S14.E02: (Not So Happy) Housewarming

[KungFuBunny]

17 hours ago, SweetieDarling said:

It seems there is more to Shane not showing up for the birthday dinner than just the bar exam. I think, like most of them in the same situation (trouble in paradise), Emily is trying to put on a happy front for the cameras, but Shane doesn't want to play. It will be interesting to see if he moves back into the house after the exam.

I'm curious about Shane's daughters from his first marriage. I think they are still minors and Shane shares 50/50 custody.

While Shane has been "studying" for his Bar - whose been taking care of his daughters? Is it Emily or his parents?

[langford peel]

His mother knew. That’s why she named him Shane.

”Come back Shane!”

[RecoveringLawyer]

Lurker forever (back to Mighty Big TV) but I just created an account to say that everyone studies for the bar exam differently.  I'm barred in two states, way back when before the UBE, and I worked 40+ hours a week while studying for both (except for the 2 weeks leading up to the exam) and passed both on the first try - VA and NC, not exactly easy exams, and I didn't go to law school in either state.  I wasn't a rockstar academic, but finished in the top 40% of my mediocre law school.  People need to chill out about it.  Do what works for you.  I would have pissed half the day away if I wasn't working. 

Having said that, at this points, the odds state that Shane stands about a 1% chance of passing.  Every time you fail, the odds of you passing diminish considerably on further testing, unless there's a medical or personal issue that is no longer a problem. 

[Gem 10]

On 8/18/2019 at 4:17 AM, Lizzing said:

Just to put all this who-passed-what-bar business in clear form:

Emily Simpson graduated from Thomas Jefferson School of Law, was admitted in CA on 12/1/05 and UT on 10/31/11, and is "active" (i.e., able to practice, current on dues, CLE, etc.) in both jurisdictions.

Shane Simpson graduated from Whittier College School of Law, was admitted in UT on 10/31/11,  and is active in UT.  He is not listed as a CA attorney, so he did not pass the February, 2019 exam, as those results are out.  If he took the July, 2019 exam, those results are pending and will be released sometime after October (I can't say for certain when, as I'm not, nor ever was, a CA attorney).

Shireen Burgan, Shane's sister and Emily's party planner partner, graduated from Whittier College School of Law, was admitted in CA on 12/2/08, and is active in CA.

I have no idea how Shane was Emily's boss in Utah, since she had six more years of practice and they were licensed in UT at the same time.  I also don't know why Shane didn't take the CA bar after graduating (maybe he did, failed, and just moved on to UT?) since he went to law school in CA.

And this is waaaay too much bar talk for me, as I'm having flashback dreams about studying for it, and it was better than 2 decades ago that I took the damn test.  😆 But I have to laugh at @SimonSeymour's comment about seeing a movie during studying.  Back in bar prep (which was live and in person as this was the nascent days of the Internet and I don't live in a multi-jurisdiction test state), the guy teaching the last subject had been teaching and bar exam grading for longer than I've been alive today.  He said to knock off early on the night before the exam, go see a movie, and don't crack a book until you sit down to take the test.  Worked like a charm for me!

On a completely different topic, it strikes me that Emily and Vicki both dress in the same wrong manner.  They go for tight clothes and tops with extra crap on them that makes their shoulders look super-wide, which in turn, strikes a silhouette much larger than they actually are.  We saw that especially with Emily last year when she was in her swimsuit on vacation--when she was down to that suit, she was actually quite lovely in proportion  She needs a stylist more than anything, because, unlike Vicki who will NEVER learn not to buy her clothes two sizes too small and always have an affinity for dead muppet vests, I think there's hope for Emily.  Someone needs to get her some of the Joan Holloway-Harris style wiggle dresses and steer her the hell away from ruffles and weird cut-outs.

DAMN .. Too bad I didn’t know there were so many attorneys on here, as I got SMASHED from behind last year, went to hospital in an ambulance, multiple injuries, car totaled and got shit in my settlement b cause of no broken bones.  A fancy N.Y. City lawyer too. LOL.  The aggravation of everything alone was worth more.  Paperwork up the kazoo and ridiculous has been insurance Doctors.

