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Where are you?
Rob?
Funny story Joy. I am at a hotel in my hometown and I just had a very funny realization. There's a lot going on at the house this morning, so I figured I should duck out some place that I knew I could actually get some quiet. And it just dawned on me that I showed up to this hotel and jim clothes with a backpack and a stupid ear to ear grin because I was so excited to do this right. And I go to check in and she's like, I'm not seeing your thing. I said, oh, it was
actually for last time. I'm only going to be here for a couple hours, and she's like, oh okay, and and I'm getting I'm like looking at my watch and she's like Okay, here's you room like great great things thing Cia, and I thought I didn't crea. I'll tell her that she for sure thinks I'm having an affair.
Oh yeah, Oh for sure.
I have a wedding ring. I'm wearing gym. I look like a guy who was like, honey, I'm going to the gym and then, oh my god, a doubt to the hotel in his hometown for an hour and a half. Why would I admit that? I mean, I guess because checkouts at noon. But so for sure, this hotel staff right now thinks that I'm the guy having an affair. Amazing.
I think he should just keep it going, just confused. It gives everybody something to talk about.
Guys, I'm just a boy with a podcast. I'm not having an affair.
Oh my god.
God is the perfect way to kick off this episode. Hello everyone, Well, hey everyone, the drama Queens. We have season seven, episode three, Hold my hand as I'm Lowered. Air date September twenty eight, two thousand and nine. Hey, Sophia, you want to read the synopsis?
I sure do. Joy the synopsis of this episode, Ladies and Gentlemen, is Clay and Nathan disagree on how to handle an ever worsening scandal, and Haley begins to wonder if Rene's accusations have merit. Quinn and Brooke organize a photo shoot, and Mouth ups the stakes in his battle with Skills. Meanwhile, Alex makes Julian an interesting proposition. And of course this episode was directed by Liz Friedlander. She's just so great pace.
So before we get started, I have to tell you guys, for all you friends out there, I am in Cooperstown, New York, because my nephew is playing in the Cooperstown Tournament. If you don't know much.
About baseball, it's it's like a little league.
Twelve year olds get chosen from their teams, get chosen from all over the country and selected to come like the best of the best all over the country. They come play as ninety five teams and then they all play all week and whittle it down into the final two and then there's a championship. So it's very exciting. So I'm here the whole family in the woods to watch my nephew play baseball. And we were all piled on top of each other and there's a lake and
the kids and it's all been really fun. And that's all to tell you that I did not watch the episode himself.
So.
Gasp, you guys are gonna have to tell me what happened. I was like, where are we going with this? I love the setting, you know.
I'm sorry, So I am now going to be the fan who is listening to the episode like I didn't.
I don't remember this, so what is it that's going on? So you're going to have to fill me in a little bit.
Fortunately for you, I think soph and I are overachievers, and I'm pretty sure I don't want to speak for you, so if I think it's safe to assume you as well took copious notes and sure did. We can cliff notes this in our.
Excellent excellent so so that this is the first time in the history of our drama Queens where I have not watched the episode. But I apologize, and uh, super appreciative for the way that you guys show up and uh, we'll fill in the.
Place for me.
I appreciate your honesty because I actually was wondering this the other day. I thought, I wonder if there's ever been a time where one of them hasn't watched the episode, And then I thought if I was that spot, would I come out and just be honest and lead with it, or would I play that game of yeah no, yeah, just yes, ending everything and to see if I could like sneak by, So way to be brave, Joy, way to be honest, to try to.
Be realal So, somebody start because it can't be met.
So we open on a French cafe and a little boy doing a yo yo a catwalk spot and I'm kidding, So where do we start?
We actually open on you Joy. The first shot of the episode is Haley looking through the sonogram image and the photos of Nathan and Renee at that party, half of which Clay is in the background of which was a nice little touch on behalf of set deck.
So Haley knows and this is gonna this is gonna get real.
Yeah.
Do we know what James or what Nathan told her like was it is? Is he sticking to his story right, like it's all the same thing that he's told Clay.
Yeah, yeah, Yeah. He's adamant that he hasn't done it, which is great because then he's constantly infuriated that we're even entertaining any options of paying this woman off. She's asked for two hundred thousand dollars to go away. You are incensed by that, rightfully, So so that's kind of
where you are at. And then I don't want to get ahead of it, but yeah, it leads to sort of a butting of heads between Clay and Hayley because that in fact, this is the scene Joy, when I was telling you my first memory of this show is you screaming at me on a on an outdoor patio set, it was this episode. It's when you show up to Clay's beach house and you're basically laying into me, saying like, what are you do? How dare you? Yeah, he didn't
do it? Why would you let this happen? And yeah, it's a great scene, and it also we're jumping ahead a bit, but I'm curious of you if you know, it's the same thing. We reconcile that scene a few a little bit later where I come down the peer and talk to you, and I end it with an extraordinarily awkward, questionable choice.
Yeah you.
Should we just talk about it right now, get into it. Yeah, okay, so you lay into me. Clay has a fair counter argument, which is this is Nathan's dream. He's worked incredibly hard for it. It's a contract year. This could really make everything go sideways, so this might be a worthwhile investment. It's one commercial and if it helps him get his deal, it saves the big picture dream which you hear but
is also of course infuriating. You walk away from my house down like down the pier, and I come meet up with you, and it's a bit calmer heads prevail situation where I'm like, I hate this too. It just seems like the smarter play. You're like, okay, we come to an agreement, and then Clay slash me made the choice to go ahead and put a arm around you.
