Ted has been too-good-to-be-true-on-the-surface guy from the get go. It's always these guys that end up having a secret mistress with 2 children on the side or are secretly bisexual and sleeping with men while they wifey thinks she is living the dream.

Even the way Dani was talking about them in the beginning... I knew it was coming. The show was hinting at it. And it came. 

I have nothing against the show writing a second affair, when it's used to present this exact type of message. That the two sisters end up dealing with a similar catastrophe. I would have had problems with it... if it was not written the way it is. But I have no problems with it right now. And I love how the focus is not just on the affair, but on Ted's overall character. His dark side. And, no, you don't need to be a serial killer or a lunatic with a knife to be a bad guy. Sometimes just making bad decisions that end up hurting your entire family makes you that. 

 

One little... very little... tiny... minuscule negative comment. I was debating if I should care to say it...

In some ways... Silk has been acting clownish... I think they need to dial it back, because if this continues with the current pace... she'll be worse than Sheila in terms of getting totally predictable and not menacing anymore. TMG is one hell of an actress... I just want to see a more normal and less clownish Silkpress in the coming weeks*months. We need to dial down the wigs too. It's becoming a funny caricature and we don't want that. Maybe we do, I'm not sure. I just like her more menacing and sinister than... "Hahhahahah what is she wearing today". That's a personal preference.  

So far... I am okay with it... but I have fears this may turn into a really tired joke in the future. I want TMG as long as possible on my screen!  

1 minute ago, Maxim said:

 

In some ways... Silk has been acting clownish... I think they need to dial it back, because if this continues with the current pace... she'll be worse than Sheila in terms of getting totally predictable and not menacing anymore

I'm not seeing that right now. I'm stepping out on faith and believeing MVJ will not turn "Silk" into a ridiculous caricature. 

 

4 hours ago, AbcNbc247 said:

I imagine the storyline would now segue into Laura's accident.

But I hope they manage to keep Leslie around though. I really don't want her to be written out, or get the DOOL treatment where she just pops up every so often to cause some short term trouble; the character and the actor were such a find.

Oh, I am so looking forward to the reveal about Laura's accident, and Nicole and Leslie having a real one on one.

Just now, MontyB said:

I'm not seeing that right now. I'm stepping out on faith and believeing MVJ will not turn "Silk" into a ridiculous caricature. 

 

Well... I am. I think she's losing her initial menacing presence. Slowly but surely. I need the crazy dialed back. But as I said... this is very miniscule negative reaction. I am loving the show right now. We'll see how they'll continue after the fireworks. 

4 minutes ago, Maxim said:

Well... I am. I think she's losing her initial menacing presence. Slowly but surely. I need the crazy dialed back. But as I said... this is very miniscule negative reaction. I am loving the show right now. We'll see how they'll continue after the fireworks. 

Yep! Very curious to see where this goes. 

On 5/2/2025 at 3:05 PM, Cheap21 said:

She is diabolical! Remember in this scene she offered Martin a brownie which seemed so random? In this episode its revealed that when he was a kid, Ted used to bring him to a restaurant where the waitress would give him brownies....that waitress was Leslie. She was playing games and trying to jog his childhood memory

I totally didn’t pick up on that. Just perfect!

On 5/2/2025 at 7:31 PM, ranger1rg said:

Great episode today. Strong follow-up from yesterday, and a lot of really good dialogue.

-- Lots of comments here about Vernon being the Olivia Pope of BTG, but I'll let you know when that happens. He and the family "move into action" after a scandal, but they've yet to really accomplish anything. Vernon couldn't even clear the room of everyone but family when he tried.

-- Wardrobe did a great job overall. Anita wins Worst Dressed. That gown did not flatter TT and that gigantic necklace was bad.

-- Sean Freeman did great work as Andre in Andre's scene with Eva.

-- Brandon Claybon was great as Martin in his most dramatic scenes. I don't know how anyone can avoid seeing how much he's improved.

-- There's way too much criticism here of Maurice Johnson's performance as Ted. If we didn't know he was replaced, I don't think we'd see this "He's not giving enough" stuff. My feeling is that this is all confirmation bias. I think the guy's done a nice job. Ted didn't whine for pity and he didn't scream like he's a victim. He's spent decades hiding this, and I think it's fair that he feels blindsided and unable to respond.