Edited August 19, 2019 by Gem 10

[RedheadZombie]

11 hours ago, Natalie68 said:

I haven’t seen this ep yet but I think what one can surmise is everyone has a different way of studying and dealing w the stress it causes. He’s failed it several times and I can see how that would make one bitey. The show is her deal. If this were my household and I had kids and mr Natalie had a test like this I’d take over all kid duties and leave him the eff alone except bringing him food occasionally.  It’s called teamwork. Maybe I’ll feel differently once I see it but I doubt it.  Once I was an adult I didn’t care what day my bday as celebrated. As long as it was remembered. 

I’d be interested to know if Emily shirked all of her parental/wifely duties for passing the CA bar, and if Shane picked up her slack like a champ. If not, he’s a bigger asshole than I thought. 

Edited because Emily apparently passed TWO bars before she married Shane.  It’s also very interesting that he attends law school in CA and yet cannot pass their bar. 

Edited August 19, 2019 by RedheadZombie

[chenoa333]

9 hours ago, KungFuBunny said:

I'm curious about Shane's daughters from his first marriage. I think they are still minors and Shane shares 50/50 custody.

WHAT DA PHUCK?! He found yet ANOTHER woman to make babies with? Not only does he behave like a dick....his head resembles a penis. (I know..I'm wierd😀 )

[UsernameFatigue]

17 hours ago, Natalie68 said:

I haven’t seen this ep yet but I think what one can surmise is everyone has a different way of studying and dealing w the stress it causes. He’s failed it several times and I can see how that would make one bitey. The show is her deal. If this were my household and I had kids and mr Natalie had a test like this I’d take over all kid duties and leave him the eff alone except bringing him food occasionally.  It’s called teamwork. Maybe I’ll feel differently once I see it but I doubt it.  Once I was an adult I didn’t care what day my bday as celebrated. As long as it was remembered. 

At this point I think Emily owes Shane a debt of gratitude, because without him she has no story line. 

Since Shane has been staying with his parents while he studies, I would think he already had wished them a happy birthday and maybe even shared breakfast or lunch with them earlier in the day. Emily needed to have a "party" for a story line for this episode. Parry is thirsty and likes attention, so she was happy to be on camera. I would imagine she would have showed up, birthday or not. 

2 hours ago, chenoa333 said:

WHAT DA PHUCK?! He found yet ANOTHER woman to make babies with? Not only does he behave like a dick....his head resembles a penis. (I know..I'm wierd😀 )

IIRC, both of Shane's daughters were on the show last year at some point. It is one of the (many) reasons that Emily's whole season of whining that she wanted a sister for her daughter annoyed me, as her daughter has two half sisters already. 

[ladle]

I’m glad that, regardless of how we feel about the bar, or about Shane’s ability to skip studying to have dinner with his parents, we can all agree that Shane, in general, is a dick. 

[chlban]

8 hours ago, UsernameFatigue said:

At this point I think Emily owes Shane a debt of gratitude, because without him she has no story line. 

Since Shane has been staying with his parents while he studies, I would think he already had wished them a happy birthday and maybe even shared breakfast or lunch with them earlier in the day. Emily needed to have a "party" for a story line for this episode. Parry is thirsty and likes attention, so she was happy to be on camera. I would imagine she would have showed up, birthday or not. 

IIRC, both of Shane's daughters were on the show last year at some point. It is one of the (many) reasons that Emily's whole season of whining that she wanted a sister for her daughter annoyed me, as her daughter has two half sisters already. 

I missed that, probably because I find her so boring, but thanks. As someone with sisters, that happen to have a different father, this is just another reason to dislike her. A statement like that is awful, and to put it on National TV? 

Just now, chlban said:

Edited August 20, 2019 by chlban

[lcarolynl]

2 hours ago, ladle said:

I’m glad that, regardless of how we feel about the bar, or about Shane’s ability to skip studying to have dinner with his parents, we can all agree that Shane, in general, is a dick. 

Yes, I stated that same thing at least twice in my own post.

He is a selfish, unaware dick who seems to lean too heavily into his parent’s money to justify his sense of superiority.