Oh.
The only thing I could think in my head was maybe I was trying to subtly tell the story that we have now known each other a while and we've grown close.
Okay, that seems reasonable.
That said, I still though, put the arm around you, and at the very end go back, viewers, you can see I kind of give you the little thumb rub on the shoulder like you do with the kid or a loved one, and I just felt like the combo of the two it just was enough for me to go, come on, Clay.
What's also hilarious to me is that the choice is made after the two of you have been arguing up on the porch and Haley is literally like, but you know what it looks like? Like you know how bad this looks even though he's a good guy, And Clay's argument is he's a grown man, and you go, so are you act like it? It's like such a great And then I'm like, anyone who took a photo of Clay and Haley on that peer from a distance when he puts his arm around her and she leans you
do you lean your head back? And then I'm like, it looks like do people on a date? It looks bad? Didn't we just cover this scandal all around? Yeah?
I don't know, though, I think you're absolutely right, Rob, I think that was super intentional. We wanted to create the sense of familiarity that you've been around for a long time, because we definitely you know, I feel like, especially at the beginning of this season with new characters, there's this sense of kind of overcompensation maybe of like we're just working really hard to make the audience believe
it and not just trusting. But also that seems totally reasonable if you have been around for a long time. I mean, I don't know, do I like do I let my friend? It's not like you're married. I guess if it was like my friend's husband, it might be a little more uncomfortable. But you're a single guy, but I'm married.
I don't know. Also, we've never seen Clay hug you yet. We've seen us interact in scenes, and we haven't been physically affectionate. So it was just odd that as soap was saying, on the heels of a conversation of appearances, yeah, that on the heels. This was the time. This was a moment where I felt, yeah, you're right. I understand us as actors making that mistake because we're in this bubble,
in this moment, trying to create this world. This is the job of someone behind the monitor who's just watching it on the square. Needs to go. Nah, the optics, the optics look a little weird. Guys.
That's tough for a visiting director to come in. And I mean, Liz had been in and out of the show, but.
That's that's a tough job because.
She doesn't know what's coming, and she only has the information that she's been given from the previous episodes. But there's so much a little time in prep that it's not like visiting directors have time to just read all the previous scripts of the last four episodes and then make sure they they can't even see the edit, because the edit's usually not done by the time they start prep.
That's hard. It's hard to be able to put.
Every little thing in context when you're just dropping in for a couple of weeks.
Yeah, and I will say the first pass of it, I was like it's sibling e and then it just made me giggle thinking about like what the long lens paparazzi photo of it would look like. But I also get that other point, you know that if you've got a director visiting who says, well, what's the relationship between your characters, and it's like he's like a brother to me, he's my husband's agent, and then they go yeah, okay, yeah, So I don't know, don't know how it.
Would have been a smart pr move to have a paparazzi on a long lens take that photo, and then that also would get leaked and then it's like ooh, everybody thinks it's lots of scandal. But then if you find out that the thing with Clay and Haley is just really nothing and he's just consoling her and they're being friendly, then maybe the public would be less likely to believe the thing about the other woman too, And they just throw all the baby out with the bathwater
and the whole thing gets thrown in the wash. Maybe that's what a crisis comes.
I don't know. I'm like, well, that's dark.
Yeah, And that wasn't me taking a swipe at Liz. That was more just that thing of the like sometimes you don't know when you're the actor and the scene just with the outside appearance of it, you know, looks like.
Well, and that's when you really hope one to your point, one of our producers, like who watches every day, is actually on set for that scene and they can go, I get what you're going for, but it looks a little weird. No, exactly.
It is the job of the people who are their long term to be able to jump in and fill in those blind spots, because a visiting director only has so much capacity. So it really does depend on that. So maybe somebody dropped the ball, I don't know, or maybe it worked, fans, I don't know what do you guys think?
Did it work?
Did it make you feel endeared to Clay?
Yes, let us know. I'm actually so curious. Please let us know if you thought it was creepy or sweet?
Yeah, brother, Lee or mah, because.
I think actually, now that you say that, Joy, I do think we were trying to go for a very familial brother sister thing. So let us know, fans. Was it creepy brother or sweet brother?
I feel like creepy or sweet could be a really fun thing to do at the end of episodes.
Yeah, lit' stop like a carnival game.
Listen, this episode was This might just be every episode again. I'm coming. I'm basically watching the series fresh as a new viewer, but I've an all three episodes so far. I've walked away going this was juicy. Yeah, Like there's there is not a shortage of good content to really get into. I mean this one, this one starts off hot and kind of stays that way. Is that just every episode of this show is? This is why the show is what it is.
Not every episode everything. No, there's some filler space episodes.
Yeah, but this one was fun and I think Liz gave us a great indicator that it would be right from the jump because all of the opening scenes happen so fast, and there's so much movement and you know, tension and humor and whether it's this low moment for Haley or the you know comedy of like Brooke and Julian and then Skills, you know, getting naked and getting scared and then Alex having been out all night in the shower gag like it's flying at you so fast,
and each thing is juicy, like each each little beat has a detail to it that we haven't really either seen before or that we know we want to see more of per Skills and Mouth.
And speaking of Brook and Julian, shout out to Austin for being the sacrificial lamb in that opening vignette where he is wildly gratuitously and unnecessarily just shaving in his underwear. It was like, oh, yeah, okay, And a part of it was like, sorry, buddy, I didn't take my shirt off last episodes that went down on you. You're the
team player apparently. Yeah. Brooke just walks by Julian, she says something and he's just standing in his boxer briefs shaving and is like, okay, he could have been doing literally anything and they're like, nah.
