DRW50

That GL logo at the end looks like the front of a bar. Oof her hair at this time.

I just loved Jean Carol's work as Nadine. I felt like she could play anything. Pathos under a "happy" demeanor is a classic soap archetype and Carol always made it work. I don't think she had any good material after she and Billy split, but she deserved more. Katie's such a bright spark during the stuff I've seen of the Dobsons. I have to agree that I'm surprised Long didn't write for her. She's not Marland's type of actress at all, to me anyway, and it kind of shows.

I get the feeling she's not crazy about her either (and may have helped bring in Natalie, Mynique, etc. for that purpose) but Kandi isn't as easy to take down as Kenya.

I think that the show realized they couldn't rely on one person - the early seasons never did, even if Nene became the breakout star. I feel like after last season, which was very sparse storywise, they concentrated more on story for everyone this season, and it's worked. I think one of the problems is that this shift likely has made Nene feel insecure. Not just Kenya taking her place, but the show existing without her. This season there has been tons of buzz about many parts of the show, and, until recently, none of them involved Nene. If she could feel that while filming, or if someone in the crew told her as such, she may have acted out, to remind people who was boss. I also get the feeling that she was stirring the pot quite a bit early this season, perhaps more behind the scenes (using Chuck/Mynique and Natalie/Chris against various housewives she has issues with), and someone in production may have decided, OK, that's fine, but let's put you in the spotlight and see how you react. So we get the charity event last night, where I do think production likely wanted to push her buttons to see how she would respond.

I think Porsha might say something, as she knows her place on the show is very shaky. Cynthia - I don't know. She could go either way. I have to admit I'm hoping that Cynthia is seriously called out at this reunion.

I don't think Maggie is "selfish" - she's in shock. Her father just died, horribly, in front of her, and she's obviously having PSTD (she zoned out at the bus and then went nuts, Rick-style on one of those walkers). I do think she would have mentioned Beth, but otherwise I bought it. Glenn is her touchstone. The Daryl and Beth scenes were the least interesting part for me. Beth's old diary entry from early season 3 was a nice touch, but the scenes themselves dragged and I don't care about Daryl enough to invest in him on his own. Beth, well...Emily Kinney is a limited actress but I have a soft spot for Beth. I have never been as scared watching this show as I was when Lizzie was smothering baby Judith. I had to fast-forward a little. I was terrified. Lizzie is just disturbed and I am increasingly convinced she killed David and Karen. Carol's return was a little underwhelming, but nice to see her again, anyway. Melissa McBride did great work when Carol realized Tyreese was still in the dark about the murders. I was hoping one or two of those guys would have survived the zombie pack. Who knew Bob had such a nice body? I couldn't tell if he and Sasha had become a thing. Enjoyed seeing Glenn managing to survive and thinking so smart. He broke my heart when he found out about Hershel. I like his pairing with Tara (always my favorite of that mess of people "Brian" found - too bad Martinez didn't survive too) and I hope they might become friends, that is if she makes it past next episode. I thought the entrance of Abraham and his group was awful. It threw me out of the episode and he seemed like a weird, predatory cartoon. They apparently worked hard to recreate a comic book cover. Well, this is TV, no a comic book cover. Some anonymous woman in Daisy Dukes might be great on a comic. On the show she looked absurd.

Kenya's not good verbally. She's better at getting attention and selling an image of herself. She also has nothing to lose, so that makes her behavior on the show more balls to the wall than someone like Sheree or Kim. Nene will likely flay her alive on reunion night and we will hear that this is Nene's big comeback, etc. For now, Kenya's on her home court, and Nene is damaging herself, with some help from Kenya. I think the problem is Nene doesn't want to be there and she feels she shouldn't have to be there. She can't hide it. And it's eating her alive.

