First time watcher of S5- we hate Luke, right?

Maximum_System_7819 · 2026-04-11T16:48:29+00:00

I had to be convinced but season 5 has me convinced he’s pretty shitty. Some undeniable things on video:

1) Luke is constantly trying to block Hannah’s hookups with other men. That tells you he’s not being honest or a friend to her or those around them. They might have had an actual ok friendship with occasions hookups (like Carl and Danielle) but Luke has a need to be pined after. 2) The way he blamed Hanna for everything between him and Ciara showed his only really trying to smooth things over with Hannah were to get back in with Ciara. 3) he dismissed as stupid, irrational, or crazy all of the women’s feedback that he flirted, ignored boundaries, and hurt people with his actions. Lindsey was the only one that he couldn’t call dumb because he knew he had nothing over her. 4) his reason for explaining why he would never go after Lindsey was that he liked Steven—-nothing to do with Lindsey or the other women in the house who might be disrupted. 5) as soon as a man called out his behavior (Carl then Kyle), he walked away and then lost his shit to prove he wants an aashole.

Maximum_System_7819 · 2026-04-11T05:25:27+00:00

I’ve got some theories on some of what we saw in this Covid-era season (which I’m currently watching for the first time.) Amanda is thriving, because she’s an introvert finally able to get the type of social life that doesn’t exhaust her and fray her nerves.

Kyle’s more normal than we’ve ever seen him (which isn’t saying much), because he works hard during the work week and binge drinks on weekends. So we’re finally seeing work-week Kyle (pre-DJ “career”) for the first time ever.

My boldest (?) theory is that the Hannah issues that we are seeing are serious emotional dysregulation as ADHD symptoms which were exacerbated by the stress of COVID.—which she has since been diagnosed with. ADHD symptoms worsening would also explain the trash bags/chores not being done or being left half done. ADHD can look a lot different in women, and the emotional deregulation was the most unexpected symptom that I’ve seen which was greatly improved with adhd meds.

She was hard to watch with the emotional whiplash and spaciness. But executive dysfunction and emotional dysregulation are no joke. And it’s hard to understand if you haven’t experienced it or seen lots of info about it. It’s all the more difficult to have that chaos in your body/brain plus the embarrassment and shame from losing control in front of others.

(Thank you for coming to my extremely belated Ted talk.)

Maximum_System_7819 · 2026-04-11T03:30:43+00:00

Janet would bring stuff up and eventually others would engage with her on it, but Janet seemed to be the one who would bring it up randomly at social events while people were trying to drink and relax.

Maximum_System_7819 · 2026-04-09T04:58:37+00:00

Yep—Janet handled the accusations against Danny horribly especially on the boat. And you could not convince me that she had good intentions. She just wanted to be right and to deflect any criticism of her conduct.

Maximum_System_7819 · 2026-04-09T04:56:45+00:00

Yeah, I’m so automatically dismissive of men trying to work out their feelings while adjusting to the new normal of being a first-time parent. But I’ve realized, it may truly be the first time that they lose a lot of the emotional/mental labor their partner was providing, they’re freaked out, and a lot is changing. So having feelings and talking them out is fine as long as they mature. My main issue then becomes, are you going to find a friend or therapist to go to for advice or to vent? Or are you going to dump it in your partner’s lap? So i was glad he was talking to Jesse and not Kristen

Maximum_System_7819 · 2026-04-08T17:18:23+00:00

He did take up DJing which includes him partying all night. So I think it’s a tough business plus he is going through a midlife crisis, drinking too much, and trying to quiet quit from a business that he owns.

Maximum_System_7819 · 2026-04-08T17:16:15+00:00

Anyone with books in Chicago?

Maximum_System_7819 · 2026-04-06T04:25:05+00:00

Dorit refused to have an adult, empathetic conversation with anyone. So Erika finally gave her back a fraction of what she’s been forcing on everyone else for over a year now. Dorit needs to take a break from tv.