They fill their quota. Is this the time in the show where other we were It was switched over to CW by then, because you know, we started out on the WB and then there was that merge with UPN and CW where they created CW.
Was this the point where we were officially competing with the OC and Gossip Girl and all those shows where it was so much, so much gratuitous whatever, like sex, sex everywhere. They just wanted to make sure that you guys had your shirts off on the beach. They wanted to make sure that somebody is naked in every episode.
They sure seem to. But let me tell you what I had two thoughts when that scene hit. First was thanks Austin for being the sacrificial lamb so I didn't have to do it. And also, good for you, sir, Like Austin was surfing every weekend. He looks so good, and I was like, someday, you're actually going to love that you have this. I hated when people used to say that to me. We were in our twenties and
they'd be like, someday you'll be thrilled. You knew you looked like this, but I was like, you know what, that's going to be nice for you to have someday. Congratulations, my friend, you look great.
Yeah. I recently worked with a director who did an episode of our show, and I was asking him, oh, what did you do? And it was during the time when Julian was just sort of being introduced, and he was like, yeah, it was when they were introducing you know,
Austin as the new sex pylon. What. I had never heard the term sex pilon, but I have to say, when I was watching that vinet and he's just standing there looking amazing, I thought, you know, it's not it's a bit objectifying, but sex pilon, that's you fits.
It tracks, Yeah, it tracks, by the way, I rob, I know you didn't take your shirt off in the last episode, but I do not want you to feel left out. And since we did start on the Clay and Haley of it all, I literally have in my notes when you guys get out for that beat on the pier where you're like really being like, but this is the thing and we might have to do it, and it's like the notes about this scene and then in all caps, Rob has beautiful skin. Oh, Like, I
literally made a note. I was like, sir, do you like the close up? You have no pores? Also, congratulations to you.
Wow, thank you. Yeah. I think by the way I have it in here somewhere this, I think this is the episode. So when I first got on, there was a worry that I wasn't quite old enough for the role and I looked a little baby faced for it and for what they wanted me to be doing. And so of course their Hollywood solution was grow some stubble. And at this time, I mean, you've seen the extent of my stubble at the time, and I think this was the episode where we just went let's just go
clean shaven. Like I remember, it wasn't comfortable for me, and by that point they had seen enough dailies to go you just you still look like a baby faced kid with just a little bit of stubble. So there's a scene h later on. Yeah, it's actually the scene with Joy where I put my arm around her where if you notice, all of a sudden, clays clean shaven. I think that was the moment on the show where they went let's just let's just give up the ruse and just go clean shaven.
So do you stick with that clean shaven for the rest of the.
I believe so please?
I think so yeah, you do a beautiful skin. You should have gotten a campaign off of that show.
Gosh, let's let's just talk about my skin for the next hour. Say more about it now. And one thing I thought that was so awesome in this episode is all of the Alex Brooke and Milly stuff.
Tell me all about it.
Like, so, I just want to start by saying, Janna does such an incredible job with this role.
She is so good.
She's so good, She's so good. And I think because I wasn't doing many scenes that I was just in the dark about it. But you know, one thing I love about a character is when it's hard to make a decision on who they are, Like I like a bad guy with some humanity, I like a good person
with some flaws. And what's so great is there's a couple moments in this because she is so over the top, just dumpster fire, dumb, self absorbed, and then she has these moments of sincerity or self awareness that so she's hilarious. Episode just getting ahead of it but there's also amazing cameo by our artist Tim who plays her makeup artist at the chute, And there's a moment where she's on the at the shoot and she says it's her and Milly and Tim is doing her touch ups and she says,
how do I look? And Tim goes ahead and answers and he goes fabulous, and without skipping a beat, she goes, I didn't ask for the help. I didn't ask the help, Millie, how do I look? And Milly goes, why are you asking me? And she goes, because you're the only one who's honest with me here, And it was that great moment of oh, but you're you're also smart enough to
see what's going on. Yeah, And then there's some stuff later in the episode, but so talk about that because your stuff with her, I mean, when you try to get the dog out of or excuse me. She comes in and tries to slam a pill when she's lagged and hung over for the shoot, and she announces to everyone, I just need a pill, and she puts a pill in her mouth. Sof does a bit where she runs over and tries to get the pill out of her mouth. Exactly the the way you would a dog. It is so funny.
It was so fun I'm seeing it in my mind. I can totally picture this. Oh my god, it's so I mean, Jana is so funny. I am. I'm relishing and watching her as a viewer and not as a scene partner, because as a scene partner I had to be irritated all the time, which was hard because she's so fucking funny. And now I'm just getting to laugh.
But I forgot what happened in that scene. And yeah, I mean, she puts a pill in her mouth and I grab her face like this so she can't close her lips and literally just dump her head over like from the back of the neck. I grab her by the back of the neck. It's I yelped. It made me laugh so hard, genius, it's just so good. And Millie catches the pill rather than mountain.
The whole thing.
It's it's just like parental gone sideways, and it's so it's so funny, and I think it is so hilarious because of how hard Jana commits and then we just have to react around her, and it's it's perfect.
