quinn smiled and said something to the effect of she never saw herself as a mother. Maybe there was something "wrong" but manageable, like Down's Syndrome, and Quinn exaggerated it to Chet as something life-threatening? 

[kit.kat343]

Quote

Why do some people think Quinn lied about the need to abort the baby?  I thought it was pretty clear by the expression on the doctor's face that something was wrong.  Did I miss something?

I honestly don't know if this is a case of television just not getting medical details correct, or evidence of Quinn lying but the level 2 ultrasound that she was talking about is given in the 20th week of pregnancy. The actress playing Quinn is a very thin woman, and unlikely she wouldn't look a pound heavier if she were 20 weeks pregnant.  If the show wanted to be accurate, it's possible for NIPT testing to have shown Quinn's baby to be at high risk of a serious chromosomal disability at 9 weeks and she still could not be showing at this point (NIPT testing is a new blood test in which the mom's blood is drawn, and they can tell if the baby is at high risk for down's syndrome or other chromosomal disorders, some of which are fatal.  A bad result of this test would indicate a mother needs an amnio to confirm and its very controversial, since a large percentage of mothers who find out they are carrying babies with down's syndrome choose to terminate.  In Iceland  nearly 100% of mothers who find out they have babies with down's syndrome choose to terminate, and in the US the percentage is about 67%, and this documentary explored this issue   https://www.cbsnews.com/news/down-syndrome-iceland/).   

Edited July 24, 2018 by kit.kat343

[chaifan]

I just rewatched both the beginning scene with the doctor (no dialog) and the end scene with Rachel & Quinn, with captions on (this show is as bad as Handmaid's Tale with soft whispers sometimes).  The beginning scene doesn't say anything explicitly, but Quinn and the doctor's expressions I think definitely project that something is wrong.  Quinn may have been on the fence of wanting this kid, but if all was ok, the doctor would have been smiling when she was showing the ultrasound pics.  Also, there was only a 5% chance of successful pregnancy.

End scene:  Rachel asks "There was nothing wrong with the baby, was there?"  And Quinn responds "Doesn't matter.  I wasn't meant to be a mother."  She gave a slight smile, but also looks like she's holding back tears.  My take on this - Quinn likes to be in control, and doesn't like other people to know when she's not in control.  Admitting that terminating the pregnancy wasn't her choice would project her as not being in control.  So she allowed Rachel to believe terminating was her decision, but it really was for actual medical reasons.  Total aside - who would really say something like that to a woman who just had to terminate a pregnancy? 

@kit.kat343 - as with most shows, even hospital/doctor shows, I'm willing to do a lot of handwaving on things that aren't quite medically correct.  Besides, Quinn was a high risk pregnancy from the beginning, so I'll just believe they did the 20 week test earlier because of that. 

[gesundheit]

Finally finished and still find it hilarious that reality TV viewers would ever give that much of a crap about what a producer was up to. They usually have no idea who they are!

[SHD]

I guess I'm in the minority, but I think Quinn was lying about why she had the pregnancy terminated.  Mostly because of her answer to Rachel when she asked.  If she was telling the truth, she would most likely say something like, "Yes, there was.  But maybe it's for the best - I wasn't meant to be a mother." No one would say "It doesn't matter" if they were telling the truth.  The no dialogue scene where the doctor is going over things with Quinn did look dire, but she could've just been going over all possible risks in detail.  I actually think she probably didn't know anything for sure yet and was too scared to continue with the pregnancy with the odds against her.  But I really think the details she told Chet were made up based on worst case scenarios the doctor may have gone over with her.  Just my take on it.

Also, the ending would've been much more effective if they hadn't telegraphed it with Jay walking through and saying "Somebody should burn this place to the ground" (or whatever the exact words were).  From that point on, all I could think was, "Oh, OK.  Which one of them is going to set the mansion on fire?"

[Norma Desmond]

On 16/07/2018 at 9:56 PM, NeenerNeener said:

God, what this show needed all along was Francois Arnaud.

God, yes.

[gaucho91]

I am halfway through episode 6 and I barely want to keep watching.  They have made Rachel a full blown psychopath this season.  On top of that Shiri Appleby’s acting is beyond awful.  Those two things combined make her character completely unbelievable.  I basically want her to die at this point.

