9 hours ago, Darn said:

Some country club revelation thoughts from a casual watcher no one asked for.

The Great:

Daphnee Duplaix gave the best performance we've seen yet. Nicole's dialogue was also well thought out and felt character specific. TJ Maxx Ted was also pretty good.

Trisha Mann-Grant steals every scene she's in. Often without even trying. Carrying multiple episodes worth of exposition heavy soap dialogue with starts and stops and recapping and drama and humor is no small feat and she nailed.

Vernon telling Lesliana to STFU. 

The Bad:

So much of the dialogue for the rest of the cast was overly written. Martin said "You are a vile human being with a hole in your heart!". Marty, what are we doing? It's SO dramatic and sounds so silly coming from this grown man.

Do Bill and Hayley do anything but talk about the Duprees? And the nerve of her to get so excited to find out Ted is a cheater when she and her husband are too. There should be a hint of shame mixed in with your glee, ma'am.

The Questionable:

Coffee and a rendition of Amazing Grace after finding out Nicole was betrayed by her husband. The Duprees are an odd bunch.

The stinger of one segment had Anita prepared to lambast Lesliana, when we came back someone else was talking. When Anita eventually said something to Wig, it was a lukewarm at best. And then of course she thought singing a song about something that should absolutely not be extended to her son-in-law.

The entire family allowing this deranged woman to speech at them in their own was...nuts. I know she said something about what would the neighbors say but my GOD. Is she just going to be allowed to trespass whenever she feels like it now?

The focus on Leslie and her wig usage as an oddity is...odd. I think Chelsea said something like "and she wears wigs!" (while wearing a buss down middle part). Okay? It's just not that odd for a black woman to change up her hair. It's the different names that's the problem. I know it's meant to be humorous, in a throwback soap kind of way, but it fell flat for me. 

I'm sorry I find the whole family to be WEIRD. It's like they want us to see them as ruthless yet benevolent, open yet furtive, snobbish yet tooth achingly sweet all at the same time. I cannot get a lock on the family dynamics. Everyone is just there. 

I'm gonna cry if this show doesn't start giving us ages (or close to it!) for these characters. Because if Eva is 21-22 then Martin was being given crayons, a soda pop and blinders when he was 15-17 years old. Martin had to have been under 8 for me to buy this story, which would make Eva and Kat late 20s (Martin is at least 35 since he wants to run for president), which I don't think they're meant to be. It's honestly minor but it bothers me.

I've mentioned this to @Vee but I think the optics on opening the show with both sisters discovering their husbands of over 30 years are cheaters should've been considered. I doubt there was any intention behind it, no one's rubbing their hands together as they scheme to say the married black men can't stay loyal but how does it look? Maybe it's just me. Honestly it's probably just me!

You may be a casual watcher, but you got SO much right.

9 hours ago, Darn said:

I've mentioned this to @Vee but I think the optics on opening the show with both sisters discovering their husbands of over 30 years are cheaters should've been considered. I doubt there was any intention behind it, no one's rubbing their hands together as they scheme to say the married black men can't stay loyal but how does it look? Maybe it's just me. Honestly it's probably just me!

Nope, it was not just you, I had the same issues. Most either disagreed with me, or just ignored my comments. But, I most definitely would have liked for them to take another route, even to add sheer variety in the storytelling. It is what it is, the story is a hit with the fans...

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Beyond the Gates (@beyondthegatescbs)

I like that this episode highlighted the ramifications of what Eva and her rotten mama did. They were so focused on Ted and Nicole, not even realizing that other people would be affected. Eva thought nothing of what she did to Mona bc she was sure no on would hold anything against her but Mona is right in that they ruined her reputation with the Duprees. They dont blame her but they will likely never trust her judgement again. She has to walk by them feeling the guilt and shame that she'll never live down bc she unknowingly played a role in the hell that was unleashed. Not to mention the trauma and trust issues she no has bc she genuinely viewed Leslie as a friend

 

And poor Laura nearly died when she had that car accident and then had a heart attack and infection bc she was poisond. She's been recuperating for 3 months. She missed her trip to Hawaii and no idea what impact this has done on her relationship and her own plans but no on was thinking about that.

 

Eva and Leslie need to be made to feel like ish bc this was bigger than just Ted and Nicole

3 minutes ago, Cheap21 said:

I like that this episode highlighted the ramifications of what Eva and her rotten mama did. They were so focused on Ted and Nicole, not even realizing that other people would be affected. Eva thought nothing of what she did to Mona bc she was sure no on would hold anything against her but Mona is right in that they ruined her reputation with the Duprees. They dont blame her but they will likely never trust her judgement again. She has to walk by them feeling the guilt and shame that she'll never live down bc she unknowingly played a role in the hell that was unleashed. Not to mention the trauma and trust issues she no has bc she genuinely viewed Leslie as a friend

 

And poor Laura nearly died when she had that car accident and then had a heart attack and infection bc she was poisond. She's been recuperating for 3 months. She missed her trip to Hawaii and no idea what impact this has done on her relationship and her own plans but no on was thinking about that.

