Cat

The playing of favourites by Truly Original is a problem. It's not quite as egregious as Frons was with ABC Daytime, but RHOA should have just let Porsha and Marlo show us who they are, as it did with Nene, Phaedra, Kim, Kenya and the others. It's a complete misreading (and assumption of stupidity) of the audience that viewers only want perfect heroines. We do not. We value complexity and honesty in a Real Housewife. Porsha isn't dishonest per se, but she is extremely controlled with her image and only wants to be America's Sweetheart. Marlo is no saintly aunt, and she wants the show to rehabilitate her image in return for doing production's bidding. It's always been about transactional relationships with her (hmm, can't think why!). RHOBH has long pulled this ish, and it drives me insane. LVP, Kyle, the Coven, Sutton, Garcelle all want (or wanted) to be beloved by the audience and never be seen on camera doing wrong. One franchise which has allowed the audience to make up its mind is the glorious RHOMiami. Last season Adriana said some awful things, but she also showed that she has a heart and soul and isn't uniformly the villain. Similarly, Princess Alexia gave us her finest telenovela suffering-heroine, but also showed her mean-girl, cliquey side. Again, the audience took this for what these women are and enjoyed the ride to a highly entertaining conclusion. I think Purveyors of Pop produce Miami, and the difference in how story is paced and the cast is represented is noticeable. On the plus side with Truly Original, they also produce RHODubai and Family Karma, two shows I love. They've done good jobs with those. With Dubai, Caroline Stanbury said they brought in the same crew which did Ladies of London. Family Karma seems to have a tight relationship between cast (especially aunties) and producers.

ITA that a refresh rather than a reboot is needed. What most fans are clamoring for is not a rejection of the old guard, but rather a return to the old cast magic and dynamic. This current mix does not work and feels forced. Personally, I think production just does not click with the cast and does not know how to manage them. Ever since Season 10, RHOA has felt very off to me -- superficially entering these women's lives, but not really. Glam filler notched up. Perfectly good HWs kicked to the curb when they 'aged out' (Cynthia). Lazy, made-up SLs. And PR makeovers for certain cast members (Potsha, Marlo). The Carlos King years engaged us with the cast on a deeper and more honest (and funnier) level. The Twitter activity around a RHOA reboot represents either (1) Truly Original throwing the cast under the bus to save its own skin, or (2) Bravo sniffing around social media to sense what appetite there is for a complete reboot. So far, I'd say the idea of a full reboot is not connecting as much as Truly Original might have hoped. Eric Fuller, the EP, is trying to absolve himself of responsibility for this season's disappointment. Which begs the question: what on earth does this EP of multiple RH franchises DO, if not these items he says he has no power over?

It's clear Moonves is a horrible misogynist who couldn't bear to give a woman, an older woman at that, her due for keeping CBS ticking along for over a decade. Murder She Wrote was popular and he couldn't stand that. As we know, he was particularly active in dismantling CBS's most popular women-centric shows, and pushing bro-centric 'dead hooker of the week' television. I think he had a real problem with women with power and star appeal generally, and wanted to put them down a peg or 5. He didn't have the balls to cancel MSW outright, the complaints would have drowned the CBS call center, and so cowardly moved it to Thursdays so that he could hide behind an 'excuse.' As for the show itself, I often meet my parents for lunch on Sundays, and we are blessed with MSW reruns most of the day. I personally love the earlier seasons, and the middle seasons are when MSW were at their most classic and as I remember it. I understand why they moved Jessica to a NYC setting for the final season or so -- more organic story, because how many more people could get murdered in Cabot Cove?? But I missed the Cabot Cove setting and some of the regulars, and I'm glad the show dipped back to CC from time to time in that final year. @DaytimeFan I remember that Parker Stevens episode and how ambiguous they left it, and how creepy his character was at some points. There was the suggestion that he was trying to befriend her on purpose, for similar reasons as with his paramours. MSW played outside the box with that one and kept the viewers on their toes.

BTW echoing the M2M love here. Its a phenomenal show and probably the #1 Atlanta show. It has been for a while, and Phaedra should thank her lucky stars she got asked to join it. Meanwhile in OC. I -- 😬

The production filler 'jokey" set-piece at the beginning of that trailer is really indicative of how little material this season had. Another sign is Kenya uttering only one line, Marlo uttering almost zero, and Sanya not even getting a close up shot in the trailer. Not sure what to say about Drew. On the one hand, her marriage implosion is DRAMA. On the other hand, sometimes I wonder how real that implosion is.

I think in the first episode she implied it was after university. So she's been in the US around two decades? I'm guessing. I've lived in the UK for a longtime and managed a Mid-Atlantic accent bordering on the British side. It's probably watching so many US shows that keeps my US cadences alive! Meanwhile, my mom is French but has lived in the US or UK all her married life, and she still has ze strong Parisian accent.