[AllyB]

I finished watching a couple of days ago and the thing I am most p'd off about is

Spoiler

Madison's end. Sure, the line from Jay was great but it felt out of context. Madison wasn't a "good guy" like Jay but she wasn't terribly bad either. The worst thing she did was let a series of older men and women use her sexually in exchange for career progression. Which isn't great behaviour sure, as it makes it harder for women who won't do that but it's not her fault that the system works that way. And in S4, she did absolutely nothing wrong at all.

Yet she had her boyfriend cheat on her and humiliate her by getting engaged to someone else while still supposedly with her. And then her job was left at great risk through no fault of her own, while Jay took great delight in refusing to help her. Two of the older professionals who took advantage of her, Chet and Fiona, both managed to leave the series with great futures even if they weren't their first choices. While Fiona is one of the people who shits on Madison for no reason whatsoever. Worst of all, this wasn't shown as an awful thing to have happened to a young woman who had sacrificed so much of herself to get her position. It was played as if she was getting her comeuppance.

It left a really bad taste in my mouth because if that young woman was someone the writers thought we'd enjoy seeing brought down, then they have a very disturbing view of what women deserve to be punished for. 

[Isazouzi]

I just finished episode 5 and I have no idea why I'm still watching this thing. It's like a car crash that I can't stop looking at. The one thing I've liked so far is Candy, she was amazing and I'm sad she left. I also think Shiri's acting is remarkable, and I suppose it's her who keeps me watching.

[NutMeg]

6 hours ago, AllyB said:

I finished watching a couple of days ago and the thing I am most p'd off about is

  Hide contents

Madison's end. Sure, the line from Jay was great but it felt out of context. Madison wasn't a "good guy" like Jay but she wasn't terribly bad either. The worst thing she did was let a series of older men and women use her sexually in exchange for career progression. Which isn't great behaviour sure, as it makes it harder for women who won't do that but it's not her fault that the system works that way. And in S4, she did absolutely nothing wrong at all.

Yet she had her boyfriend cheat on her and humiliate her by getting engaged to someone else while still supposedly with her. And then her job was left at great risk through no fault of her own, while Jay took great delight in refusing to help her. Two of the older professionals who took advantage of her, Chet and Fiona, both managed to leave the series with great futures even if they weren't their first choices. While Fiona is one of the people who shits on Madison for no reason whatsoever. Worst of all, this wasn't shown as an awful thing to have happened to a young woman who had sacrificed so much of herself to get her position. It was played as if she was getting her comeuppance.

It left a really bad taste in my mouth because if that young woman was someone the writers thought we'd enjoy seeing brought down, then they have a very disturbing view of what women deserve to be punished for. 

I cannot help but feel that Madison the character might be based on one or several real people that one of the writers had a beef with. Some kind of "personage à clé", if you wish.

[Norma Desmond]

I loved this season except for the lame finale. I wanted Rachel and François Arnaud to be together forever, ruling over the Everlasting empire and doing evil things together. Bah. His taking the fall for everything was utterly ridiculous.

Edited July 28, 2018 by Norma Desmond

[SHD]

21 hours ago, nosleepforme said:

Really, I thought Shiri was great in her role. I think she does that "damaged" and "sociopath" better than the "nice girl" routine that she has usually been asked to play. I am not the biggest fan of her, but in this role, I found her utterly fascinating to watch from start to finish and that includes season four. 

I agree. And she has a very hard line to straddle sometimes. Often she has to act a scene with someone where she's being disingenuous and she has to present her lines so that we would believe the person she's talking to would be fooled by her, but also play it so the viewers know that she's not being honest.

[Ms Blue Jay]

On 7/20/2018 at 12:45 AM, chocolatine said:

I actually had some hope for Quinn and believed that she was genuinely balking at the stuff Rachel was pulling until the last-minute "twist". And, while I always have been and always will be pro-choice, I was stunned that Quinn lied to Chet about the baby having a life-threatening disability. I don't even like Chet, but nobody deserves to be manipulated like that.

Ugh, and Chet wanted to raise the baby as his own, be a good father, etc. etc.   Omg.

Rachel was too awful.  I was kind of hating the season but as I said upthread I could nOT. stop. WATCHING.

I finally forced myself to stop watching after episode 7 to kind of elongate the season.  I liked the finale, I have to admit.  I didn't like what happened, but they did a good job of wrapping everything up.