I'm sure this has already been asked a long time ago, but why did Angie love her father so much after he took her baby? Did she not blame him for that? How did Pat feel about her husband? I'd been watching again, for the first time in a few years, that episode where her father died (Debbi Morgan giving a phenomenal performance). The main consistency in these episodes is that Hunter Tylo always seems out of place. Erica driving the race car still tends to make me laugh/roll my eyes at the same time. I guess this was close to the end of the 100% fun camp Erica.

I'm going to be offline for the rest of the night but tomorrow I will be back to share my blather. I hope it's a great episode and a great Talking Dead.

Thanks for filling in the gaps for us. Welcome to SON.

Most of what I've seen of the therapist is just "she", but there are some credits up from around this point, I think. I'm not sure. Until these episodes I didn't even know they had done more Pigeon Hollow flashbacks for Ross. I agree about Silver. They could have done a lot with her - she could have filled the role Marissa filled. She could have even found his long lost son, if the show really needed David on that badly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3awQeiZdZs I'm shocked that they actually had Joe say Jeff was in love with Angie. I didn't know the story progressed to that point. That dream sequence with the flashlights under the chins...eh...more public access than fright night. How neat that they had music box instead of the usual AMC closing credits theme.

Yes, and she still does some acting. (her name is Lee Chamberlain) In the June 1987 episode I'm watching they mention that Brooke and Jeff had recently dated. Was this ever referenced when he came back in 2005?

I'd forgotten Ben won an Emmy. Not sure I could watch that...

Thanks for the info. What do you think of that woman getting married, the one with the crazy hair? She's very 80s. I wonder why they keep Olli on if they don't want to write for him. Is he still popular with fans?

I like the corporate relationships too - yes there's juvenile behavior in the workplace (here, and later with Barbara and Hilary) but at least there is a pretense of professionalism. Did you see the episode from later in 1987 where there was another actor playing Jeff and they seemed to be hinting at a Jeff/Hillary/Mitch triangle? I also put it in the recasts thread. I never knew there was another Jeff in 1987. You're right about Hillary's hair. I think it's hair + outfit that throw me... I like Hillary (Hilary, or whatever) a lot. I'm sorry that she was later remembered solely as one of Tad's many exes, or some prototype Dixie. I know Pat was around in later years too (aside from the last few, sadly - makes no sense), but for some reason most of what I see her on Youtube is from 1987. This and Natalie's rape trial/aftermath.

Great chapter. Love seeing more of Cass and Felicia. Emma is quite the enigma. Good to see Frankie and Charlie bonding.

Walt Willey interview. Brandon Beemer was in some caterwauling music video this past fall. This is the behind the scenes, where he talks a little. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uE22A33kdZ8

Olli and "straight" men...I guess he has a type. Do they have fans? Sumo wrestling and porn shoots in the same week. That's an interesting array of material. That S&M photo kind of amuses me. I guess German soaps find creative ways to show skin. Weightlifting accident? That looks scary.

I am cringing at Hilary's hair and outfit. She looks like Suzanne Sugarbaker's country cousin, or like a country singer from 1940. I don't know what was going on there. Skye looks OK.

I think you're probably right. The truth is that Faith generally was a victim - that's how she was conceived and how Faith Catlin played her. Catherine Hicks bucked that, but the show just seemed to write for Hicks as a person. When she left, it was back to status quo for Faith. Since they may have known Malcolm Groome was leaving, they really should have just written Faith out when Hicks quit. To be honest I wasn't a fan even with Hicks in the role - I think Faith is one of the worst characters ever created on a decently written soap opera - but Hicks was the main one who kept the character going. The only time KMG got it together was when Faith was written as a complete bitch, and that was rare, as most of the time, the writing sympathized with Faith no matter what she said or did.

I'm never sure if these shows have a toxic culture or if the people on them already have it. You have people like Bethenny, who were supposed to have moved on and been better, yet end up on a flop talk show almost exclusively entering Bravo people, and taking digs at their ex during an endless, ugly public divorce. Of course she was nasty on Martha Stewart Apprentice so that's not anything to do with RH, it's just her. I think people have personas and then become their personas,and their own identity goes by the wayside over time. I wonder if that is true of Nene.