I think her family came from South Africa, but she grew up in Britain. Then she headed to the US to work in FASHUN. And she's been here ever since so her accent is a mix. Happens to a lot of ex-pats. Totally agree with you assessment of Jessel on the show. She feels like she married beneath her and she can't stand it. She's looking to parachute out and trade up, but she's probably scared about going it alone with two twin toddlers.

I understand putting posters on Ignore and not wanting to deal with their mess, but it's a given that they may still be around SON. If seeing their post pop up on the Latest Posts section induces a meltdown, I don't know what to say. Just because you put them on Ignore doesn't mean the whole board did. Eventually, the truly egregious trolling ones who harass other posters get banned, so there is that. It was usually just a snippet. BUt I can understand you don't want to be surprised. I feel a bit out of the loop because I don't know which threads are hopping at the moment. Even if I don't watch soaps as much anymore, I like to see what's going on and read different posters' thoughts.

That's a pity. Who are these party-poopers? (lol j/k) Seeing the latest discussion encourages me to check out threads I might not even know existed, or see posts from people I don't normally post with. It opens up my bubble and brings life and dynamism to the board. Also, you get to see when a thread is red-hot and everyone is posting on there -- usually after some explosive soap news. It brings us all together as a community! LOL

Really pleased for him! Dude's a fighter for sure.

Someone reached out to me yesterday to tell me that Jessel attended my old high school (though a different year). That tracks. Picture competitive students with over-inflated airs of superiority, but also nursing deep (mostly class-related) insecurities. Suddenly Jessel makes sense! She is nothing if not a good little student: after a shaky start, she's done her research of RHs, picked up some pot-stirring tips, and gone for the HW in search of a feud, Erin. Not sure she's the 'kween' a few voices on Twitter say she is, though. (And oh the irony when Jessel says she came to this country and worked her way 'from nothing' -- you mean a fancy British prep school + university + the accent gets you nowhere in the US? Come on now!) I wish id seen more of the Brynn chess game too. We did get more of her story which helped fill in some blanks, but NYC itself remains this elusive, unmoored entity. Like, where was the chess game? Jenna is 100% using the outs she negotiated for herself to her advantage, and the other women are sick about it. Maybe next season they will try to negotiate similar outs. Pravit seems like he never wants to be on camera again, and the way Jessel sneers at him, I don't blame him. She is deeply ashamed of him for some reason.

Kenya talking with Carlos is genuine and warm. I stand by my assessment of her being inauthentic and unsympathetic this season. But Kenya is engaged and engaging here. Kenya talking about her childhood... the way her mother refused to claim her and what that must have done to her growing up, always gets to me. She sounds sparky and happy talking about the old RHOA memories. Honestly, this is the Kenya missing from RHOA. Kenya speaking about the current RHOA sounds like the brand has been tarnished in her eyes. Maybe Kenya is ready to call it a day if some major changes to cast and crew are not made.

RHOC is great and there is hardly a wasted minute. Each episode flies by for me, and it honestly feels like a return to form, helped by, as you point out, the organic implosion of Shannon's relationship. RHOA: That Kenya wipe-out stood out to me also. It was striking the way the women on the bus glanced out of the window, like "... Is anyone going to see if Kenya needs help?" They weren't prepared to do it, and neither was production. She was writhing around on the ground for five minutes before a Portuguese staff member and Kandi went over. It said a lot about how Kenya has alienated a lot of people in front of and behind the cameras. The Marc Daly second baby SL is patently ridiculous. He hates her like Jason Hoppy hates Bethenny. Isn't he also suing her for alimony? No way he's going to hand over his sperm unless there's a hefty price tag over the next 18 years attached. i don't believe it for a moment, and the 'new boyfriend' SL rings false also. Carlos King has an interview coming out with Kenya today. This follows his smash interview with Nene last week. Now, Nene is grumpy and has got beef with Bravo and others, but I listened to her interview from beginning to end, and she was speaking her truth. There was not a moment i didn't believe she stood by her opinions. One of them was that Kenya is not the star of the show, she could have been at one time, but something is missing. Many may disagree, but in the context of this season, I couldn't deny her point. Now Kenya is getting a chance to clap back and give her Grand Nene-like Interview, but from the short clip I've seen (talking about the second baby/Marc's embryos!), she is indeed missing something: authenticity.

Meanwhile, in Argentina https://www.batimes.com.ar/news/argentina/dog-loving-central-bank-hating-economist-javier-milei-upends-argentine-polls.phtml

I've been enjoying this,second season, as fairytaleish as it all is. Even Che is more bearable. On the personal front, it's been a tough few months, so having this feather-light escapism has been welcome. Seema is my favorite character. Also love Charlotte and LTW. And Antony, of course.