I hated Rachel, hated Tommy, kind of hated the season, I don't know.  But I admit it was entertaining as hell because I was so thoroughly addicted.

Edited July 30, 2018 by Ms Blue Jay

[Isazouzi]

9 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

Ugh, and Chet wanted to raise the baby as his own, be a good father, etc. etc.   Omg.

Rachel was too awful.  I was kind of hating the season but as I said upthread I could nOT. stop. WATCHING.

I hated Rachel, hated Tommy, kind of hated the season, I don't know.  But I admit it was entertaining as hell because I was so thoroughly addicted.

 

Yep, my feelings exactly. It was like a fascinating trainwreck. I was mesmerized by Rachel, as I've always been, and horrified at the same time. I almost feel dirty for not being able to stop watching. I didn't like any of it. It was so dark, even morbide. I'm not one to hate watch, and this wasn't hate watching, it was more like an addiction that you can't quit. If that was what the writers had in mind, kudos to them, total success on their part. It left a bad taste in my mouth. I feel like Quinn and Rachel, who were incapable of quitting that toxic job and had to burn down the mansion to be free of it.

Edited July 30, 2018 by Isazouzi

[Ms Blue Jay]

I agree!  I felt dirty too.  I totally get you @Isazouzi

[chaifan]

The only way I was able to get through season 4 was I kept thinking that the show really was mimicking reality, but on a whole new level.  Reality TV has gotten more and more absurd and horrible since it first became "the thing" (I'm thinking season one of the Bachelor and Survivor, that timeline).  Even my beloved Amazing Race fell prey to stunt casting and gimmicks.  And just as real reality TV has sunk to new depths over time, so has UnReal. 

[Ashlyc]

Only a couple episodes to go. It’s definitely the best season. I think it’s really unfortunate that the show was put out with no fan fare. Hopefully all of the viewers  find it on Hulu. 

Everyone on the shows motivations seem to make a lot of sense but for Rachel it doesn’t seem to conncet. But it still works because she is so demented. 

 

Lqst season seems to really drag on. This one I couldn’t wait to keep watching!! 

 

Im scared for Jay:/ 

glad Madison is at the Corp office and not around to much.

so far I think they did a really great job!

Also it’s so weird seeing Rachel with hair makeup done and actual outfits all season. Not her regular greasy hair and jacket.

[Joimiaroxeu]

This show didn't go dark, it went straight up sadistic.

Rachel is a malignant biological substance. I wouldn't even call her human. I can't believe Quinn was ultimately loyal to her. Two rancid peas in a pod.

This show to me is what it would be like if Game of Thrones was a buddy show featuring Joffrey Baratheon and Ramsay Snow. Too much evil with no real comeuppance, IMO.

I'm not sad this show is over. I don't know how it could go any lower with Quinn and Rachel.

[Ms Blue Jay]

I am usually all for more content, and you know I'll watch if there is for some reason magically an S5, but I totally agree with you @Joimiaroxeu

[aradia22]

EPISODE ONE: WHAT!?! Rachel is clean? And she's online dating?

"Five, I'm like a 7. Come on." When I did I start loving Dan?

Why would August come back of all people? There's the Quinn sexual harrassment thing. Then there's the way they set him up to look like he was fooling around with Ranger Pam. Oh, and the pacifist vs. soldier thing.

So this is supposed to be like Bachelor in Paradise... but at the Everlasting mansion? 

I hated Tommy the moment he walked in the door.

So we're just full on with the misogyny now right? I'm not sure this is a statement because Rachel was pretty on board before crossing over to the dark side. Or the blond side. 

Blond Rachel feels like she's trying to get people killed by the end of the season. Multiple people.

Wait, that's what August does? He has a HAMMOCK COMPANY?

Um... what? Why is Quinn's relationship with Fiona suddenly so adversarial for no reason?

Wait, what? So Jack is from seasons 5 and 8. How long did Quinn train Rachel? She wasn't there in season 8? Did they have a bunch of old producers? What happened to those people?

Candy is one of those actresses you know when you watch a bunch of TV. But I'm intrigued. I don't like Alexi with the dye job but I'm interested in whether they'll give him something good for this season.

"Residential real estate broker" is 100% a Bachelor/Bachelorette job. 