She does commit all the time and I agree with you, Rob, It's so interesting to watch a character that keeps you on your toes. It's the it's the same, it's a Gene Wilder thing with at the beginning of Willy Wonka and the Cane, right where he comes out, and it's just like the you think he's one thing and then he flips over and reveals himself to be someone that you never quite know what's really going on. And I
love that. I don't know that we have another character on the show like that, Like Dan, you always really know at the baseline what's actually going on, no matter what he's putting up.
But I like this. I like this the.
Introduction of a character that's so complex and she's got so many different layers.
Janna manages to play her in this way where she leans into everything horrible so much, but there's release something under there, like she's Alex is the kind of character that drives you crazy, but something in you likes her. And I made a note. I was like, oh my god, I'm having the joy experience when I when we get to the end of the episode and I'm watching like the genuine flirtation between Alex and Julian I hate it. I'm like, I hate that. Oh I really don't like.
That at all.
Wow, oh my god. I remember when Joy said this about Haley not liking seeing Nathan with somebody because you yeah. And then I was like, well, I guess maybe that's part of how you know as an actor that you're in the right like endgame relationship, because I was like, oh no, I hate this part. Like Julian is Brooks person, ma'am go.
Away, yeah, excuse me, ma'am yeah bye.
But like they're so good and so likable. Then I'm watching it going, well, of course he likes her. Look at her. How could you not like her? She's so funny and horrible but great.
And then what they did that was so smart? Was it because it wasn't just about a physical thing it would have it would have really kind of put Julian in a bad light if it was just a pretty girl flirting with him and him entertaining it. What it actually becomes is she shows up at at Brooke and Julian's place with a script.
Yeah.
She's like, I know you think I'm dumb. I am, but I also know what I'm doing and this is a good script and you're a producer and you should read it so and then then it's like, Okay, he's not It's not just that he's chasing the next pretty thing. There's actually something here that he finds intriguing and there might be a business. It was just a It was a great way to sort of allow what happened to happen without it being like, is he not the guy we thought he was.
Yeah, he's endeared to her because she is smart.
And it's rooted in the purpose he feels like he's lacking. She pushes his buttons early in the episode Joy and asks why he's not doing that movie in New Zealand, and he said he was looking for something else, And it later comes back around where she essentially says, oh you you thought I meant something else could be me. No, it's this script I have for you. And so she's meeting him in this space of like loss and lack
with you know, purpose, maybe his next creative thing. And so there's like a passion to bond over not just an energy.
Yes, and she allows that that moment to happen, which is great, your business savvy, You're not just a one note terrible person. And then literally in the same breath, goes, Actually, another boy's having me tonight, but I can come by afterwards if you want. So it was like she earned a moment and then was like, but I'm Alex so.
No, yeah, but I love that. That's what keeps me giggling. And then I'm like, just when I felt something about this energy, now I want to punch her all over again.
Great, I appreciate how complex she is.
Hey, random sidebar love Gene Wilder, did you know that he told the director of Willy Wonka that was that that whole move where he walks with the cane and then rolls and jumps up that wasn't in the script. That was Jean's idea. And he said, I'm not doing the movie if we're not doing it. And then director said, are you are you serious? Why? And he said, because it sets up the entire movie that if I do that, from that point on, you won't know what's real and
what's make believe. Isn't that a genius?
I mean, so genius, so smart? Incredible.
Yeah, speaking of smart, let's talk about Rachel. Because Rachel and Dan's story unfolding this episode I thought was told so incredibly well, it was so interesting the shot of when when Rachel reveals that she was the one, so this sorry joy. This is when Paul is doing his show. Excuse me. Dan's doing a show and a man stands up midshow and is like murder, murder. Oh he catches him off guard, but they roll and Rachel says, roll
the cameras. Then they come back to it after and when it's after the show and Rachel walks up and Dan says like, I'm sorry, and she's like, don't be. I planned that. There's this great moment. So first of all, you realize she is just so business savvy. Also like does she care about him or is it business? But
then isn't this end that's seen great? So if I thought Liz did such a good job where it has raped, the shot has watches Rachel walk off stage but she literally it's just her silhouette and she walks into darkness and just fades to black.
It was so well lit. That got me, and and what I loved about their story is you see you see her power as you know, his business partner and wife, and he does that he'll be like my producer who's also my wife. Is how he brings her on stage.
In this episode, it just was like, oh my god, you see not just her in the moment, you get the flashbacks and you see it go back, so you see when they meet, because when he brings her up, they start doing this whole storytelling about like, oh, and when we met, we wanted the same thing and it was so chaste and like he's wasted in a strip club and she recognizes him and is performing and you know, you have all these scenes of them in this motel
and he's drinking himself to death and he's reading all these self help books and she's kind of going at him about what a lazy, you know, way that is to try to fix yourself, and then he says something and she realizes like, oh, that's a self help book, and immediately she makes him stop quit drinking. She's like, don't drink that I need you. Do you want to get out of here? And I was like, I'm obsessed with her.
Yeah, Wiley, this show is very good at at not letting you figure people out right away, or just giving multi layered portrayals of people. Because that whole flashback storytelling starts with her in a strip club and so you're like, Okay, she's the hot girl as a stripper, now whatever, and then yeat like so if was saying, it ends with her being smart enough to realize there's an amazing business opportunity here where we can both get out of this rut.
And there's also the way that the storytelling and the way it shot is so great because they finish having sex and they roll off each other and she says, not bad for a guy with a bad heart, and he says, why don't you stay the night and see if you can kill me? And she says that'll be expensive, and he says that's okay, I'm rich and I'm dying. And then it cuts to them in the present day on stage, being sweet and polished, and she's like, he had everything I wanted and he's like, and so did you.