RHOC I'm rather enjoying this season as Tamra surreptitiously takes down first Shannon's relationship, and then lays the blame at Heather's door. Two birds with one stone! Damn, Tamra is reverting to her old evil self, strategizing every step of the way. But it's not all smooth sailing for her. Jenn is a tougher cookie to crack than Tamra anticipated, while Emily is making sure she doesn't get left holding the bag either. Meanwhile, Heather (who looked weirdly good in that blondish wig) isn't letting Tammy Sue (who also looked weirdly ok in a brunette wig) get away with turning the group against her. Elsewhere, Vicki is all of us, just enjoying the ride. There was a moment I was getting Taylor and Russell Armstrong S2 BH vibes from them, which is worrisome. But now, instead of physical abuse, I wonder if Shannon isn't emotionally beat down and desperate not to lose him because she doesn't want to be alone. Kind of like Vicki. I don't think he's as nice as he wants to present on camera, but I also don’t think Shannon is terrified for her life, like Taylor was? I could be wrong though.

@j swift You make a really good case for digging deep into Mormon society and bringing that world and its social tropes to the fore, letting it drive story. It's a world i know only peripherally, having one SLC-based Mormon friend, but still a fascinating place to witness. Alas, maybe because of Covid, or maybe fear that it might be too niche, Bravo shied away from that and we've watched the bog-standard petty RH dramas straight out of the playbook. The promise of S1 was not capitalised on, and the show suffered as a result. Honestly, I find the Heather/Whitney divide to be phony. I think these two are exchanging notes during the off season and scripting this drama. Unlike Carole and Bethenny, though, I'm not sure the audience investment is in this cousinship. (P.S.: I'm on of the few who believe that Carole leaving RHONY was disastrous for that franchise and left it unmoored. But that's a Ted Talk for another day). I also think that the black eye and Heather's perpetual victimhood status in friendships is also an act for the show. Playing victim wins over some of the audience, but in interviews, Heather strikes me as very self-aware and together and someone who would no longer put themselves through those toxic dynamics wth a friend. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think Heather has had an innate understanding of how she wants to appear on this show, and how she wants her story to progress, from the very beginning. BWAHAHAHA! I don't miss her one bit, though.

It already looks better than what little I watched of last season. ✔️ It doesn't involve Jen Shah. ✔️ Or a black eye. ✔️ It has a newbie talking (seemingly) honestly about feeling like she has to flaunt labels she cannot actually afford. ✔️ Mary. ✔️ I didn't think I would want to tune in ever again to SLC, but I'm ever so slightly interested in checking out the first episode of the new season. Hopefully it's a clean slate without the toxic Shah drama stinking up the joint. They should put a moratorium on the fancy dress FOR SURE. Bravo finds it is hilarious and meme-able to show to these HWs screaming at each other in crazy wigs. I'm convinced they went for the bonnets because it would highlight Angie K's obvious plastic surgery in the worst way possible. (I did giggle at Monica's pirate beard drawn on with a magic marker, though).

Cynthia is stunning. Now what else is going on?! I wasn't enamored of Eva (and Porsha destroyed her with them social-distancing titties line at Zoomunion) but she does have stuff going on in her life and can hold a camera's attention. However, if she's in a happier place right now, that's great for her. Like you, I was not a Porsha fan and actually thought she should have been fired after S9. But I cannot deny she was needed for the franchise and she really grew on me. Her quips, her chemistry (or hate-chemistry) with others, her burgeoning glamor were also top-tier. At some point around S11, she knew she was a star on the show and she just leaned right into it. I have to agree with you about Kim Z. I'm good, and don't need her lazy ass back on the show. She also lied to the world about her 'divorce' with Kroy, so I don't want to see her rewarded for that. Sheree is not an OG Alpha. She is more a reactor who works well when the cast is fire. And the cast is not fire right now.

That's doable. But I think @Gray Bunny has a point about Porsha. I didn't get the Potsha love at first, but now I get it. She brought something sparkly and a little controversial and flawed to the franchise, and I miss it now. I really feel like she's a missing link here. Unfortunately, i think Bravo could offer her millions, but she wouldn't take it unless Simon divorced her without a cent. She's not planning on fumbling that bag, and she doesn't have to work now if she doesn't want to. Nevertheless, if I were Bravo, I would still *try* to get her on. I also wonder if it's worth getting Eva Marcille to return. I also think Marlo is better suited to FOH than RH. Maybe if she embraced her villainy, as @Taoboisaid? For a reason I can't quite put my finger on, she's not working for me.

