Taoboi

POTOMAC That moment you see next week's promo and see those hos coming for Queen Karen. I'll say this much...the production on that promo was done beautifully like a soap opera reveal though.

@Soapsuds thank you. Much appreciated.

NY I am happy to report that I just finished the season!!! lol. This finale was something else. Truly an end of an era. But it was nice to see that (other than the last minute) they were all in a happy place, drunk, and being FUN drunks. Nice, light fluff. The season started off as one drunken night after another. But thankfully balance was found. Should be interesting to see where things will be going. As for how things stand entering the reunion... RAMONA. Surprisingly I didn't feel bothered by her at all. Other than how she treated Elyse...the storyline that just disappeared...she did not have much going on but her rivalry with Leah. And a mother/daughter dynamic emerged. It would be nice to see where it goes since online it is going back to straight rivalry. And she has interesting friends. Elyse. That snobby one that was at her party. John who might be aggressive, but has smooth game IMHO. It's weird. He is kinda slimy, but...I'm game. I blame it on being on Lockdown. SONJA. Say what you want about her, but just when you think you know everything about Sonja, she reveals something else going on. I liked the business side of her coming out. I loved seeing her do a charity bingo for GLADD. I loved seeing her being so adapt at throwing herself into any crowd...the black guys at Leah's party, the gays here...and when Dorinda exploded, she was still trying to keep the happy vibe. Hopefully she will get to a point where she can sell the townhouse. I feel like she's been trying to do that FOREVER. LUANN. VIVA LA DIVA!!! She really was Lu and improved. I loved that she was out and about and trying to do better. She was being fun and somewhat classy. I love how tongue-in-cheek she was about herself. If I disliked her for anything (which is not much), it would be she not going harder on Dorinda about her drinking. But I understand why she was not. Until Dorinda hits bottom...there was nothing much she or the others could do. And Ramona, though she was right, was not helping. DORINDA. If the beginning of the season was about Tinsley vs Dorinda and Leah's joining the group, the latter half of the season was about Dorinda's drinking. It quickly overshadowed everything. That was clear on the great Mexico trip when Dorinda deflect, deflect, deflect anytime it came up. Their best nights were the nights when either Dorinda was not thinking of herself (Sonja's party) or when she was not even there. And then that last scene of the season...WOW. So much anger at Tinsley. A bad look. If Tinsley did not drop the bombshell at the reunion, fans would never know. Not looking forward to Dorinda's downfall, but it is what it is. LEAH. I thought she was a good addition other than losing her s*it every time she drank. I am looking forward to her rivalry with Ramona now that this season has shown a little more layers to it. And Ramona needs to be called out from time to time. She has been a breath of fresh air. And I look forward to seeing more of her family, more of her business, and seeing how she develops outside of Drunk Leah. And while Elyse said she was not going to be on next season, I hope she does since they are now friends. Overall, a good finale. OC So far, so good. Like the rest of you, I loved the voiceover from Jeana. And it was nice the producers definitely are trying to see this season like the Lizzie/Shannon season as a soft reboot. The only difference is...Lizzie and Shannon were strong presences among a group with strong personalities. This cast...well... I guess we will see. EMILY. I will start with my favorite of this cast. I have always liked Emily. Her body issues are relatable to me. And her drama with Shaun was believeable. I still cannot believe he did not see how he was coming across. That said...HE SEES IT NOW. I am sorry to say it, but 'second season curse' appeared to have hit Emily. She has now gotten used to the camera and it appeared she is now 'playing a character' (c) Ex Soap Star. Or if not a character, I felt Emily was playing to the camera rather than being her...the thing that made her likable. Like their dinner, anyone noticed how Shaun kept looking at the camera as if he was worried about something. So was Emily at times. And there is a little cattiness to her on-camera presence that was not there before. I found that worrisome.. In fact, I felt the only time Emily was real was in the last 5 minutes when Braunwyn revealed her secret. And that was probably because Emily was not expecting that. SHANNON. So far...Shannon is giving me Soap Heroine. And it was nice to see her happy. And look at her with a blend family. I was loving all of that. After seasons of drama, she was happy. Of course, this show would be nothing without drama. And with Tamra and Vicki gone, there was only one thing going on that was drama for Shannon. Well two if we count David being a fame whore outside the show...and that would be Kelly. And even that just felt like something made up to get something going. And it appeared easily resolved. GINA. Meh. I was over her last year when she turned on Emily. Of course with Emily being catty now, I guess they fit better into each other. There is potential there for drama with the drama with her ex, getting a new guy, and her dislike of Braunwyn, but it just smells of being relevant vs being relatable. Guess I am just over her. KELLY. Like her or hate her, she does keep it moving. I simply just don't care either. Right now, she is just there. It's kinda boring. And her and Shannon are our anchors now? And other than planning a wedding, what else will we have? But I know Kelly will at least eventually bring more...and I saw they edited in the mask fight for the THIS SEASON promo...so I guess Kelly might become my LOVE TO HATE or JUST HATE. But...definitely not boring me completely or giving me meh like Gina. BRAUNWYN. I am waaaaaay to used to calling her Brown Wind. LOL. That said...the fact that I'm making an attempt to remember how to spell her name is telling to me. And I loved her new house. And that last scene...honestly...I teared up. I know how much of a big deal that first step toward admitting one is an alcoholic can be. That has always been an issue on my father's side of the family that I always worry for myself as my father's son, as a Southerner, and as a San Diegan since we were voted this year as the booziest place (even more than Vegas hehe) in the U.S. I have mentioned going on a path of self discovery this year and that was one topic that has come up over the last year among me and my oldest friends. While I have gone through phases, I have to say that I am not and have always been intelligent enough that if I felt I was using alcohol to numb pain too much that I am also wise enough to stop. Something I cannot say for some of my friends who I felt was projecting for other reasons, but that is another tale. In any case, I found new respect for Braunwyn for doing that. And more importantly, she was being REAL. And we really need more housewives like that. I also liked she owned her behavior to Emily and apologized. ELIZABETH. Her vibe? Vicki 2.0. The fun and self-absorbed part. So far I like her. I am not liking those THs at all. They look silly. Exceptions were Braunwyn, Shannon, and Kelly.