 

Eva and Leslie need to be made to feel like ish bc this was bigger than just Ted and Nicole

They’ve been really nailing the fall out super well and your whole post really highlights some of the great parts and ramifications we’re seeing.

The Anita scene with Ted was written all wrong. Dani should have come in like she did, all guns blazing, with Anita showing up and ushering Dani out, as she stays alone with Ted. He's ready for more fury, but at first she treats him like her son, not just some man Nicole married, she's confused and heartbroken, needing explanation. Then, she drops the motherload and tells him to get his damn act together like she did. Anita came off completely one-note. And with both Dani and Anita in the scene, the self-righteousness just made both look like harridans who wouldn't shut the hell up. Very disappointed in that scene. The scene with Eva was much better. It could be good if somehow Vernon starts to soften towards her and that puts the first signs of strife into their marriage. We need something interesting to happen with them, for once.

Mona was the MVP today for me. I love Leslie and especially Eva, but I was firmly on Mona's side today. She deserved to get her two cents in. The scenes just left me wanting more of her and her inner life. They should really drop Ashley, Derek, and Tomas and put Mona, Laura, and Shanice on contact stat! I don't get why Leslie continued to lie about where she got the money Ted gave her though? What purpose would that serve? Faint hopes that Mona would still forgive her, I guess?

Kat really gets some of the best lines. Through all the bitchiness and judgment, she has a talent at keeping me on side because somehow she's never come across unlikable to me, where someone like Dani, even Anita, falls. The scene with her, Martin, and Nicole was a necessity. Things are coming together to making that part of the family feel more like a family. Now I anxiously await Kat and Ted having a one on one confrontation. It would be perfect if it happened to be in the new Ted's first scene/episode.

Edited May 12May 12 by Bright Eyes

34 minutes ago, DemetriKane said:

Nope, it was not just you, I had the same issues. Most either disagreed with me, or just ignored my comments. But, I most definitely would have liked for them to take another route, even to add sheer variety in the storytelling. It is what it is, the story is a hit with the fans...

I feel like the reason they went with these two stories is because these are common stories told on soaps that allowed them to really tie the entire canvas in and help develop their relationships. I do understand the implications of having two cheating stories and these being Black characters but MVJ has always been clear that she wanted to show us the same way characters are featured on any soap.

I don't think any story should be off limits just because the majority of the characters are Black. We have several positive representations of Black men so it's not like everybody is a cheater or a bad spouse. I also think the two stories and relationships are different enough that the stories don't feel similar in any way.

10 hours ago, Darn said:

Some country club revelation thoughts from a casual watcher no one asked for.

The Great:

Daphnee Duplaix gave the best performance we've seen yet. Nicole's dialogue was also well thought out and felt character specific. TJ Maxx Ted was also pretty good.

Trisha Mann-Grant steals every scene she's in. Often without even trying. Carrying multiple episodes worth of exposition heavy soap dialogue with starts and stops and recapping and drama and humor is no small feat and she nailed.

Vernon telling Lesliana to STFU. 

The Bad:

So much of the dialogue for the rest of the cast was overly written. Martin said "You are a vile human being with a hole in your heart!". Marty, what are we doing? It's SO dramatic and sounds so silly coming from this grown man.

Do Bill and Hayley do anything but talk about the Duprees? And the nerve of her to get so excited to find out Ted is a cheater when she and her husband are too. There should be a hint of shame mixed in with your glee, ma'am.

The Questionable:

Coffee and a rendition of Amazing Grace after finding out Nicole was betrayed by her husband. The Duprees are an odd bunch.

The stinger of one segment had Anita prepared to lambast Lesliana, when we came back someone else was talking. When Anita eventually said something to Wig, it was a lukewarm at best. And then of course she thought singing a song about something that should absolutely not be extended to her son-in-law.

The entire family allowing this deranged woman to speech at them in their own was...nuts. I know she said something about what would the neighbors say but my GOD. Is she just going to be allowed to trespass whenever she feels like it now?

The focus on Leslie and her wig usage as an oddity is...odd. I think Chelsea said something like "and she wears wigs!" (while wearing a buss down middle part). Okay? It's just not that odd for a black woman to change up her hair. It's the different names that's the problem. I know it's meant to be humorous, in a throwback soap kind of way, but it fell flat for me. 

I'm sorry I find the whole family to be WEIRD. It's like they want us to see them as ruthless yet benevolent, open yet furtive, snobbish yet tooth achingly sweet all at the same time. I cannot get a lock on the family dynamics. Everyone is just there. 

I'm gonna cry if this show doesn't start giving us ages (or close to it!) for these characters. Because if Eva is 21-22 then Martin was being given crayons, a soda pop and blinders when he was 15-17 years old. Martin had to have been under 8 for me to buy this story, which would make Eva and Kat late 20s (Martin is at least 35 since he wants to run for president), which I don't think they're meant to be. It's honestly minor but it bothers me.