This is way more like an MTV or VH1 show than ABC. Does Bachelor in Paradise ever get this bad?

Are you serious? Tommy? Another guy who's going to fall for Rachel?

Oh, so Jay DOES still have the coke problem.

Wait, Rachel DOES want to get married? LOL, OK.

August! How soon before he sleeps with Rachel?

[aradia22]

EPISODE TWO: LOL, OK, I enjoyed Maya being able to shoot the paintball gun at Roger.

FUCK. I get the circuit breaker but the lube was not OK. There was no reason to get Luke (?) hurt like that. Quinn really is treating the guys like they're disposable now.

Wait, do they want to give Chet and Quinn a happily ever after? If she could have gotten pregnant she should have stayed with the British guy. Booth or something?

I love the game aspect. And because I don't think most of these idiots are sincere, I don't care if the producers manipulate them. 

Candy is reality TV gold. Very housewives. Or one of the MTV/vh1 trashy shows. But she's not made to last on a genuine dating show. 

I KNEW Rachel was going to go to the rapist to keep Candy on the show. He has no morals.

Oh, God. Graham's "accent." Snort laugh.

Roger delivering that speech... SO WRONG. It's good we had 2 seasons of distance from that so it didn't feel so dark. 

Ooh, Quinn's having August's baby. 

Also, god damn it August. Do you just say yes to sex with everyone? Quinn... Serena... Rachel... I think Jay might finally get some if he propositioned him. 

In a way, they could all be one big dysfunctional family with the baby and August/Rachel together. Yup, Quinn, Chet, Rachel, August, and the baby. One crazy family. 

[aradia22]

EPISODE THREE: Um... what? How could Passport to Dance possibly be that hotly anticipated? Critics barely care about reality TV. Also, I realize they correct on the fly but otherwise things are planned in advance. Why would Quinn think she could just suddenly spring a cross promotion? If they were professional, it should have been handled ahead of time anyway.

This is incredibly traumatic for Maya but I'm not invested in Maya and neither is the show.

Well, yay that Chet still wants the baby. But boo, that this becomes another dumb secret on the show. 

I feel like the Bachelor is such a strong brand that it turns out UnREAL was not that interested in. I kind of like this random ass format where they just go on yachts and sometimes all the ladies go on a date where one guy teaches them to dance. There are no rules except the elimination ceremony at the end.

I don't know. I'm in a meh kind of place on Candy's brand of female empowerment. Like, woo, pole dancing. But also, it feels like they put that speech in the mouth of a Brandi Glanville or a Kim Zolciak. 

OK, so they're going in on Alexi. This could be interesting. Though I swear, the whole time they were on the stairs I was thinking Showgirls. That was a lot of tension for them to just have a fight at the bottom of the stairs. I'm still confused on whether Alexi is gay/bi and in denial or was just "gay for pay" and now ashamed of it. 

 Why would they make Passport to Dance live? Is this supposed to be like Dancing with the Stars? Nothing about this weird international talent show demands that it be filmed live. Especially if there are in-studio judges. 

I feel like we haven't seen enough of Jay producing. Or at least on his game. I forgot the way he can go gay BFF with the women. 

This feels like a weird plan for Rachel. Throw maneater Candy at August? I mean, maybe she'll respect the boundaries but she just as easily won't. Is Rachel that threatened by Maya? And why isn't she trying to play the field a little instead of putting all her eggs in one basket? She's being sloppy. This isn't Producer Rachel.

For a second in that marriage proposal, Chet sounded like Jeremy. Scary. 

I'm confused by how much changing partners there is given how some of them are fixated on one person.

Alexi throws a tantrum and gets rewarded with a threesome?

That scene when Rachel told him about the baby. Full on nighttime soap right there. Down to the dramatic lighting and the camera angles.

[aradia22]

EPISODE FOUR: Oh, God. Setting up Alexi was bad but I was thankful that they didn't just sprinkle coke on the pastries. He's more fun when he's being charming like last season than sober and homophobic this season. Also the blond really doesn't work for me. But whatever. It's a story at least.

Aw, poor Dan. Somehow he has to be the one vomited on.

DAMN, Rachel. It was not necessary to take the safety off Alexi's go kart. She really is trying to get someone killed.

Doctor whatshisface has the bland handsomeness of an action figure. Clearly Rachel's not going to hang on to him. But he's dumb enough that she might be able to string him along for a while.