-- I don't want to hear Vanessa lecture and moralize about any other character when she's so compromised. She's a cheater and a ho.

-- It would have made more sense for Vanessa and Doug to be at the party. The hospital visit was weird, and seemed like an excuse for the scene where we (again) realized that Doug knows his wife is a cheater.

-- I love this board, but damn, do people give away Emmys around here like gummy bears.

-- I wish I knew what Leslie's end game is. Is it enough to destroy Ted's marriage to Nicole? Does she really think she can win Ted back? Or is she just so batsht crazy that it's impossible to know what she wants?

I don’t get the Maurice Johnson hate around here at all. He didn’t take me out of the scenes at all. I understood everything he was portraying.

22 hours ago, Chris B said:

I don't know if it was the writing or performance but I felt like we finally got to see the real Ted. Especially the way he talked to Martin when confronted, felt like a completely different person. He felt darker and like a total liar who was mad he got caught. I expected him to be remorseful and want to apologize to each and every family member who he came into contact with but he seemed like he didn't care.

It completely changed how I view him and it makes me wonder if this is the direction they're going to take Ted in with the recast.

It was great. I do wonder if there will be a personality shift with the new actor, whom I’m still not excited about.

13 hours ago, Vee said:

Oh, really? Did Tomas leave for his home planet? How about Ashley or Derek? I got time.

😂😂 Exactly.

11 hours ago, BoldRestless said:

The Ted recast really is a shame because now they won't be able to do flashbacks to the best scenes the show has done to date.

Right?

9 hours ago, BoldRestless said:

That was my point really. These anniversary party scenes are the first ones, and now they won't be able to use them (meaning these actual scenes, as aired, with OG Ted). They can recreate them but I doubt they will spring for all the extras to come back and film and recreate everything, so it will be more like tight closed in shots of Ted with one or two other actors, or snippets of Leslie's original speech where Ted wasn't visible. It would be hard to recapture the original energy of the scenes are as they were filmed in their full context. I just think that's too bad, but maybe they will prove me wrong. I never really saw what was so off in his portrayal to warrant a recast, anyway, so that colors my perception as well.

I’m in the exact same boat as you.

1 hour ago, Maxim said:

Ted has been icky and giving off bad guy vibe from the first moment I saw him. I have a sensor for that and it was beeping! So...don't put all the blame on Silkpress. The woman needs a good psychiatrist, true... but Leslie is just one of the skeletons in HIS closet. Ted is even a bigger monster, because he's hidden. 

IT WAS A PERFECT REVEAL. Perfect, because in the beginning of the show... Dani was envying her sister's marriage... In these first few messy weeks... her own misery and life spiraling was contrasted to the picture-perfect marriage Nicole and Ted seemed to have. (on first glance). What happened now... is very very smart writing. THIS IS THE MOMENT THE MASKS ARE FALLING!

The message it delivers to me is this. It says - no matter how things look... they are not what they seem. You can't judge a marriage by how it appears to be. Aaaand in the long run... maybe the messiest-looking people (Dani Dupree, I'm talking about you!) HAVE less issues and problems than the ones that seem to have it all. The ones with the MOST skeletons in the closets and the dirty pasts.  

It was an AHA moment for the whole family and the viewers and a way forward for Dani and Nicole to bond even more and realize they are MORE alike than they are different. Now it will be quite a different dynamic, because Dani will have to SUPPORT someone and not be the one getting her wounds licked always.

And also another lesson. Some men are dogs. Not all of them. But a lot of them are. The difference is... some can't be easily recognized. These creeps have put very impressive masks.

The show is doing this perfectly. Beat by beat. Exploring classic soap opera themes and stories. Real-life characters and situations, that are relatable and make you think... Hmm... maybe I need to dig a little deeper next time I say "these people are perfect" or otherwise. Maybe I need to think MORE. That type of storytelling. It's not easy to do that. 

Brava BTG. 

B-R-A-V-A!

Agree with most of this except I never found anything off with Ted, didn’t suspect a thing.

I just watched yesterday’s episode and it was one of the best soap episodes I’ve seen in a very long time. I was enthralled the entire time. Just fantastic.