Thank you @DaytimeFan. It is appreciated.

Granted you have fresh eyes and it's been a while since I've seen it, but I recall Kary coming in hot, making Cary's old-and-settled feud with LeeAnne her storyline from jump. THEN they tried to get along, but both kept looking for a moment to attack the other. So...I am going to have to repsectively and kindly say 'chance at first' is a no. lol. That out of the way...WELCOME!!! lol. I always enjoy when other posters are playing catchup on a show and I'm living for your comments. So see RHOD from another perspective. I didn't like how dark Season 4 RHOD got. And I STILL need to sit down and watch the finale (saw the reunion...never again), but while the season and LeeAnne leaving was a bad taste in my mouth. I am at least curious to see how Season 5 will be. But like others have said and maybe because it's how we Southerners can be...it is very soapy at times. RE: Gizelle and Robyn They went through all of this trouble to get Monique out of the group and now that Candiace is doing that they want to be all 'huh?' Really? Re: OC Yeah...there appeared to be a massive online SM campaign to boycott OC. I do wonder if it will work since fans tried to do the same thing on BELOW DECK MED post-Hannah leaving. People were more into hatewatching it by the time it ended and ratings did take a hit. EVENTUALLY. I'm also curious about next season's rating since SM already spoiled the people who fans want fired are BACK. + 1 on the bold. As long as people still have LeeAnne's name on their lips like the Coven has LVP's name on theirs, I feel the producers will still miss her in some way. So their best revenge (though I still like LeeAnne and continue to see her as ignorant) will be going into Season 5 is to not discuss or mention LeeAnne AT ALL. Turn the corner and make a new way. I'm however NOT looking forward to the whitewashing of what Brandi did. She should have been right behind LeeAnne out the door. And speaking of someone not showing any remorse...well...