Oh, yeah, they're TOTALLY selling us on Rachel and Tommy. I don't like it. 

I liked Noelle's sparkly gown. Why is she over Rodrigo?

Christ, poor Maya. Yeah... I'm feeling it now. Though if the show wanted to be serious about this, they would spend more time on her.

Wait... so Jay is getting the strength to quit coke now because he's sad about Alexi?

What happened to sluts get cut? I do not get Rachel's strategy for wooing these guys.

I do not trust August. He is PLAYING Rachel.

[aradia22]

EPISODE FIVE: What is happening to Rachel? Is she so desperate that August can produce her this easily?

What is Rachel's new look? Business Gossip Girl?

Oh my God, not Faith. Keep the precious one away from the mess of this. I want to preserve my season 1 memories. I do like sassy Faith. "You've got Satan in you" "I will pray for you"

OK, the eggs plus the monitor brings me back to the good old bad old days of the vh1 dating shows. But as soon as they started going in on Maya... Usually those shows spread it around. They aren't trying to break one person.

Jesus, poor Maya. 

Again, not so sure about Candy's brand of feminism but she is definitely a solid reality show contestant. Stripper Queens would have been a more interesting show to simultaneously juggle rather than Passport to Dance.

Um... what now? Around the 16 minute mark, Rachel called Tommy "Dan." How did they leave that in?

I wasn't expecting the best from jealous Noelle and villain kindergarten teacher. They were not the women to have there at the end to support Maya. Maybe they should have let Candy stick around. Throwing Roger in so soon was just asking for Maya to get shut down.

LOL, I love Dan. I want him to shoot his little indie movie.

REALLY? Aren't there a ton of camera people? No one has eyes on Maya/Roger/Noelle? They need Rachel to get them? Lord...

CHRIST... that ending. Now THAT is some Lifetime shit. Maya brought a weapon. They've created too much distance from the contestants for me to properly empathize so yeah, all I'm thinking is revenge fantasy and that was kind of awesome.

Shiri killed it this episode.

[aradia22]

EPISODE SIX: I feel like Maya's going to be fucked up forever but I have nothing in me to care about Roger. Of all the deaths or mishaps on this show, I may care about this one the least.

So none of this is usable and Roger's punishment is attempted castration? 

They're bringing back Candy? This feels wrong tonally but at least she's got a personality.

This season is so dark. I don't hate Rachel and Tommy being evil together but I would prefer it if they were taking down unlikable characters. Like... Leverage or something.

Shiri is killing it. She better get good work after this.

Wait... is August really falling for this?

OK, this show is like 80% soap opera full of evil people and 20% out of place feminist rants. What show do they think they're making? You can't have your cake and eat it too. You can't have Rachel get some sexually assaulted and then have her go on about how the general population is horrible and unlikely to believe women. Like every other time characters make little speeches (e.g. whenever they talk about how it's harder for Quinn at work being a woman), it's true but not entirely relevant in context and used in a sideways matter to justify everything from stupid nonsense to heinous behavior.

LOL, what? Is this supposed to be a regular viewing party? No one cosplays for a weekly viewing party, I don't care how devoted your fanbase is.

Damn, they made Maya a bunny boiler just because she wouldn't play along with Rachel's confession/confrontation?

Well, at least it was finally enough to break through to Rachel. Though what is it with this show and vomit lately?

OK, either they filmed one storyline and then changed their minds partway in the middle or the guy playing August is a bad actor. Because I could have sworn he didn't believe Rachel and was playing her. He was so flat and not genuine every time they were together after he rejected her.

LOL, what? So Rachel did get all three remaining guys to be into her?

So now August is going to have sex with Candy. Well, that'll solve everything.

So now Rachel is going to have sex with Tommy. Well, that'll solve everything.

[aradia22]

EPISODE SEVEN: Oh, now Quinn has a conscience? Why Noelle? Why not Maya? Or countless others? Like the dead people?

What is the point of Tommy? Did they make a bet in the writers room of UnREAL to try and come up with someone worse than Jeremy? Because I don't know... I think I still hate Jeremy more.

So Rachel is dealing with something that involves hair loss and nausea?

Doctor I forgot his name is like a big dumb puppy. He seems nice. Why is this his third time on Everlasting? That feels like a Nick Viall thing. I'm not sure why Rachel was so against him. If she genuinely wanted someone to marry her, he was a much easier target than August or Rodrigo.

