What I Watched Today

(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)

 

Shah of Sunset

Clips from Memory Lane are interspersed with where everyone is at now. A producer asks MJ what holds them together, and she says, love. We see a clip of what’s to come between her and Reza, and it’s not love.

We rewind to a month earlier. In his interview, Reza tells us that he lost 50 pounds. He’s trying to get his body from the 20s back. He didn’t appreciate it when it was happening, and it goes away quickly. He says he and Adam are getting better. Adam and Reza plan for a housewarming party, and we flash back to them in the process of building. The new house is gorgeous, except for the backyard, which Reza declares a disaster. He isn’t sure if MJ can make the party, and hasn’t invited GG yet. We flash back to the reunion, where GG tells everyone that she’s being sued by Shalom, as the result of something Mike, MJ, and Reza did. Reza says he doesn’t want to be a bitchy queen, so he’s inviting her.

GG tells her friend Yasmin that she hasn’t been invited, and she’s pissed. Yasmin tells her to take a breath, and wait. GG says she’s been giving everyone their space, but Yasmin thinks GG should actively mend some relationships. GG thinks she can do it with Destiney, and she loves Adam, but she’ll deal with Reza in time. In GG’s interview, she says she has embryos on ice, and she’s going to get pregnant, No doubt she’ll stop smoking weed when it happens. Yasmin says there are so many horror stories about ruined bodies, but GG says she’s going to be a MILF. Yasmin cooks something, and it sets the fire alarm off.

At the market, Destiney tries to get Mike to try natural Viagra, but he says he doesn’t need it; he’s Persian. Mike has a new girlfriend, Paulina, and it’s the first time he’s dated a Persian girl. She’s a vegan, and he goes to Destiney for cooking tips. Mike tells Destiney that he knows how to treat a woman. Destiney is skeptical, considering what happened with Jessica, but Mike says it was a bad relationship. We flash back to some of that. He says Paulina has completely changed his vibe. In Destiney’s interview, she says, dating is a bitch. It’s like finding needle in a haystack, and needle the needle is rusted. With her bad luck, and Mike being hooked up, she feels like she’s in Groundhog Day and Twilight Zone at the same time.

Reza talks about Adam’s butterfly incubator, and how he has a flare for parenting. Adam says MJ is ready to pop, and Reza asks if he still wants to have kids. Adam says he’s having second thoughts, and Reza asks if it’s because of relationship. Adam says, partly, but Reza gets stressed out easily, while he’s at the other end of the spectrum. If the baby pukes on Reza’s Gucci shoes, it might cause friction. Then Reza will resent the kid and/or Adam. The bottom line is, it’s part Adam’s career, and part Reza’s attitude, and also their past history. Reza says he’s confused and thirsty. He’s having some water, and moving back to Iran.

Reza meets Nema for a drink. Nema is all happy about his new veneers, and shows Reza that he’s wearing his gold chain. Reza says Nema’s Persian went from a 6½ to a 10. Nema asks how married life is, and Reza says, great. We flash back to two seconds ago. Nema says they’re late bloomers. He’s on the upswing, but everyone is wifed up and married. Even Mike is with new ex-wife number two. Reza says, Paulina is rich and her ex is rich. In Reza’s interview, he says, Mike won the Persian girlfriend lottery.

Mike makes dinner for Paulina. In his interview, he says he’s completely changed his life. A year ago, he was living the single life, but he’s 40, and doesn’t want to stay single; he wants a family. He found someone to give him what he’s looking for in life. Everything is amazing, from their deep discussions to the way she kisses him. He says, when you know, you know, and he knows. She’s his soulmate. Aww! She pronounces the food delicious, and he says she’s everything he wants in a woman, and he loves her. She wonders why she never met him before, and she says she got married young, at 19. She wasn’t looking something serious, and hearing he cheated, she would have said he didn’t deserve a second chance. In his interview, he says he made sure he was transparent and honest with her. He doesn’t want to repeat his mistakes. He tells her that he’s completely different. She says he adores her children, and she wants to marry him. He says when they’re ready, it will be great.

GG and Destiney meet for lunch. Destiney orders a heathy dish, while GG stuffs her face with pizza, among other carb-laden things. GG tells Destiney that she felt cut off from everyone, but had a different kind of friendship with Destiney. She felt like she’d popped off at Destiney – we flash back to the reunion – and apologizes. Destiney says they’re different people, and GG says she couldn’t take it anymore; she’s apologizing. Destiney tells GG that she’s too aggressive, and we flash back to about a dozen examples of that. GG insists it was only one time. She gets up, and says she’s done with it, and yells that Destiney is lying. She’d never raise a hand to one of her best friends. Destiney reminds GG of an incident at the fair where GG shoved her, and GG walks out. At this point, the whole restaurant is watching. GG smokes some weed, and comes back. She tells Destiney that she needed a minute. She kept reaching out to Destiney, and wants her to understand. She asks where Destiney wants to go with this. Destiney says she gets GG, and thinks they should take it day by day. In Destiney’s interview, she says GG is cuckoo, but she loves her. GG takes Destiney’s hand, and asks Destiney to feel her and her apology. In GG’s interview, she says it’s more familiar for her to be turnt up than to calm down. Destiney says, it means a lot.

Reza, Adam, and an entire team prepare for the party. In his interview, Reza says he’s going full-on Annette Bening in American Beauty – I will sell this house today. He says Adam isn’t as neurotic, and will give him sourpuss, but he’ll hug and love Adam, and everything will be fine in the hood.