I'm glad a lot of people are continuing to enjoy this show. 🙂 I haven't posted in a few weeks and have some catching up to do. But I did manage to look at the last two episodes after hearing about how good they were. I really enjoyed them. My thoughts on them:

The affair/secret child reveal was very good. TMG was really good as Leslie, her whole confrontation with Ted/revealing all to the Duprees was very entertaining.

I continue to love AM/Eva. She my top two favorites on the show (along with Nicole). I have a lot of sympathy for Eva and how she was conflicted/ultimately felt guilty about publicly revealing the truth to everyone. I wonder what will happen to her next, especially if she does go and live with the Doctor that is friends with Ted and Nicole.

I lol'ed at how Martin/Smitty jumped up and grabbed Leslie when Eva was calling her crazy. The way they did that was funny to me. I haven't liked many of Martin's actions/his attitude especially regarding Smitty/his children, but I think it was interesting how he wanted to check Ted for his actions. And also wanted Bill to be questioned/confronted about his as well.

I haven't been the biggest fan of the character of Andre, but I appreciated his calm and measured approach after the reveal and how he talked with Eva. I thought it was interesting that he knew about the affair and convinced Ted not to tell Nicole.

Speaking of Nicole, I continue to love her character and view her as the heart of this show/Dupree family. I am interested in seeing where her journey goes as a character after this reveal. I'm looking forward to her leaning on Dani and (also Anita/Vernon, etc...) for a change. 

Edited May 4May 4 by xtr

A few more thoughts about these last two episodes.

I thought it was interesting how much disdain both Dani/Anita have for Eva. I thought it was amusing how Dani was calling her lying/conniving and how Anita pointed as if to say, "that part". They definitely are not here for her, and I could see them having harsh confrontations with her in addition to Leslie.

I'm curious to see Kat's interaction with Eva on Monday's episode. I think it might be interesting if Kat (along with possibly Naomi/Chelsea) come around to Eva before Dani/Anita do. Of course, Kat will be understandably angry at her. But maybe a tiny part of her might feel sorry for her if she really does believe that she's Ted's daughter as well and that Leslie lied to her.

I could see Kat confronting Eva again and warning her not to harm her family anymore. But I could also possibly see Kat admitting that what Ted/Leslie did regarding her was messed up as well. And maybe that will pave the way down the line for them to get along better.

I also agree with the comments/speculation made in the threat that Nicole will eventually accept/probably love her someday as well. I still wouldn't mind if somehow Nicole ended up being her biological mother. They have both been acting like they care for each other in this storyline. Nicole somehow ending up being her mother would be soapy and provide some more interesting layers in this story.

And regarding Andre/Dani's romance it seems like they are genuinely developing feelings for each other. I have missed episodes, so maybe more of this has been elaborated on. But it seemed like there was genuine affection between both of them when they snuck a kiss publicly in the hotel. And also, them both talking about going publicly with their relationship. I wonder what everyone's reactions will be should they be caught by someone together. Of if they flat out tell everyone about their relationship.

 

Edited May 4May 4 by xtr

@xtr I loved Martin in Thursday's episode, he was almost a different character. I thought he was flirty, funny, carefree, and giggly.

Glad I have someone to share my top 2 women(Nicole and Eva) with, I agree Nicole is the heart of the Dupree family, and also the heart of the show IMO. We rode into the show on the passenger side of her car, lol.

What I am enjoying the most about the show, is that they did such a great job character building, because all I care about is the CHARACTER journey. Nicole, Eva, Leslie, Dani, Chelsea, etc. very invested in what's coming next. I even feel that way about Mona, Shanice, and Doug.

 

One thing I thought about is if Hayley will have a reaction to Bill threatening to kidnap and sell a baby. That's another level of viciousness and with her just having thought she was pregnant it might make her feel some type of way.

1 hour ago, DemetriKane said:

@xtr I loved Martin in Thursday's episode, he was almost a different character. I thought he was flirty, funny, carefree, and giggly.

Glad I have someone to share my top 2 women(Nicole and Eva) with, I agree Nicole is the heart of the Dupree family, and also the heart of the show IMO. We rode into the show on the passenger side of her car, lol.

What I am enjoying the most about the show, is that they did such a great job character building, because all I care about is the CHARACTER journey. Nicole, Eva, Leslie, Dani, Chelsea, etc. very invested in what's coming next. I even feel that way about Mona, Shanice, and Doug.