How is Rachel randomly self-medicating? What is she even taking?

Good lord, that was a lot. What? They couldn't dredge up season 1 footage of Adam?

Anyway, that was humiliating like Jawbreaker or something but it wasn't live right? The only thing that happens is Rachel is exposed to the cast and crew. 

LOL, Rachel and Tommy... this is How to Get Away With Murder crossed with Bonnie and Clyde.

[aradia22]

EPISODE EIGHT: Like Everlasting, UnREAL has really gone from trying to say something about reality TV and feminism to just the dankest depths of misogyny. It's only watchable as a soap now. I don't know why they're pretending we still care about the characters.

Let me form my own opinions, show. Jesus. They're going overboard with the music and the lighting. I get it. Tommy and Rachel are not in a healthy relationship. OBVIOUSLY.

Dan is still funny.

LOL at Jay saying "Rachel's an actual criminal" but he's still working there. This is the same problem all these high drama shows get into when they can't kill off or at least write off characters. None of these people should still be here.

Madison is a mess. And with all the sleeping her way to the top that she does, why is she catching feelings for anyone anyway?

Season 2 of a failing dance show IS the best he can do. He could barely pitch that failing dance show to begin with. 

So Rachel ran to Quinn. On the one hand, yes, Quinn is right. Rachel is broken and also responsible for terrible things. On the other hand, I feel like we've been trapped in a cycle where Quinn pushes Rachel, forces her to do terrible things, and then acts all superior or cuts her down as though she hasn't created this monster.

I feel like the betrayal for Quinn didn't come from Rachel going too far. It came from her taking away the show/empire. Also, what? Quinn totally does not admit that she's a bad person.

Chet and Quinn have piles of money. Can't they adopt a baby? Hire a surrogate? Whatever.

LOL. Does Graham exist on a completely different show? Is he that oblivious?

Why is it raining again?

So Rachel went to get Maya. Finally. I thought they'd leave her to rot in jail. They clearly haven't cared about her for most of the season.

Chet grieving their unborn baby is a sequence I didn't need unless that was a product placement car commercial. This isn't prestige TV. Stop pretending like it is, UnREAL. Too many of these scenes this episode like the beginning. 

LOL, what? Someone watching the Bachelor does not want to watch a production person they don't know make a bunch of speeches. That's how they thought to resolve things? Oh, no, the baby and the affair are a lie. That is the lamest way of shutting it down they could have come up with. It doesn't actually disprove anything. At least the Maya part was better but it was also a lame way of bringing that back.

"You wouldn't have loved the real me anyway." Well, that's sad.

That was so dumb. Rachel was ready to face the consequences and Quinn sacrificed Tommy instead? 

What did that prove? Jay and Fiona running a production company? WHEN HAVE THEY EVER PROVEN TO BE GOOD AT ANYTHING? All of our evidence says that they would be terrible. 

Rachel dyed her hair and made a pie. Wow. Great character arc.

And Quinn lied to Chet so she could abort the baby as she originally wanted.

Damn it. One of the only good things about Everlasting was that mansion. Cleansing fire. What is this Carrie? This would be more interesting if Devious Maids (also on Lifetime) hadn't pulled the same crap. I get it. It's evil. And Everlasting is actually not everlasting. But I feel like it's a real rich people solution to just burn it to the ground. It's not actually haunted. 

All in all, that ended up being compulsively watchable even if I stopped caring about all the characters are real human beings and I just wanted to see what the writers were going to do to their puppets. But no, I wouldn't watch season 5 if it was August and Candy. And I can't see where they'd go from here except to keep bringing the same people back to do the same things and fight the same fights. 

[aradia22]

Quote

Quinn does save Rachel from ruin but her inability to be consistent as a support system leaves Rachel chasing after another person's approval she can never completely have. 

This. So much this. Well said. It got progressively more difficult to root for Quinn or their relationship. And from a writing standpoint, it got boring to see them go in circles.

Quote

Also, there was never any payoff to Jay's cocaine addiction. So he just stops snorting cocaine? At free will?

