Michael

The Cass Winthrop reference was the level of "in-joke" that works for me. If you caught it and got the reference, it was a fun little treat. If you didn't, it was just a name said in passing. At least they didn't bring the scene to a screeching halt like they usually do so that Abe and Paulina could have a random, ridiculous discussion of how Cass used to work in Bay City and had done business in Oakdale and Springfield and, oh, remember that lady Felicia he used to hang out with...?

Rest in peace, John. We were lucky to have him on our screens for as long as we did!

Not really, honestly? I mean, she wasn't bad, and it was fun to see her as Kristen, but that whole portrayal didn't really fit into Kristen's narrative at the time (Why was she after the Peacock? They never explained that), and it was more about "Eileen Davidson playing a glamorous, bitchy character so she could re-enact that Real Housewives scene with Lisa Rinna."

I think they've lost the plot on Kristen regardless of who plays her. I thought Haiduk was very good during her first stint as both Kristen and Susan, but they brought her in with that psychotic energy and it's basically ONLY been that since (aside from that weird period right before the time jump where she was pregnant and suddenly embraced by everyone). I do think Eileen would make some more reserved choices, but the character HAS been manic for years -- she's essentially been a deranged fugitive since the moment Eileen played her for that quick, quick scene in 2017, and all she has done since is commit crimes and go on the run. I get why the character is the way she is, considering what's been written for her, but she's at Dr. Evil levels of cackling villainy at this point.

They're safe: https://www.tmz.com/2022/10/11/days-of-our-lives-actor-james-lastovic-missing-hawaii-kauai/ Pretty terrifying. I'm glad they're safe -- that could've been a lot worse.

I found Steve Wilder attractive when he was on Days. I cannot even begin to see him that way now. He pursued and abused a 14-year-old girl and is a registered sex offender. Mark Valley would've been good in almost any other Days role! He could've been Mike, or David, or Austin... He just was not Jack Deveraux, and the total shift in the writing didn't help.

The GL actor was Doug Hutchison. He had a highly publicized marriage to a much younger person, Courtney Stodden, who was only 16 at the time of the marriage (and now uses she/they pronouns). Courtney has come out claiming that Doug -- who was 51 when they married -- systematically groomed them via the internet, after Courtney took an acting class he was teaching, prior to the marriage. They divorced in 2020. Courtney has since accused Doug of emotional and physical abuse, as well. It's not a good look, to say the least. Steve Wilder played Jack briefly, I think in 1997-98. He was the actor who replaced Mark Valley in the infamous shower-recast scene. He was convicted of abusing a 14-year-old girl and served jail time for it.

Last week's preview for tonight's episode began with, "Next time, on the season finale of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills..." But that was the first I'd heard of tonight's episode being the last of the season!

Yeah, RC was playing it BIG, and the dialogue could've been a lot more subtle. But I'll take what I can get! And the guy hasn't had to act at this one-take-and-we-move-on pace in a long time. I appreciate that they brought him in. This whole Jennifer/Gwen thing, on the other hand, has been so hilariously rushed. Was this all just to give Gwen (yet another) "redemption"?

The Mike/Nancy scenes came off better than I expected they would. Of course it's all rushed, but they hit some nice notes there. I was impressed that they hit on the aborted 70s story of teenage Mike questioning his sexuality. And as random as this is, one thing I do appreciate about this regime is that they make it feel like there's a world beyond Salem and that the offscreen characters have lives. Now if only the stuff we watch day-in-and-day-out could be consistently decent...

That HAS to bode well for Days, at least as far as how its transition will be regarded. Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip 2 likely contributed to those subscriptions, as well, plus the $1.99 deal. I'd be curious to see how much of that new 15 million happened prior to September and how much happened once the $1.99 deal kicked in.

That's so weird about editing Kari out! I was actually thinking the other day about how weird it is that she's around so much and yet we spend NO time with her -- she's just there. This explains that and begs a lot of other questions! I really love this show. It's so, so consistent, and somehow it can be this explosive and yet never turn so toxic that I feel like I can't watch it.

RHOBH I love Garcelle, but there's usually one thing 'off' about most of her looks. And Sutton... poor thing. She always looks like she's being eaten alive by anything she wears. Just no sense of what works for her body and posture. She looks so much better dressed down. Rinna must be ecstatic that people are comparing her to a Kardashian. That Madonna filter on her face... good grief. RHOSLC None of these taglines feel like classics to me, but Heather's is pretty good, and Meredith's is a good combination of cleverness and pointed delivery. Lisa's feels like a bit of a mouthful and maybe could have used one more edit, but it's very in-character. And why does Whitney always sound like she's reading her tagline but it's in a language she's only seeing for the first time?!