 

Yeah, Martin really did make me laugh when him and Smitty jumped up to drag Leslie out. I am interested in seeing how this fallout will impact his storyline as well. Especially since he is so protective regarding his family/family's image. I am interested in seeing how he will interact with Eva for the time being, they did have a warmer interaction earlier on once they met. But he seems to have doubts about her possibly being Ted's right now. I wonder how long it might take for him to come around with her.

I could see the younger generation warming up to her quicker than the older ones. Though of course I think there will be anger/tension for a while regarding the reveal and her role in it. Perhaps Naomi/Chelsea will ease up on Eva first then eventually Martin/Kat might down the line.

I really do love Nicole. I'm glad that DD is playing her. She really is the heart of the family and also agree the show. She is so easy to root for and I'm looking forward to seeing how things work out for her.

I am enjoying the development of most of the characters on this show. I enjoy most of them including Bill with his trifling self lol. I do feel that Bill's love for his daughters is genuine and that gives him some depth. A few of the characters I don't care for that much (like Bill, Ashley, Vanessa). I wasn't too big on Andre at first, but I am warming up more to him as the actor is settling into the role. I like most of the characters on this show.

Also, I am interested in seeing what happens if Eva indeed goes and lives with the new doctor that was introduced. I could see this adding another layer to her story, maybe she will become more vixen-ish, on what type of relationship they end up having. And/or maybe she will end up becoming more hardened as she deals with being an outcast, especially if she falls out with Leslie as well. I think that AM will do a good job of showcasing the different layers of this character as she deals with the fallout of the affair/paternity reveal.

Edited May 4May 4 by xtr

I am interested to see how they handle Leslie/Dana down the road.

If she continues in this path, it would be unrealistic to have her around. Like other shows have done this with a 'villian' character and ended up with people looking stupid putting up with someone they detest.

Another thought-could they be building up to a murder story? Maybe Les/Dan will be left in a coma and we will have a whodunit with several characters as suspect. It would also be a chance to redeem her

I wonder how long the show will go w/o resorting to soap cliche stories-twins,switched at birth, murder mystery, long lost child etc

22 minutes ago, Paul Raven said:

I am interested to see how they handle Leslie/Dana down the road.

If she continues in this path, it would be unrealistic to have her around. Like other shows have done this with a 'villian' character and ended up with people looking stupid putting up with someone they detest.

Another thought-could they be building up to a murder story? Maybe Les/Dan will be left in a coma and we will have a whodunit with several characters as suspect. It would also be a chance to redeem her

I wonder how long the show will go w/o resorting to soap cliche stories-twins,switched at birth, murder mystery, long lost child etc

This is just a guess but I feel like the fact that they keep mentioning her dead husband is for a reason. We know Martin has a secret that likely involved someone dying. Martin's victim could be Alan which Leslie/Dana either knows about or finds out and she uses that to blackmail the family into letting her crimes slide.

 

Edited May 4May 4 by Chris B

8 hours ago, Maxim said:

One little... very little... tiny... minuscule negative comment. I was debating if I should care to say it...

In some ways... Silk has been acting clownish... I think they need to dial it back, because if this continues with the current pace... she'll be worse than Sheila in terms of getting totally predictable and not menacing anymore. TMG is one hell of an actress... I just want to see a more normal and less clownish Silkpress in the coming weeks*months. We need to dial down the wigs too. It's becoming a funny caricature and we don't want that. Maybe we do, I'm not sure. I just like her more menacing and sinister than... "Hahhahahah what is she wearing today". That's a personal preference.  

I totally understand your sloths concern about it and I agree with you. Let’s hope the show plays it’s cards right. 
 

Further comments about the last few episodes:

- I liked that one of the attendees was filming the scene. That’s realistic. I wonder if the writers will follow up with that. 
- Martin and Smitty trying to drag Leslie out was very heteronormative, so perfectly in line with them two as characters lol. 
 

As for the future: it’s obvious the Duprees will come to accept Eva one way or another, but the rivalry with Kay should be here for the long term  

On the topic of acting: the only bad actors I’m seeing are Ted and Derek. Tomas hasn’t proven to be either good or bad, so far, but he’s certainly mediocre and uncharismatic. He sucks the energy out of the scenes and I don’t see any couple of women ever vying for him.