Hehe...just stumbled on this on Twitter this morning. Same. Or back to that. I might not have liked it back in midMarch and April, but clearly it was effective enough to be done again.

Woof!!

Sadly, Dramatist, this is all happening during another of my long busy work weeks. But doing the best I can to not freak out. And thank you, Cat. I mentioned what you said to my mother earlier today. She was feeling a little bit better earlier. It is appreciated. My neighbor just mentioned this to me earlier. Wow.

POTOMAC 'I'm already married to a millionaire. What do I need to get paid for?' DAaaaaRN! I have no choice but to stan Ashley. lol. I needed that today. @Gray Bunny awwww thank you. As a child of being raised in a small town, I completely understand. It definitely is different, but it sounds like you both are prospering greatly. Awesome!

Same. If anything, this shows for sure a pattern of behavior and not a case of hearsay from the ladies.

WOW. So who did Michael P.O.ed this time for this to surface now...?

Thank you, everyone for the good wishes, prayers, and hugs. I guess I was in a daze the other day. Still am honestly. In spite of the fact that both of my main jobs involve me interacting with people who seem to do everything in their power to NOT wear a mask sometimes, I am well. However, my brother (he is negative) had to deal with Co-Vid with his wife (she is recovering thank goodness). And I found out that my mother has it. While everyone has told me (and I have) told her to work on her vitamin D while she self-isolates...my mother also was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease a couple of years back so I'm extremely worried since I am half a continent away from her. It was also this time of year I lost my father so my anxiety is pretty high. I never thought of my mother as weak. So to hear her on the phone like herself, but not and with a cough. I...I just don't know what to do. But...so far, so good.

NY Sometimes all one needs is a little bit of laughter and a lot of LuAnn. lol. Finishing up the Mexico trip from this past season. And I loved that Sonja got her own little birthday party. And I knew that if anyone got up the next day for a set of hot trainers it would be Lu. She did not disappoint. And I needed to laugh so God bless her.

Yep. I agree with Vicki, but yep, yep. Petty boots. I wonder if she will go the extra mile Kenya did during Season 11. Agree.

Hello, Well...Co-Vid has decided to hit a little too close to home this week. Prayers and thoughts are welcomed since I now truly find myself beside myself. Hopefully some good news in the morning...

AMEN.

I feel like she's pulling a page from Kenya's playbook and posting to still some thunder from them like Kenya did from RHOA during her off season. Though tbf, 1)Vicki isn't wrong and 2) Kenya did it better.

Funnily enough, Google on my phone had it bookmarked for me. According to it, I have several close locations that I can just walk to. But I got conflicting info from my neighbor so I will be trying to verify it either tonight or tomorrow. Yes, I should be able to track my ballot which is good.