When my children were young my husband saw his old age approaching and began to train in earnest for 1/2 and full marathons before the long distance runs were beyond his reach. We finally had to have a serious discussion about what his passion was costing our family in lost time. Fortunately he could put his runs and races into perspective and I think it’s time for Shane to do the same. Give up on the CA bar. 

Attend to the lovely family you have and enjoy the fabulous life you’ve been afforded.

Unfortunately I don’t think Shane can handle his disappointment and limitations with grace and humor. 

I don’t know what he could handle with grace and humor now that I think about it.

But wow, he’s certainly helped out Emily! Even though I FF through Emily and Gina’s scenes, here we are talking about Emily’s husband, birthday party, and marriage. Job security!

[politichick]

On 8/19/2019 at 1:36 PM, RecoveringLawyer said:

 Having said that, at this points, the odds state that Shane stands about a 1% chance of passing.  Every time you fail, the odds of you passing diminish considerably on further testing, unless there's a medical or personal issue that is no longer a problem. 

A few people have said this. Why is it that the odds of passing diminish?

[MajorNelson]

On 8/17/2019 at 1:28 PM, KungFuBunny said:

I think it is his "normal" and the way he treats Emily is the way he has treated her from the beginning. He may have been slightly less of an asshole when they first married but once he had to shell out money for IVF his El Doucho started rearing its little bitch head.

Think back to season 1 - how he was when Emily was crying over the baby footprints, how he was at the therapists office.

I forget what he did at the therapist's office, but in the living room looking at the missing child's footprints he just sat there.

I think he mostly has a flat affect, and then Emily tells build it up to tell people he is sarcastic or different.  In reality he's a flatline douche.

Edited August 20, 2019 by MajorNelson

[Persnickety1]

I just posted something in Vicki's thread for everyone's amusement.  

Vicki must be bored off of her ass after being demoted to "friend of" this season.  😄  

Edited August 20, 2019 by Persnickety1

[politichick]

On 8/17/2019 at 2:05 PM, ghoulina said:

Eh, I don't see it as that big of a deal. I think a 14-year-old is more than mature enough to babysit, let alone hang out with their siblings until the nanny arrives. Obviously every teenager is different; but from the little we saw of her kids, they seemed pretty level-headed. 

I left my 9 and 7 year old home alone for a five minutes the other day. I was taking my oldest to our therapy appointment and my husband got stuck in traffic on the way home. We missed each other by a matter of moments. But they were fine. 

I was babysitting for the neighbours when I was ten. So maybe I just have a weird bias, but I don't think it's a big deal. 

Also, she has a couple of older children who are 17 and 18, doesn't she? or 16 and 17.

[MajorNelson]

On 8/17/2019 at 6:17 PM, ladle said:

How wrong is it that I keep coming back here in the hopes that somebody has cracked the mystery of whether Shane passed the bar?

I found that a "mysterious" Steven Simpson of Mission Viejo passed the Feb bar, but couldn't get any connection that Shane's real name or perhaps first name is Steven.

Note in further legwork, I saw Emily says she was married to Shane at the Bellagio but I have searched Clark County's marriage records and don't see him or her listed.  Perhaps it was recorded elsewhere.  I also figured Salt Lake City ( in SL county) was a reasonable guess, but that county's records aren't online.

Further note, another article says Shane remarried (to Emily) 6 months after his divorce and the date was 2/14/2009.  Nothing at Clark County though.  If any can find his records, we can get his full real name

Edited August 20, 2019 by MajorNelson

[biakbiak]

26 minutes ago, MajorNelson said:

I found that a "mysterious" Steven Simpson of Mission Viejo passed the Feb bar, but couldn't get any connection that Shane's real name or perhaps first name is Steven.

Given his bio at his job indicates that he is just an investigator it seems clear he did not pass the bar.

[nexxie]

Emily and Shane paint a clear picture of why it’s not the best idea to marry just anyone you happen to know because why not.

[Gem 10]

Shannon’s girls remind me of the George Bush sisters.  One blonde and one darker hair and thin.

[Golden Girl]

I just can’t with the shreiky voices and the long extensions. All of them. Oh my. 

[Granimal]

On 8/18/2019 at 2:11 PM, ghoulina said:

Exactly. He seems very spoiled. He has a wife. He has kids. He can study. But I don't think it's fair to COMPLETELY shirk his duties as a husband and father to study for this test. It's his choice to do this now, at this point in his life; so he needs to make it work around his family. 