I've mentioned this to @Vee but I think the optics on opening the show with both sisters discovering their husbands of over 30 years are cheaters should've been considered. I doubt there was any intention behind it, no one's rubbing their hands together as they scheme to say the married black men can't stay loyal but how does it look? Maybe it's just me. Honestly it's probably just me!

Agreed, pretty much with everything. The dialogue bugs the hell out of me. I don’t think a lot of it even works written out on a page, much less spoken. Even a veteran like TT can’t help but sound stagey with such purple prose.

Re: the Duprees. I’m guessing that they’re holding their cards close to their vest on them for the various mysteries that will unfold, but I wish they weren’t so opaque and tonally weird as characters, especially in these make-or-break early days. (One reason why I wish they’d give up on keeping secrets from the audience and just allow them to speak freely, allowing the tension to come from what other characters don’t know.) Dani is giving Carly Corinthos realness, which isn’t a compliment.

Oh, don’t get me started on the Black male characters and the tropes they’ve employed thus far. I had hoped a Black-created, NAACP-co-produced soap would be more cognizant of these traps, but nope. At least it seems like they’re playing the long game with Andre and Dani after all this feening over basic Ashley.

Edited May 12May 12 by Faulkner

7 minutes ago, Bright Eyes said:

Mona was the MVP today for me. I love Leslie and especially Eva, but I was firmly on Mona's side today. She deserved to get her two cents in. The scenes just left me wanting more of her and her inner life. They should really drop Ashley, Derek, and Tomas and put Mona, Laura, and Shanice on contact stat! I don't get why Leslie continued to lie about where she got the money Ted gave her though? What purpose would that serve? Faint hopes that Mona would still forgive her, I guess?

Kat really gets some of the best lines. Through all the bitchiness and judgment, she has a talent at keeping me on side because somehow she's never come across unlikable to me, where someone like Dani, even Anita, falls. The scene with her, Martin, and Nicole was a necessity. Things are coming together to making that part of the family feel more like a family. Now I anxiously await Kat and Ted having a one on one. It would be perfect if happened to be in the new Ted's first scene/episode.

All this! Especially the highlighted. If today was any indication to what's to come, I see Mona and Shanice roles being beefed up. I personally think they are going to test her out with Doug. 

I initially didn't see it for Kat, since the Eva reveal, and few of her scenes around it. Made me warm to her for some reason. 

Edited May 12May 12 by DemetriKane

I also hope there will be a follow up to Dani noticing Vanessa with Joey. We need another scene of them two together. And does Dani have any knowledge of Vanessa's affairs?

3 minutes ago, Bright Eyes said:

I also hope there will be a follow up to Dani noticing Vanessa with Joey. We need another scene of them two together. And does Dani have any knowledge of Vanessa's affairs?

That would require Dani to think about someone/something other than herself.. and we all know Dani only thinks about Dani.  Including her butting into Nicole's business instead of just being a supportive sister.

Might this show be a black stereotype? Angry crazy acting women like Dani and Leslie. Cheating punk men like Bill and Ted who didn't keep it in their pants. Angry black men like Martin. Promiscuous black man wanting the white girl. Dirty black cops. And so on?

31 minutes ago, Faulkner said:

Agreed, pretty much with everything. The dialogue bugs the hell out of me. I don’t think a lot of it even works written out on a page, much less spoken. Even a veteran like TT can’t help but sound stagey with such purple prose.

Like I've said before, I think the show is often a very strange (and admittedly fascinating to me) mix of very old-fashioned, purple dialogue and classic soap opera structural elements - right down to the insanely blatant, virally successful product placement for P&G - mixed with other dialogue or material that tries desperately to be current and hip. One moment it will remind me of very hokey old B&B stuff or expository stuff out of the '60s, and the other it'll look and sound like the Prospect Park soaps. Some of the hipper dialogue or material (Chelsea's sexuality, etc.) works for me, others are pure cringe. Same with the classical stuff, like the characters (particularly the elders) gathering around to recap plot, make grand pronouncements about each other or their children/family, or make grave portents of the future. Then there's the whole piano thing lol.

It's a weird mix, but not one I'm mad about atm so much as mystified by. As a longtime soap fan it is very compelling to examine even when parts of it really don't work, because so much of BTG feels both very old and very new at the same time. I do think they need to dump the Bell (or maybe more accurately Brad Bell) school of dialogue MVJ has been working from for years, and bring in more of the naturalistic GH house style she and Guza worked from in the '90s and 2000s. If that means dumping a lot of the dialogue people so be it (I do think some are good). OTOH the Bell style seems to work for a lot of the social media and probably offline audience that isn't me, so who's to say.

I don't think Dani is at all in the latter-day Carly though. She's not on quite as much, and she's far from always right. I do think they are definitely playing it down the middle with the Duprees while waiting to reveal more, but I do think they want you to see them both ways or divide the audience on who they are. Which seems to have succeeded because some people are baffled.

Why is this so cute lol

 

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Colby Muhammad (@colbynatasha)

I wish they’d inject some of Colby’s real life energy, and yes, fashion sense, into Kat.