POTOMAC Another easy, breezy episode. Perhaps it was my headspace after binging NORMAL PEOPLE or the Dad Blues sneaking up on me, but it took a while for me to get through it the first time. Or the wine. lol. I did enjoy it. We were just talking a few pages back about Karen Season 1 vs Karen now. So this episode was extremely well-timed into digging more into who Karen is. Meanwhile, the undercurrent of the fight was still very much present. I LOVE THAT. This is like its own little soap opera with individual scenes going on. The producers have found the right balance. And dare I say...Miami Season 2 without the recurring characters? Other shows could take note. KAREN. So...not only is Karen a legacy which she has been saying forever, but her father was self-made. For me that says so much about her. I love that Karen was giving the spotlight and as she would say her view was spectacular. It was nice to get to know her. It was interesting who she chose to come with her. And yes. Wow. Her and Ashley have come a LOOOOOOOONG way. But this really, really humanizes her even more than they were already doing. I giggled at the parade since I am from a small town as well and that was how our parade used to go down when I was a kid. And I felt her when she was at the church. The pain of losing a parent never truly goes away. And while my loss has been years it is still quite unnerving at times. If I was disappointed at Karen at all, it was because she should have talked to Monique about what she said to Candiace before anyone else. You could already see Gizelle's wheels turning. And then we have Robyn telling Candiace too. Can we say ambush? But I am confident Karen will get those bandits all the way together. GIZELLE. Doing too much. There were times her humor was fun. But then she just had to be shady. ROBYN. Her dress up scene was a hoot the first time around (and someone pointed out online that she still had her tag on), but I ignored it the next two times. And I don't like how messy she was with Candiace. Just more reason to believe that the Green Eyed Bandits set up Monique and Candiace. Yes, the fight is both of their faults, but the bandits worked with what was already there to push it to boiling point. I do hope they get called out at reunion. And the karma over IRS coming for Robyn. HA!!! WENDY. Is that the hint of a storyline coming up? I would say good. Right now, Dr. Wendy has started to lean toward a miss. And like Karen before her, she definitely needs something to humanize her. Because her aliging with the Green Eyed Bandits...is not a good look for her. I love Ivy. So more of her, please. Good start. ASHLEY. She had me hollering in the first five minutes. And I LOVE her hair at the parade. She was the best humor magnet this episode. And I continue to like that she has Monique's back. And yes, her and Karen have come a loooooong way. CANDIACE. Honestly? Darn. Robyn manipulated her good. As did her mother. MONIQUE. The stuff of what good soap is made of. She FINALLY calm down. She FINALLY saw where she was in the wrong. She FINALLY saw what she had to do. But...TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE...? since lawyers were on the way. Ugh. That said...I liked her scene. I understood where she was coming. And a lot of us have been saying what the pastor said to her last night. She has been under so much pressure. And we know why. And yes, she was still partly responsible for that. Part of the 'fun' of watching Monique now will be the journey to get to a better place. And I feel that she will get there. I love that Chris allowed her to get to a place where she would be able to hear what the pastor was saying too. He is a great husband. Pre-pandemic...and I might be oversharing a bit so I apologize...I have been on a bit of self discovery myself. I have suffered from self esteem issues, working hard to have a good life and come from a poor background. Over that time, I have had anger issues. Always trying to be the best and do the best and I while I would be the first to say I am not perfect, there is nothing more triggering than knowing no matter what you do as a black gay man you never seen to be good enough for your peers when you are a double minority. I have come a long way, but I felt it was time to better myself and feel more comfortable in my own skin. To follow my dreams in a way that I feel I've drop the ball on. It was part of the reason (those who read my RHOD posts here remember the other reasons) I left my job of eight years to put myself in a place to be focused on chasing my dreams. Then Co-Vid happened, and that made me look inward more. And now...it has been a matter of keeping balance in a world that as I get ready for work...has gone mad around me I feel. They say that when you feel pain is when you know it's time for a change so that's where my head is at at the moment and it is quite frustrating to keep it together which the world around you is losing it. So with that in mind, I felt that whole scene of Monique talking to her pastor. The person I would talk to in these trying times passed from a long battle of cancer in January and I discover this under lockdown started so I really feel those scenes. Navigating without one's sounding board is...new...to me. Okay, that was a little bit deeper than I meant it to be. lol Again, my apologies. It was a good episode.

True. It does worry me. I got my voting packet this weekend. And booklets. I plan to sit down and read them on my next off day. But I have looked online for where to take this. I'm in San Diego so I find this worrying. Like the San Diego Public Library is opened for drop offs...I'm a block away LITERALLY, but I now wonder how safe is it?

Since we know how triggering Kary was to me all I will say is...

YES. It balances all that and as @DaytimeFan said they balance both with comedy, too. They are literally putting every franchise to shame right now HANDS DOWN. And I will go a step farther saying a bit soapy this season and last. LOL!!! That was what my cousin when she first started. Next time I talked to her...she was also on Season 3. lol.

Isn't that the best feeling in the world? I've been doing the same. And I look forward to clowning with my cousin every Sunday now over this and RHOA. POTOMAC...bringing families together through messiness.

And on TONIGHT OF ALL NIGHTS???

Hahahaha