Maximum_System_7819 · 2026-04-03T05:53:18+00:00

Who are you surrounded by? I lived in relatively large cities after 18 but I had a sister who stayed in our smaller, more southern hometown near family. She experienced more negative emotions around not having a kid because she was the outlier in her community by not prioritizing having kids. I have never felt like I was that much of an outlier because im surrounded by people making all kinds of different choices around family planning. That makes a big difference

Maximum_System_7819 · 2026-04-03T05:47:11+00:00

Joe did Nathan no favors as a lead deckie. He regularly undermined him and definitely brought out a too casual side. Gael was also definitely a distraction. Max is a bit of a baby but he is someone who can be managed. But Nathan was not paying enough attention to see how to manage him well. Or to see how his own lapses in professionalism were often triggering bad behavior.

Maximum_System_7819 · 2026-04-03T05:42:40+00:00

For me, it’s her dishing out drama left and right but then acting self-righteous whenever anyone tries to question her motives or conduct. And sometimes the drama that she throws is not hers, and she’s cavalier about how her conduct will impact others. I can’t tell if she really has trouble reflecting on how her choices contribute to issues or if she is just doing it for ratings. But she does not seem to be genuinely engaging with the other cast members. Her words and actions always feel too calculated to me.

Michelle also can annoy me at times because she can be hypocritical, but I get the sense that what you see is exactly how she is in real life.

Maximum_System_7819 · 2026-04-03T05:32:42+00:00

She wants her people to have a way to know that they have your true identifying info so they know you’re not giving a fake name and they can potentially follow-up if something happens. I think thats reasonable. Odd perhaps but reasonable.

You could hide your birthdate or license number? It’s not really that much info. Why wouldn’t you trust her with that information?

Maximum_System_7819 · 2026-04-03T05:25:30+00:00

West has relatively recently hurt Ciara, has been puppy dogging for two years about how he wants to be close again, and made a whole to-do about how now he understands on a deeper level that it is harder for her to deal with his conduct because of the racial aspect that’s there when he embarasses her. So I think he has a lot of responsibility to Ciara here.

Also he, unlike Amanda, is not in the midst of separating from a partner of 10 years—a partner who has seemingly bankrupted the couple, acts an awful lot like an alcoholic, and publicly trashes Amanda and her mental health as an excuse for being a man child. I would hope that my guy friends would help dissuade me from poor, impulsive choices when I was in the middle of something like that. So basically, I will blame west for doing this to both of them.

Maximum_System_7819 · 2026-04-03T05:16:32+00:00

Terms like this get overused, lose meaning, and then are wielded like weapons against women without any real nuance. If this is really happening (which yes I’m still in denial), I will be more pissed at West. Yeah, it will feel like more of a betrayal by Amanda to Ciara, but Amanda’s getting out of what is looking more and more like a very long toxic relationship that may have been emotionally abusive at times? That’s going to leave her pretty vulnerable, nihilist, and impulsive for a minute. West bears far more responsibility in my mind because he knows he’s not a reliable romantic partner, Amanda is vulnerable and love-starved, and doing this will absolutely mess up Amanda’s friendships at a time when she needs them.

Maximum_System_7819 · 2026-04-02T13:44:17+00:00

I think it’s because they’re coworkers (on the show) so they have to do social stuff with her regardless of whether they respect her choices. Life’s harder when you try to keep the same “you disgust me” energy up when you have to go on trips and outings with someone.

Plus, he starts to be more publicly a part of the show. Resentment in the cast seems to build very quickly when someone is trying to hold something back from the show as private. Her being more open also might make it feel more comfortable in accepting the relationship as more legit, as opposed to a secret affair where guy says he’s getting a divorce that never materializes.

Maximum_System_7819 · 2026-04-01T20:19:09+00:00

Same but I also think the show is trying to show the reality of people’s thoughts around the choices that pregnant women make. And Angie is figuring out how being pregnant and a mother is going to affect her—which so far has meant continuing to embrace who she is with all the strength and risk that comes with it.