I think you just hit the nail on the head re: RHOA. This is the same production team as RHOP, and the team is being very lazy and falling back on RHOP's usual tropes of gossip about a marriage, with the added twist of girl-on-girl action, reheated three years ago. Drew's SL by rights should actually have been Porsha's last season, so they have templated it onto her. I honestly don't think we will see the Drew-Ralph marriage fallout play out on screen. It's going to be behind closed doors. Drew is just too tightly wound about her image to let the cameras in and be authentic and vulnerable. Too bad, because Ralph, for all his faults, makes me laugh. There's just something about him, a twinkle in his eye, which lifts the heaviness of any scene. ITA that production is a big problem for this show. Production is lazy and doing this by numbers. Whatever you think of him, on RHOA Carlos King ran a tight ship and got access and real content from the women. The cast chemistry ain't there either, but a lot of problems would be fixed by getting a better production crew in. If not CK, than the Peacock people who relaunched Miami. I mean, Alexia's second husband died of a heart attack in bed with his male lover, and we got that from her verbatim! Kandi is doing what she can with reheated Bolo Time, but it is what it is. Kenya is not giving, and when she slipped in Portugal, it took the women on the bus 5 minutes to go see why she wasn't getting up. Which says it all about how beloved she is by her work colleagues.

I am really enjoying nuRHONY despite myself. But I get why @Faulkner you feel it is too slight. This last episode was not strongly anchored, while the past few epis have had sonething of a direction. Also you are right about NYC not being a central character-- yet. I have hope that the season will shift beyond complaints about heating and lingerie and Erin looking for a petty rivalry. The show thus far is a bit stronger than the early episodes of RHODubai were -- my god, if you thought nuRHONY has been slight, S1 Dubai was paper-thin! But it had a very good, but not too toxic, reunion which has nicely segued it for S2. NuRHONY better start building its foundations during this season. This nuRHONY episode, I liked Brynn talking about growing up biracial, and Erin showing us her work. I also am thinking Jessel is starting to not be afraid of being oblivious and rude. That may not be a bad thing for the show (!), unless she goes too far and becomes toxic or deeply annoying.

OMG!!!!

A couple RHs are looking shrivelled, though I tend to believe that Kyle Richard's weight loss is also due to her new work-out regime, which she's been doing with her 'new BFF,' Morgan Wade. She is getting muscles, unlike some of the other RH skinnies -- I'm looking at you, Marge, who no matter how many Ozempics she swallows and face-lifts/dental-work she has, stays looking her age. And I preferred Erika with her curves. Erika's whole shtick was the Jane Russell showgirl, after all. Ozempic a RH fad right now, just like the dental-work and that sucked-in-cheekbones look were. I hope nobody harms themselves with this one, though. Jessel is unlikeable in many ways, and clearly insecure about her position in the pack. However, I agree with her about the cheapo green lingerie, which was not flattering at all. I think she will continue being unlikeable because she is insecure about showing the real Jessel on TV. I still think it will be watchable, though. Brynn is going to annoy me soon, and the 'sexy come-on' quips could eventually end in a harassment suit, but right now I'm intrigued to know more about her. I feel like we haven't seen anything about her!

Thanks. That scene was literal TRUTH. Mr. Graves thought: 'I've protested racism, segregation and struggled for civil rights. Why should I stay quiet about this vainglorious fool?' @DaytimeFan Thanks for the nuRHONY Erin Lichy tea. I knew there was something I couldn't warm to about her! Besides her obsessive hyper-competitiveness, LOL. Seriously though, we know that people of different political stripes appear on the RH shows. This is America now; this is certainly my extended family now, and this is our WORLD now -- deeply polarised. The crazy thing is Erin donating FOUR TIMES to a T*ump/Giuliani Ponzi scheme. I did a Wikipedia read on WinRed and apparently it is facing a bunch of legal cases regarding the organization's 'auto-donate' function where donors kept getting 'automatically' billed again and again. So I'm pretty sure Erin will go the excuse route of 'they got my credit card details and kept billing me without my knowledge.' But my goodness, these NY/Long Island/NJ Trump supporters. They grew up watching him being interviewed on Donahue in the 80s. They will never stop loving him, because he is a Queens boy and they consider him one of them. I was going to disagree with you at first about Sai, because she keeps bringing up the age thing re: Jenna. Like, girl, you are not some spring chicken. But then Sai talked about how she grew up and, my God, another great moment. The other women like Erin and Jessel were like "How could you afford an apartment at 16?" and Sai said "It was super-cheap and I worked at Sears." Like, yeah, she didn't get an allowance from Daddy. I like Jessel because she is bringing the relationship drama. That much is clear. Brynn is still such a mystery to me. Who is she married to? Is she divorced? What does she do? Did she grew up like Sai did? Maybe next episode we will have a deeper dive on Brynn. It is doing it for me, too. It is definitely building to Everybody vs Heather. This is, essentially, Tamra's ultimate revenge envisioned. Also, Vicki poking Gina... Vicki is going to come back (near) full-time, right?