I feel like they gave Alexi a legitimate drug problem. But for Jay it was more like he gave into it whenever he was sad. And as soon as something could shake him out of it, it was not a problem for him to stop. And yet when he was trying to bury his feelings he was doing so much coke that he would have certainly developed a dependency. Which is nonsensical but so were a lot of things on this show.

Quote

They say everything is on "live" tv, but there's no way they could show Rachel's sex scenes on network tv.  How does Rachel not cover the cameras in the rooms before sleeping with  ____ (fill in the blank)?  

Not everything is live. Only certain episodes. They seem to always have a live finale but for the most part, weekly episodes are not live. As for the second part, season 1 Rachel knew to cover cameras. For seasons 3 and 4, she just DGAF. Maybe because they were planning the slut shaming thing the whole time. 

Quote

The beginning scene doesn't say anything explicitly, but Quinn and the doctor's expressions I think definitely project that something is wrong.  Quinn may have been on the fence of wanting this kid, but if all was ok, the doctor would have been smiling when she was showing the ultrasound pics. 

My read on it was that the show was trying to keep it ambiguous for the rest of the episode which is why they kept it silent. It was the same doctor who didn't sugarcoat things so I imagine she was just laying out all the difficulties and possible issues again. And Quinn had just had enough of the stress of a pregnancy she hadn't wanted to begin with... especially after finding out it was August's baby. To me, the ending with Rachel confirms it. Quinn "produced" Chet. 

Quote

For all the show's flaws, they created some really fascinating, messed up leading women.

Did they though? We have had a lot of rape and assault, lots of cattiness and backstabbing, promiscuity, unhealthy heterosexual relationships with women who were a little obsessed with guys and finding validation through love, bad mother/daughter relationships, and bad female friendships. With random feminist blurbs thrown in as though that fixes everything. I'm not sure a man couldn't have written this same show but for fear of being excoriated for misogyny. Also, a guy would have probably placed more emphasis on the male characters. Though if you count the way the show wanted to spend more time on Rachel's boyfriends than the contestants, it probably did spend a good amount of time on the guys. 

[IDreamofJoaquin]

I just finished and this season was so maddening. The only good season was 1.  When they were actually showing some things that happened behind the scenes of reality TV. Then it just became a delusional mess.  It was always this person making out with someone else and then going back to have sex with another person and no one even caring or being offended. It never ended.  Is it possible to manipulate people without using genitalia?  I wonder what kind of lives the shows writers lead for them to script the show this way.  I get why they had Rachel sleep with absolutely everyone so they could come to their ending of shaming her and calling her out but they had absolutely everyone falling madly in love with her and that is pretty far fetched. She must have a notable vag because her personality seems pretty one note. 

What disappointed me was they could never figure out who they wanted Rachel to be during this entire run. Was she someone who was forced to come back to pay her debts off and try and redeem herself?  Was she an abuse victim by the hands of her mother that we could empathize with? Was she someone who wanted to work on herself and live away from the show? Or was she a femme fatale we were supposed to despise at the end?   

Other things I felt were inconsistent were Quinn being fucking obsessed with the show and the cast and then acknowledging that Rachel was placing herself as the suitress. There is just no reasonable way to explain that Quinn was this powerful figurehead who wanted to create more tv shows to let this sort of mess slide. 

Jay having tantrum after tantrum over Alexie not wanting to be in a relationship.  They never once even left the vicinity of the Everlasting set and probably only hooked up a few times. Jay had an actual relationship at home and thought what......they were to be together forever?

How Madison landed her role at the company.  We are supposed to believe it was through sex but it just seems so ridiculous and not explained very well.  

[Miles]

So episode 4. Am I supposed to feel sorry for Alexej? I kinda think of it as Karma. He had so much time to apologise to Jay, but just never did. Instead he called him a faggot again.

Who gave that dude a live show in the first place? Couldn't it have been taped?

In general I really wish we were beyond the Quinn Rachel squabbles. I like it a lot more when they are on the same page. Hope they can stay there for a while.

I hope the jelly neww producer isn't a retread of season two.

 

Episode 5: Quinn giving Rachel the "how could you"-look after she 'produced' the rape slasher incidente - pulease. Quinn has done so much worse.

 

Episode 6: Yeah, that ending doesn't do it for me. I'm so over Rachel doing shitty things and then feeling bad about it.

 

Episode 8: Meh, that was really too little too late for a redemtion arc.

Edited October 2, 2018 by Miles