And I thought that was such a great moment of sort of like exposing how much hypocrisy, see there is in terms of like how people portray their lives to be versus what it actually is, you know. And they did such a good job with their stuff.
It was great, and they're so subtle together, and you watch and I think that's where you see Paul and Neil a bit because they're both so smart, and you watch in these quiet moments with Dan and Rachel, they're
having this real tete a tet. You see their sort of reactions and looks communicating with each other before they speak, and it's so refreshing because you know that when they're on the talk show set, they're performing, but when you get to see underneath when they're not, like it actually made me such a fan of them as a unit.
Yeah, and getting to see again that he's so sweet and soft with her. You know, he's so charismatic on camera, but then he kind of becomes a little boyish around her, you know. And so again it's that it's not making it easy to figure him out.
Is it really still drawing out the mystery that we were discussing last time of seeing him with his God Rob. I meant to mention it last time you use this phrase the man experiencing homelessness instead of saying a homeless man.
I just thought that was such a lovely phrase. But yeah, so he was, you know, sitting down with that man, and we were talking about how it seems there's this ambiguity of like, where is he is he actually trying to change is Does this episode continue that question or is it more clear that it's like, no, he's definitely a full hypocrite and this is all a ruse.
I think No, I think it's still very much telling a story where this could be the new Dan because what they're showing in this story part of it is he was a guy at rock bottom who wanted to die, and now he seems to be a man with purpose. So up until this point you can be suspect of her because her trajectory does seem quite opportunistic, as his seems genuine.
And she's not.
Being forthright that she used to be a hook, well, a stripper. I guess if she's charging him, then she's a prostitute also. But like she's not being forthright that this is where I used to be and now I'm in it. I've recovered from the position that I was in before.
I don't know.
So is it like we're hiding this or she's being open about it?
No? No, because when we first when he we first see him on the talk show, he says, my wife used to drink and sleep around, like.
Drugs and all the things.
Okay, yeah, yeah, that when he first I remember hearing for the first time going, buddy, you are roasting your wife and we need to be this honest. But no, so they to their credit, they've been pretty forthright with yeah, work, we came from a pretty unhappy place. Yeah.
I don't think they're being forthright about their first date night, yes, right, but they are very open about who they used to be. You know, the sort of stereotype of the broken person I used to be seems to really be.
Yeah. Thing we shall see. I want to know what happened with the mouth and skills.
Oh.
First of all, one of my very first notes is I love the pickle that we have found Mouth in because what it opens with him at the news station and his station manager coming up and going, hey, your buddy is Nathan Scott. Oh yeah, old buddy's great. He went into a restaurant flipped out on a woman the other day and can you look into it? And it's then he then he meets up with Nathan that river court and has to ask him. But what's what I loved about it. Mouth is such a big heart man.
He's such a good friend because he asked Nathan and he doesn't ask if it's true. First, the first thing he says was I'm so sorry, man, yeah, you know, and he ends the conversation with Nathan says, what are you going to do and he says nothing, let me know if you need anything. I thought, oh, man, that's a buddy. He's got his back, you know. And then, to Nathan's credit, because he knows that the situation that
mouth is in. After mouth says that and starts to walk away, he stops me and goes, hey, you do what you gotta do. You have the job to do if you have to report your report, you know. And I thought that was there was so much respect shown between the two.
Wow, that's tough, right, yeah.
Because what do you do. It's like you always of course you want to believe the best in your friends, but then you have to sort of entertain an alligator.
I thought. I thought it actually was kind of quite timely with sort of everything that has happened with me too and everything in the past, where I thought, oh, it's like, yeah, how do you reconcile if someone you love has done something you know that you don't agree with or that is just straight up bad, you know, And OH thought, oh my godsh So when it's the episode started, I thought, oh, I can't wait to watch you walk this line. Buddy, Wow, I love that.
I love Nathan just giving him the permission to do his job. Be like, it's not going to affect our friendship. I know you have a job to do. I know you're not going to do something salacious and try and do a hit piece on me or hurt me. Like, but I also understand the position you're in and it's a small town like you have to report what you report. I'm WHOA, that's tough, but that's that's a lot of that's a lot of honor and courage.
Stand up guy, a boss move, because if he knows he's innocent, then why not weah Yeah, it's sort of this conviction that he's like, I know how the story in, so you do what you gotta do.
Yeah, yeah, one way or the other. Eventually a paternity test happens and he knows that the information will come out. So also that's a real hole in her whole issue, Like she's trying to get two hundred thousand dollars, but for what, like, wait wait six months and find out.
Well, or is the goal to get the money before you can find out if Renee is really the person we're led to believe she is, right, Like, if she's the kind of you know, stereotypical, you know, vixen, horrible person who would do this to some family. Like, Okay, but you know, if so, is the whole idea to get paid before you could get an AMNIO or any of those other tests.
Yeah, but if she knows that it's not real and it's not true, and she knows that he knows, and she knows that he knows that she knows, then not to make it too complicated, but like, why not just wait six months.
Because I think what she's doing is playing off the fact he is in a contract year right now and he is trying to get a new deal, and this could really hinder his value. I think that's what they're timing. Okay, that it's entirely calculated that she knows he's up for something right now and this would not help his case at all.
Yeah, but also, let's.