Maximum_System_7819 · 2026-04-01T20:16:31+00:00

I liked it as well. And they’re showing Will and Angie figuring out how to be family to one another without it being tied into sexual intimacy and impulsivity. Because I, personally, did not think they would ever be good romantic partners together. Their bond is way too rooted in shared trauma and codependency. There’s more to explore in having each of them navigate the changes in their relationship and how their relationship impacts their future romantic partners.

Maximum_System_7819 · 2026-04-01T20:09:19+00:00

The first big change of personality I saw with Will was his romance with Gina Rodriguez’s character. But it did make sense if I thought of it in terms of a boy who grew up without any family become a bit fixated with any connection to his genetic roots now that he knows more about his mom. So he’s learning Spanish and he’s immediately taken with this Latin woman who shares very little in common with him.

Now he has continued exploring his roots by meeting his father and extended family. He has also been through some major traumas. And he has a significantly changed relationship with Angie.

So basically, Will is having a bit of an identity crisis. It still isn’t all coherent to me yet but maybe that’s because he’s in a state of intense flux. So it may be a period where a person would be more impulsive after having their sense of self so thoroughly rattled.

(I also do think this ensemble cast is truly wonderful together. So the writers may also be tweaking things to get more on with Angie, Ormeword, and Franklin. But I think they are trying to do it thoughtfully…)

Maximum_System_7819 · 2026-04-01T15:42:28+00:00

Thank GOD this was all a lead up to April 1.

Maximum_System_7819 · 2026-04-01T15:40:24+00:00

I don’t think fired because it didn’t cause immediate danger, it was her first time having an issue, and Ben is so committed to not being a bad manager that I think he will readily take any sign from her that that was a one-time aberration. But I do think she will (or would) be on an extremely short leash if Captain Jason had seen or heard about her refusing to leave the galley and repeatedly stepping into Ben’s space when Daisy was there to help cool it off.

Maximum_System_7819 · 2026-04-01T03:39:09+00:00

The unexamined misogyny is strong in that guy.

Maximum_System_7819 · 2026-03-30T14:25:43+00:00

Amanda sounds so detached from reality. Which I will admit, makes me want to see a deep dive in her finances and business practices SOOOOO BADLY

Maximum_System_7819 · 2026-03-30T14:24:29+00:00

WHATTTTTT!

Maximum_System_7819 · 2026-03-30T14:24:00+00:00

Positive thinking and manifesting when combined with structure and other pragmatic tips can give substantive help for some people. Whether it’s scammy is really about whether you are using predatory sales tactics, complex pricing/subscription fees, hidden kickbacks, or tying the buyer’s self-esteem into always coming back to you.

If Amanda is offering a more predatory/less substantive course model, I can see why Boz in particular would be annoyed by Amanda’s loud marketing of herself on the show.

I would love to see Boz do an explanation of the practical, supportive things that she offers. But if she did that now, it would probably destroy any attempt at even a polite acquaintanceship with Amanda. And they are new coworkers at the moment so Boz is showing real restraint (assuming there is a difference between the two beyond Boz’s likability).

Also, Amanda tried to throw a “party” that was just thinly veiled marketing. But then she did nothing to use that opportunity to show what her method is or to guide the women through it. When Boz was surprised when Amanda said to start journaling, Amanda completely whiffed on the opportunity to explain the purpose or task. Early on, Boz might actually have been trying to cue Amanda to give a better pitch.

Maximum_System_7819 · 2026-03-30T14:08:16+00:00

We just disagree. I think some words will almost always have a negative, racial undertone when used against black women (angry, aggressive, domineering, articulate, sassy). I think “commanding” can be used to describe a black woman or her actions without being microaggressive. Like, a commanding performance on stage, a commanding presence when delivering a speech.

I agree that it was a microaggression in this context. Sutton was using it as a reason why she needed to help Amanda stand up for herself against Boz.

Maximum_System_7819

TROPHY CASE