Agreed. I was five when my father studied for the bar. My parents were divorced, and I'm sure he could've stopped visitation during that time period- but he didn't. Because I am his child. I still went over to his house on weekends, and we still had fun. I'm guessing if my father were Shane I'd have been out of his life. Shane isn't a single childless man, but he has the luxury of being married to an Emily. Emily studied and passed the bar, and I'm guessing that Emily didn't get the "Shane treatment", and still had to be "mom" everyday.

[politichick]

15 hours ago, Granimal said:

Agreed. I was five when my father studied for the bar. My parents were divorced, and I'm sure he could've stopped visitation during that time period- but he didn't. Because I am his child. I still went over to his house on weekends, and we still had fun. I'm guessing if my father were Shane I'd have been out of his life. Shane isn't a single childless man, but he has the luxury of being married to an Emily. Emily studied and passed the bar, and I'm guessing that Emily didn't get the "Shane treatment", and still had to be "mom" everyday.

She was single during her bar seasons.

[biakbiak]

7 minutes ago, politichick said:

She was single during her bar seasons.

Though Shane could barely handle watching the kids while she was downstairs having a work gathering so I am going to assume if they had been married he wouldn’t have stepped up. 

[Nicmar]

On 8/14/2019 at 7:31 AM, Mu Shu said:

Good god, two of those kids were named after nuts. I guess when you have so many kids you run out of names.

Is it Koa and Hazel?

[ButterQueen]

On 8/16/2019 at 1:55 PM, LibertarianSlut said:

I'm late to the party, and once again, I haven't caught up on all the posts, but I once again have to expel my negative energy about these women to you all because everyone is saying what I'm thinking!

I am going to go a little left on the Emily topic, and feel free to chuck oranges at my head, but...I'm on Shane's side.  I took two bars (passed both), and I only say this because it's relevant--you need complete fucking solitude in order to study and pass.  You need whatever you need.  It's so intense that right before my class graduated, our dean stood at the front of a lecture hall and told us that if we were smokers, we should not try to stop smoking while we studied for the bar.  I have not heard a person advise smoking in their professional capacity before or since.  All this to say, Emily, if you want Shane to pass the bar, leave him the fuck alone.  I could not believe they were trying to FaceTime him while he was studying, and he was actually a lot calmer than he had to be.  I don't care if it's his parents' birthday, because birthdays don't have to be celebrated by your adult children.  It ain't Christmas.  He could have taken them out to a very nice belated birthday dinner after the bar exam.  I'm sure if Emily didn't need to film something so desperately, Shane's parents would have been happy to say that Shane wasn't around for this birthday because he was studying for the California bar in February, the month during which the bar is given.  Shit, I was the maid of honor in my sister's wedding in February just before I took the New York bar, and I only took half a day off from studying to do that.  So Emily and her disgusting habits with her children can bite me.

I’m going to disagree about Shane.  I know many people with families that didn’t need 24/7 solitude to study for the law bar.  My son-in-law studied and took the exam while my daughter delivered a very premature baby.  He did not hold up somewhere else and passed on the first try.  My DH worked part-time while studying for his medical school/specialist license.  It’s not rocket science.  Something is going on.

Edited August 23, 2019 by ButterQueen

[Granimal]

On 8/21/2019 at 6:06 PM, biakbiak said:

Though Shane could barely handle watching the kids while she was downstairs having a work gathering so I am going to assume if they had been married he wouldn’t have stepped up. 

Not a far leap, IMO. Would Emily be given the same consideration that she is giving to Shane (presumably again)? I doubt it.  It's one thing (maybe) if you're a grad student with no kids and no responsibilities, quite another for any parent to stop parenting for (at least) ten days to study for a test that (s)he's already failed twice. Again, I remember being in the sole care of my father (who worked a difficult full-time job) while he studied for the bar and the patent bar. Life didn't stop. 

This is a along way of me saying that Shane's entitlement is ridiculous. He's either entitled enough to drop all of his responsibilities onto his wife, or there's a serration. Either way, being an absent father is a bad look, and their marriage is in trouble.