Be honest, it's the NBA that would not hurt him. NBA has no problem paying people who do all sorts of things, I mean, all professional sports. So it's a kind of a altruistic assumption on the NBA's part, But I think that's what she's going for, is that she knows he's in a time crunch, and so she's just
trying to capitalize on that. You have a great line Joy at the start of this episode where it's when you and Nathan are talking about it for the first time in the kitchen and you're looking at the party pictures of she and Nathan and Clay off to the side, and you say, drunken sluts with perfect teeth.
I wrote that down too.
I loved it. Yeah.
It was also a really good scene because you see this smplicity of the situation. Nathan is like, I get asked to take pictures all the time, and you are explaining that because it's late and she looks the way she looks, and his arm is around her and she's carrying a cocktail and he's got a beer in his other hand, like you know him. You know this is normal, and you see but it looks bad and you should
be smart enough to know that. Yeah, And that's such a thing, right, Like in our world, it doesn't always matter what's true. It matters what something looks like absolutely.
And.
What I loved is that you seem to be clearly communicating that you believe him and you know this isn't true. But you know that everyone who likes to shot on people out there in the world, I mean, hello, look at the internet that they're going to go he did it. I can tell by that photo, that meaningless photo. I see something, and some stranger will side that what didn't happen is true and you'll never be able to convince them otherwise. Totally, that is so tough.
That is such a tough road to navigate. I mean for everyone in the public eye or anyone in leadership positions, like teachers who need to make sure that their doors open when they're meeting with a female student. You know, to your whatever you're I don't know who you're sitting with in a restaurant or what you're posting online. It's like there's an element of Okay, I am a human being.
I get to live my life, and I can't be wandering around worrying about everyone and pleasing everyone in everyone's mind. Think making sure that everybody knows and sees me the correct like I just it's too much. You could never But then there's also a tier of responsibility depending on the position that you're in. And I don't know that those lines are clear cut, but it is an interesting topic to explore.
Yeah, and what's fun about the Mouth dynamic of it is he doesn't have the luxury of all of Nathan, all the other people in Nathan's lives where he can kind of sit back and wait for things to unfold. He Yeah, he's a bit in a pressurized situation because he's going to be forced to speak on it, speak on it in one way or the other publicly, you know. So he doesn't get to kind of sit back and go, I don't I don't believe it, but let's just see, you know, he has to actually come forward and start
reporting that. So I like that because I was immediately stressed out for him. Yeah, I'm like, oh, I don't envy this position at all, you know.
And the way there, the way the days diverge, is so interesting because Mouth' day starts off hilarious. You know, Skills gets up immediately, drops trow walks out into the living room, and then you hear him scream at the top of his lungs and you see Mouth walking out, laughing, adjusting his tie on his way to work and like they're having this fun day, and then he just gets slammed sideways. And then the central theme in such separate ways for Mouth and for Skills is really about friendship.
But Mouth is dealing with this crazy thing with Nathan, and Skills calls Jamie to help him trap a lizard. It's like they could not be having more opposite days. But they circle back around together to each other on this subject at the end, and hearing them talk about their friendship was like even more weighted. I guess for me, given what I'd seen Mouth just do with Nathan and their.
Friendship, Jamie was once again the wise little owl who Skills initially calls to come over to help him the iguana, and there's a hilarious exchange where Jamie's there and he's like, all right, so how much you're gonna give me to do it? And he goes all right, and he pulls out like twenty bucks from his pocket and he goes cool. He says something like this is catching cat catching a mouse. That's catching a mouse, and so he starts he's he's
bargaining up Skills. The Skills is like Colma has to give him all the money in his pocket, and he's like, now I can catch a dragon. This is he says, that's something like this isn't small dragon money or something. But what it ends up becoming is then skills sort of downloading the situation with mouth to Jamie, and again Jamie just being a child, he just sort of says what's obvious, what's simple, and what's honest, and skills you know,
sort of tells him what's going on. And he Jamie Skills, like, why what did he say when you said that? And he's like, oh, I guess I haven't said any of that. He's like, yeah, dumb, dumb, tell him, tell him how you feel basically, you know, talk to your friend. Yeah, it talks to your friend, right, But again, it's just funny. It's like it's the child who's able to see it the most clearly. I have a question. So if I guess this one's for you, but Joy, you can weigh
on this. So later in the episode, there's a fun there's a fun bit where Brooke takes Quinn and I think Millie joins as well, out to trick for a drink because in Haley in Haley's area. That's right because they go out because Haley's having such a hard time with what's going on, with what's transporting, and because at this point it looks like they are leaning towards having to pay two hundred thousand dollars to this woman who's lying. So Haley is out of sorts. It looks like I'm
going to take you to trick. We're going to drink, and so there's some funny stuff there. But towards the end of it, Alex walks up to Clay. Clay's drinking and she's like, oh, it's a Keila. I used to love that, you know. Clay's like, oh cool, and he takes a shot and she kisses me as soon as I have had the shot, like presumably to get like a little taste on her lips. And then when she throws herself at me, I'm like, great, be at my pouse.
In thirty minutes, her exit move is she licks my neck, And my first thought was ew and has nothing to do with Alex or Janet. It's just I don't want anyone anyone licking me. But I thought my question was was there ever a time when that was hot? Would that ever work? For you if a dude licked you?
First of all, was this in the script?
It had to be.
I think it was meant to be kind of like a because she kisses him to get the tequila, does the lime? And I I think it was like a oh, you're looking for sweating, you're looking for salt? Was okay? God was the idea. But no, if some if a person just licked me, they'd get punched in the face. Yes, that's so. I mean, you guys are flirting and kissing and clearly arranging to like have a little sexy time.