Reza thinks a bunch of drunk Persians and lanterns may not mix. In his interview, he says Destiney is a genius with cocktails, and he asked her to come up with a Persian cocktail or two, to feature on the menu. The backyard was Beverly Hillbillies, but party planner Kevin Lee waved his magic wand, and spread gold fairy dust everywhere. It does look fabulous. Destiney instructs the bartenders on her creations, and in her interview, says she loves their culture. The spices are on a whole different level. Adam finds the first drink a little tart, and Destiney says, Reza likes tart. Adam says, not a tart attitude. In Destiney’s interview, she says she can’t look at Adam without feeling horrible. He sent some raunchy-ass stuff to her friend Ali. We see a clip of Ali showing her his phone, and saying he doesn’t know what Adam’s intentions are. In her interview, she asks, how you tell someone you care about, you’ve heard some sh*tty-ass information about their relationship? She doesn’t want to believe Adam cheated, but something is going on.

Everyone begins to arrive, including Mona, Shervin, and some childhood friends. Reza’s friend Sara doesn’t have a lot of Persian friends in LA, so he introduces her around. In Mike’s interview, he says you never come to someone’s house for the first time empty-handed, and he sent the biggest bunch of flowers possible. He finds his flowers on display, but realizes there’s no card, and shows Reza the card that should have been with them on his phone. In Reza’s interview, he says he loves Paulina, and she dresses impeccably. Everyone compares jewelry, saying things like, this is Cartier; this is LV, until Mike finally says, this is my dool (slang for penis). I literally lol.

GG shows up, bringing the cutest succulent garden, and a llama balloon. She says Reza is skinny, and he says he stopped eating. She starts to go out to the patio, and turns around. She tells Reza, she has to go. She didn’t think Shervin was going to be there. Reza says he didn’t know she and Shervin had beef. Mike tells her not to run off, and she, Mike, and Reza, sit on a side patio. In her interview, GG says she was hardcore focused on her company. We flash back the her launch event, and she says she found out Shervin got involved in the CBD space too. It was a stab in the back. Reza asks to talk to GG alone, and Mike makes himself scarce. Reza tells GG that he  loves her, and wants to be back in a good place. He’ll be hurt if she leaves. They haven’t been talking, but he loves her, and wants the best for her. Her life has been off limits, and he does better when he’s in her life. GG says they don’t get along because they’re too similar, and Reza says, almost identical. She says, it’s like the Bloods and Crips uniting. He says, you go, Nipsy, and they hug.

Mike continues to look for the card, poking through the bouquet. Outside, Paulina talks about her tattoos, and says she wants to add her and Mike’s wedding date. In Nema’s interview, he says, Paulina wants to marry Mike yesterday, but he has a tendency to have a wandering eye. She says, the two of them until death. GG sees Nema, and in her interview, says, it’s like walking chicklets. In Nema’s interview, he says, maybe the moment has passed where they’d be friends who have hot sex. Instead, they’re friends who go to brunch. Reza announces they’re playing charades. Destiney is the first up with pogo stick, and Shervin has booty call. Destiney finds Mike still looking for the card, and says Ali told her something about board game night; they played strip Jenga. I’m not sure how anyone could say that with a straight face. We see a clip of Ali telling Destiney that Adam has been playing with other guys. Mike asks what if Destiney’s SO played strip poker with chicks? and she says she’d cut his d*ck off.

Destiney and Mike go to a private area outside with Reza. Mike says he doesn’t think it’s true, but supposedly Ali got weird tests from Adam that had sexual undertones. He thinks Adam can be funny like that. Destiney says Ali told her that when Reza was out of town, Adam played Jenga, and they were all naked. Reza says, okay… and Destiney says she didn’t want to tell him, but Reza says he wants know. Either he and Adam will end up together or apart, but whatever happens, he’s glad they told him. He thanks them, and says he’ll get to the bottom of it. Either some weird sh*t is going on, or it’s innocuous. Either way, always tell him. He excuses himself to say goodbye to some guests. When he comes back, Mike says, maybe it’s nothing, but Reza says, always tell him, and let him decide. Mike says, Destiney told him. Destiney tells Adam that she loves him. In her interview, she says she feels like a POS. they worked so hard on their marriage, and she’s the messenger who’s effing it up. Who wants to be a part of that?    

The guests are mostly gone, and the DJ packs up. Adam sits outside with Reza, and Reza asks if Adam was playing strip Jenga there, or somewhere else. Adam screws up his face, like he smelled something bad, and… to be continued.

This season: MJ delivers Baby Shams, Mike proposes, GG gets pregnant, and MJ and Reza go to war. Parties, possums, Tommy wants to break Reza’s legs, Destiney is spiraling, and Mike does drag. New friendships, new relationships, new struggles, new hope. 

🎭 Read All About It…

Mostly because I didn’t watch it. I was thrilled to hear Bong Joon Ho was the big winner, since Snowpiercer is one of my favorite films, and horrendously underrated.

https://nypost.com/2020/02/09/oscar-winners-2020-complete-list-with-nominees/

Some highlights.

https://nypost.com/2020/02/09/oscar-highlights-the-best-and-worst-of-the-2020-oscars/

Some Memory Lane.

https://nypost.com/2020/02/09/look-back-at-celebs-attending-the-oscars-then-vs-the-2020-ceremony/

Something odd.

https://nypost.com/2020/02/09/the-life-and-tragic-death-of-infamous-oscars-streaker-robert-opel/

And most important, the fashion.

https://www.vogue.com/vogueworld/slideshow/oscars-2020-fashion-red-carpet

🏆  Another Winner…

Even the king of the beasts needs a break now and then.