I feel like ATWT did this in the mid-2000s for a while. I have memories of downloading the files to listen to while I went for walks.

Cady's Emmy win for Guest Performer was for a four-month arc in 2020-21. She came in, played the role for a specific time, and left. She wouldn't qualify for that category since she's returned. The whole thing is pretty murky, anyway, but anyone not on contract and appearing in multiple episodes is technically "recurring."

That's so true. There are very few characters who seem to dress the way they do because of the characters rather than the actors. For most of the men and for a few women (Gabi springs to mind), those two things seem to work together, but you're right -- Abigail in particular's wardrobe changed so, so much as the actresses switched back and forth. There was no continuity between the two versions of the character. MBE consistently chooses those knee-length, flared, heavy-material dresses and coats IRL, so that's definitely her. And Kate's style (which I happen to enjoy) is very Lauren Koslow. No way would Deborah Adair's Kate be dressing like that if she were still around. Her Y&R character was... uh... best forgotten!

I loved Cady as both Dixie and Rosanna, which were VERY different roles, and I liked her fine during her original stint as Jennifer (minus that horrendous-but-hilarious flashback episode where she played 90s Laura Horton as... Colonel Sanders?). She's been tougher for me this go-round. Some of it is being flung into heavy, heavy story that she has no history with; she didn't play much with Abigail, nor did she play the original pill addiction storyline, so she's coming at those from a much more generic angle than Missy might, and she's gone for melodrama in a way that (as pointed out very wisely unthread) MR rarely did. The two things throwing me the most are the hair extensions (bad) and the voice she's using, which sometimes sounds like she thinks she's playing Victoria Lord, and Jennifer is very much NOT Victoria Lord, even though the roughest sketches of her biography might hint at them being similar.

This custody hearing has been maddening to watch. Like @carolineg says, it makes no damn sense that NOTHING Kristen has ever done can be brought up just because she was pardoned. She raped Eric on film! She held John and Marlena's entire 2018 wedding at gunpoint! She kidnapped Sami right before that! She held Nicole captive and impersonated her! Even the way Rachel was conceived is sketchy as hell. There are a LOT of crimes (and just crazy actions) that weren't a part of what she just got pardoned for. And a pardon doesn't wipe your record -- it wipes your sentence. She's still a recently convicted felon who broke out of jail and went on the run numerous times.

Oh, interesting! I remember that time when it seemed like he was going to leave again. He really does not EVER seem to have long-term interest in being on the show. I wish they'd find an appropriate, long-term recast. This character has been held hostage by JKJ basically since 2011. JPL was on for like a year and felt like a placeholder.

The affiliates must be pissed.

I think it was Josh Duhon, yeah.

I did not know that about the original plans for Will! I remember there were rumors around that time that someone who'd been on GH might be reading for an aged Will, but he seemed WAY too old to be Sweeney's son, and then Patton showed up not too much later. Nathan was mentioned a few times in 2011-12. For some reason, I have a memory of Maggie mentioning that he was in Japan with Melissa?!

I don't think we know who his father is. When they originally announced the character, or at least the casting call, his name was "Nathan Jannings," but someone must've reminded them that Melissa was around for several years and several guest stints after splitting up from Pete, so when he debuted, he was "Nathan Horton." I'm pretty sure they never said who his father was, but Nathan is theoretically the baby Melissa had after her 1996 visit for Hope and Bo's wedding (Lisa Trusel was pregnant at the time).

Philip faked that attack on himself and later revealed himself to Kate. She and Victor secretly got him put into psychiatric treatment last fall. Roman and I think Lucas also know the truth that he's alive and in treatment, but no one else does.

Very good points about Carlos's position as a Black creative and NEEDING to toot his own horn just to be heard in a way white producers don't have to. That's really valid. Regardless of where it airs, I feel like RHONY: Legacy should retain that title. A big part of what worked about Ultimate Girls Trip 2 was the acknowledgment that these women are famous because of the show. If it were just released as another season of regular RHONY, I fear we'd lose that broken fourth wall, and I think that'll be key to moving forward with the legacy cast.