But like.
If if just a human in a bar licked me, no, dog, you're getting punched right in the mouth.
Yeah. This this felt like one of those moments where I was keenly aware of how much time has passed for me between shooting this series and where I am now. Because I'm at the time, I did not bump on it. I probably thought, yeah, is this hot? And now at forty three years old, I watched it and I went ew disgusting. No, that would be my heart out. I'm done, I gotta go wash my neck. You're was it a.
Strong lick or was it like a little like a little taste, no joy. It was strong, like a head grab and a and a what would you say, like under collarbone to under ear.
It went clavially almost to ear lobe tip. That's a lot of real estate. That's a lot of delicate real estate. Also close to my nose. So if you have bad breath, I might catch it with of it, and then I'm for sure throwing up and we can never see each other again.
Never.
That's a nightmare of mine. Listen, uh, insight into my childhood trauma. One of the things my mom used to do to me was once I got too big for her to like people like wrestle me or man handle me, and she knew she'd like lost that she would lick her finger and wipe it on me. No true, Unfortunately, I swear to God it's the truth in it disgusted me to no end, so she knew it worked. So I got to say, I also am bringing emotional baggage
into this reaction, and I'm going to own that. Listener, I get it, but I still think it's disgusting.
You know what I will say, Rob, is bravo to you, because what that is is you identifying a trigger and clearly your therapist is great.
Gold star from Trevor.
A my guy. I don't know. I'm thinking about this.
I'm like, I'm trying to be I'm trying to be fair. Like I don't know, if I met somebody at a bar and we're flirting and it's like going well, and we do shots.
And then they lick you like a basset hound, not.
Not strongly like that I could not handle, like maybe like a little tongue tuck, like just like a little taste before we walk out a door together.
Like but in a kiss you mean not in no, no, like you look.
Like a isolated event.
I don't know why my instinct is it. I don't know, No, no, you would want to kiss instead? Yeah, but or like it's I No, I.
Feel like I could see it being a little sexier from a girl than a guy for some reason.
Well can confirm, right though, you have to go to YouTube and watch what Sofa was just how she was just that's not.
Going I just am like, how, what's the scene? What's the blocking? Also, I realized, like we're so Pavlovian. I have this little square, so I'm trying to fit all my action into it and then I just look like a mole, like I don't know what I'm doing, but yeah, I don't know.
Man, that feels like a little much the clavical to ears.
Like they had her do. She's a real player.
She went for it.
Yeah.
I actually think what may have happened was correct me if I'm wrong, But I believe when Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson were a couple, there was a famous moment or a famous picture of him licking the side of her face.
Hmm.
Oh, I do want to say that. I feel like our boss was very influenced by rock stars. Yeah, so it would not surprise me if that was something that was seen and I was like, hey, that guy did it. It's it's cool and sexy.
Yeah. Yeah. The only person I've ever I mean pantomime. I didn't like swipe the lick, but I did that pose once with my best friend Cameron, which like tracks because Cameron gay and not a man who I'm like involved with. It was it was like this very funny thing that we did. I was like adjusting his bow tie and someone referenced that. So he took this photo because it was like this amazing black and white. It doesn't matter. I'm digressing. It got so creepy. Great because
it's honestly like a very sexy picture. But you know, neither of us wants to date each other, so that's not it. Years later, someone took that photo and photoshopped Jensen's face into it, so now it looks like there is a picture of me licking Danil's husband's face.
Why do people do these things?
Well, I don't know, because they want to do like some whoever his character was on Supernatural and Brook Davis like fan fiction. I don't know, but it's so creepy to all of us involved, and like, I don't know, man, it's a good thing. You know.
Now you can't trust any pictures that you see ever, because everything is just yeah, digitally altered.
The problem is we know that the internet doesn't know that. So the problem is that photo gets reposted. Oh yeah, and before a voice of reason comes in, there'll be one hundred people who will be like, that's not right. She's he's married. They she should know better, and then like eighty comments down will be someone going actually this is an edited photo from twenty sixteen. Yeah, but point people have already had two hours to get upset about it.
You know, well, and that's exactly it. That's exactly it. It's so it's just icky to me.
I don't know, so, I guess I've never heard your heart to lick anyone's face. I mean, I get it in a comical context, like obviously that's funny, but as like a sexy move.
No, but not as that's exactly what I that's I guess why I'm like describing the literal zero ounce of chemistry Cameron and I have because it's like it's it has to be a gag or I guess they ask for a scene. I just don't know that that would be like a I don't know, not for me. I'm on team Robin. I'm not into the licking. We're moving on.
It can't be a move. Maybe a flourish at best, but you can't be like I open doors, I pick up checks and I lick next. You know that can't be your romantic toolkit.
Oh my god, why do I feel like you just wrote a country song? You did?
Oh my god? We need that on a t sh Joey get to it.
I open doors and I right chicks.
There it is.
I flirt with boys and I.
Lick there next gross.
Gross, you know what I do want to shout out though that was also great, And again just to really repeat how hilarious Janna is. Before she makes out with Clay for the tequila and grabs the lime, she orders two tequila shots at the bar Joy and she's like, in a terrible disguise, you know, it's Alex Dupray, and Millie catches her and she goes, well, we're drinking, and
she makes Milly take both tequila shots. And when Milly takes the shots, she bites the line Alex does and just watches and she looks at her and she goes, are we drunk it? And Millie kind of shakes her head and goes, no, we're buzzed, and she's like, oh, I love being buzzed. And it's it is so funny. It's just so funny. I love that. I love the unpredictability. And a girl who plays like.
She is she actually playing dumb. Is she using her and she's just using her entire toolkit, her body, her wiles, her wisdom, her vulnerability, like all the things. I mean, it's kind of terrifying somebody who is able to manipulate all of themselves in that way, but super fun to watch.
So sure. We also had the arrival at the very end of Alison Mun's real life husband, Scott Olroyd Yes Sean tells husband, So that was kind of a fun reveal. At the very end, she's she's not answering her phone a trick, and then he's awkward right behind her. Oh, she screens this call and he's like, you're gonna have to answer sooner or later.
Like, ooh, it's a.
Long, wonderful what's with the photo shoot? You guys organize a photo shoot for what is this the Alex thing?
Oh my god. Yeah, it's the big close over bros. Shoot. So the the sort of running past Julian and only his boxers in the morning happens because Brooke is saying she's late, and it's like this whirlwind of you know, me going to work and him being stuck at home, and it's really well set up from the beginning. Tim our actual makeup artist from the show, is playing Alex's makeup artist. It's very flourish of things happening in the store, and then we go and do the photo shoot up
on the roof that used to be the put Putt course. Yeah, and it's really like, it's fun and it's lively and it's loud and there's a lot of I don't know, I felt like we kind of got a peek behind the curtain at production, obviously in like a very pop way. I liked it.
Is that the first time we seen the golf course not golf coursey. Yeah, I think so, I don't know, removed that was sad. That was sad when it disappeared.
There was also a funny moment at that shoot where it opens with Alex showing up a proper mess, just hung over and disheveled, and announces to a room full of people, I need a pill. That's when the whole bit where Sophi is trying to slap the pillar ye oh yeah yeah, And so it's she's made a whole production of that, right, And then later at the end of the shoot or towards the end of the shoot, you see her sort of sneak away and Millie walks
by and goes like, uh you good. She goes, yeah, I just need a water, And after Millia walks away, she like surreptitiously tries to take a pill, Like, why are we being coy now? You literally announced to the entire room I need a pill when you walked in the door.
You don't want to get attacked. She wanted to get bum rushed.
Yeah, oh see, that makes more sense. I guess I was thinking of it like she thought she was keeping a secret, And to me, I'm like, there's no secret. You cat came out of the bag the second you walked in the room. You know, But that makes sense.
She doesn't want to get.
Yeah, Joy, what was your honorable mention from the episode.
My honorable mention is your thumb on my shoulder. Just yeah, the last little detail. Oh my god. Honestly, my honorable mention occurs. It's a very random thing, but I was very impressed by it. When we're doing Glam before the shoot for Alex downstairs that close over, Bros. Joy, Julian walks in and hands me my coffee order. Millie her coffee order, turns around to Quinn with her coffee order and says, I called Hayley And I was like that, that's nice. That's nice. Keep that man, like, keep keep
that energy with people. I the thought that you know, somebody would do that I was like, honorable mention for sure. Yeahs move sir, Yeah, he's a good dude.
Mine would be from the same scene where when Alex sits in the chair. So if you come in red Hot with the line where you lean in and you say to Tim the makeup artist, you might want to start with a little lying slut remover. They just e been thinking, this is the person you just paid five hundred thousand dollars to look happy in your clothing right before the shoot you opened it. Why don't use a little lying slut remover on her? Oh good?
We just had to commit.
It was great. So many quotables in the show, so many great lines.
Man, I can't wait to watch this episode. I'm gonna so a doubleheader.
I love it. Well, we have a listener question, oh Kayla asks if you could have any character from Wintree Hill as your best friend in real life, who would it be and why? That's so sweet?
It's a great question.
See, I'm going broker skills I like.
I think both are excellent choices for very different reasons.
I love that honestly. Yeah, I'd want to be friends with Brook Davis, but that might like break the time space continuum. So I would one hundred percent love to have Skills as my best friend. Why not?
Yeah, yeah, skills. I Skills is great because you also know you're going to get a little Jamie, because those two are a tandem package. But for the sake of just of being different, I will say mouth because I was really moved by how sweet he was. I just felt like I was watching a real, steady good friend this episode, and that's what I'd like. I'd just give me, give me a good, steady buddy. Who's in my corner?
Yeah, I love it. She's been a while.
Let's see.
Most likely to save you from a bad first date?
I love it. How is that not Brooke? Who else would it be? Maybe Millie?
Brooke was my immediate knee jerk as well. My second thought was Clay because we see him doing a lot of cleaning up.
Oh yeah, a lot of crisis. Yeah.
But yeah, my heart immediately shouted Brooke.
Yeah, yeah, I think I feel that it's unanimous. Yeah.
I think all of Brook's friends have a text code with her and they I don't know what the code word is, but she gets that message and it's like check the location, show up and.
Yeah, and then you get the costs happened. That's right, must go quick, Willie feel down the well, you better come with me now.
It's like it's it's the Brooks signal instead of the Bat signals a giant. It's a giant thumbs down shown into the sky and she knows she needs to swoop in and save a friend from a landing. What do we got next episode? So?
Oh my goodness, next week, Season seven, episode four, Believe me, I'm lying? Okay, dear, hey, thanks for listening. Don't forget to leave us a review. You can also follow us on Instagram at Drama Queen's O t H or email us at Drama Queens at iHeartRadio dot com. See you next time.
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