Boobs on Your Tube: The Sapphics are Still Standing on 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days

You ever consider about breaking up on TV? Well, Ultimatum: Queer Love Season Two is casting! Trans icon Angelica Ross is leaving Hollywood. This week, Nic reviewed The Other Black Girl; Valerie Anne reviewed Wilderness; and Christina recapped The Morning Show. Over in the film world, Drew gave us a TIFF queer festival recap and made a list of movies you can watch right now at home if you’re having film festival FOMO. She also reviewed the queer twisty thriller, The Origin of Evil. We’ve also got some updated lists for you! 50 TV Shows With Lesbian, Bisexual and Queer Characters Cancelled After One Season and 25 Lesbian Movies on Hulu That You Can Watch Right Now For Fun If You Want.

Notes from the TV Team:

+ All Rise finally kicked off the back half of its third (and final) season last Saturday on OWN. After being stabbed during the courthouse insurrection, Ness teeters near death for most of the midseason premiere. She even flatlines at one point. But thankfully she survives and — fingers crossed — she’ll recover in time to be a part of All Rise‘s final episodes. — Natalie

+ In a move that can only be described as homophobic, TPTB have scheduled Sunday’s first game of the Las Vegas Aces/Dallas Wings WNBA semifinal series against Megan Rapinoe’s final game with the USWNT. If Julie Ertz’s final game was any indication of what we might expect on Sunday, be prepared for a lot of goals and a lot of tears. LFG! — Natalie

+ Kayla has already written about Harlan Coben’s Shelter but I just wanted to pop in and add my two cents because I’m genuinely loving this show. If you like YA mystery/thriller, this is a treat. It’s way more queer than I ever could have anticipated when I started it, and all the teens are just so…sweet. It’s quite wholesome for a show where people keep getting kidnapped and murdered. — Valerie Anne

90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days Episode 616: “One Crazy Summer”

Written by Nic

This week’s episode actually opens with our sapphic couple who are in the middle of the fight from last week about whether or not they want to have kids. Dempsey is packing up and getting ready to leave while Statler just asks her to talk to her because she’s confused about what happened. Also confused is Dempsey because she says that she can’t understand how Statler can just drop that information so casually when every other time they’ve talked about kids, she’s said that she wasn’t sure, and now it’s “no, never.” In her confessional though, Statler says Dempsey essentially did the same thing except she was also unsure, yet now she’s “all in” on kids. Lots of she said, she said, but cut to 20 minutes later and the two have calmed down and apologized to each other. Dempsey admits she was just caught by surprise and didn’t mean to storm out. They talk some more about having kids, and Statler further explains that in this moment she cannot fathom being someone’s mom, but maybe in a couple years she’ll think differently. So Dempsey holds on to that “maybe” with everything she has, and tell Statler that she still wants to be with her, to try to make it work.

When they return to England, they’re chatting on the couch, doing that thing where they talk about how much they’re going to miss each other and wondering when they can see each other next. And Dempsey hits Statler with an Uno Reverse she’s been holding onto for who knows how long, and says “you can move in with me if you want.” DEMPSEY WHAT?! Look, I know this shit is mostly fake and involves so much editing, but starting an episode with a fight over kids and then immediately changing your mind about moving in is the GAYEST SHIT, my goddess. Statler’s as shocked as I am and rightfully asks Dempsey multiple times if she’s sure. Because Statler’s seen this film before, and she didn’t like the ending. Her ex also told her she wanted her to move in, and then right after Statler went back to the states, her ex broke up with her. So homegirl is a little wary.

The next day while Statler packs up to leave, Dempsey admits that she’s anxious about Statler being comfortable in her caravan, given the cold showers and needing to walk to a working toilet. Statler doesn’t seem to think it’ll be that big of a deal though. So they head to the airport and have the quintessential 90 Day Fiancé tearful goodbye. Oh, I’m sorry, the “see you later”, because they refuse to actually say the g-word. They just hope that they’re making the right decision, and honestly, I do too.

The Chi 608: “Who Shot Ya?

Written by Natalie

For a bulk of The Chi‘s sixth season, Otis “Douda” Perry has been growing as a threat. With each episode, he grows more dastardly and, with each menacing turn, more people are pushed to their breaking points. I fully expected the season to end with a “who shot J.R.” moment — where numerous people are given the means and opportunity to take Douda out — but that’s not exactly what happens in this week’s mid-season finale.

Instead, we know exactly who takes shots at Douda (I won’t spoil their identity). We know that The Chi‘s dastardly villain escapes with his life when the gun jams on what would’ve been the likely kill shot. We know that the would-be assassins is injured in the ensuing gunfight. And, thankfully, we know that no member of The Chi‘s rainbow coalition was involved…at least not directly.

When Victor hears about what’s happened, he knows what’s coming. He knows that Douda is going to reign down hell on his community and more bodies will fall. He knows he has to step in. After visiting the shooter in the hospital, he returns home and changes into street clothes…it’s almost as if he morphs from Victor back to who he was when we first met him: Trig. Fatima catches him and realizes what he’s about to do.

“This isn’t your fight!” she pleads. “You can’t keep trying to save everybody, especially when you have family right here at home who needs you.”

For a moment, it feels like Fatima’s pleas have been heard. Victor admits that she’s right and apologizes. Fatima hears it as atonement for having forgotten to put their family first but what it really is is a preemptive apology for what he’s about to do. The moment her back is turned, Victor heads back into his room, pulls his gun from underneath the mattress, and slips out the back to end things with Douda once and for all.

Meanwhile, Brittany’s no where to be found as her brother grapples with his guilt over the death of his surrogate father. Instead, she’s locked in a studio with her new manager, Jemma, listening to her sultry new track (which, I’m not gonna lie, is kinda fire). Jemma starts swaying to the beat and Brittany eyes her from across the room. She slides up behind Jemma and they sway together as the lyrics grow even more suggestive. Jemma turns and wraps her arms around Brittany’s neck…and Brittany kisses her. Jemma steps back and initiates another kiss before pushing Brittany away.

Jemma reminds Brittany that she’s with Jake but Brittany points out all the ways her boyfriend is letting her down. She asserts that she only wants a professional relationship with Brittany. The Chi-town newcomer says she accepts that but, after hearing Jemma lament not having money to afford her own spot, she sends her $10k for an apartment.

“Is this ‘I believe in you’ money or is this ‘I want to fuck you’ money?” Jemma asks.

“I ain’t gotta pay to fuck,” Brittany answers. She asks Jemma to consider it an advance, an investment in what they can do together. Jemma seems to accept that but, later when she shares the news with Jake, he tells her flat out, “that’s hoe money and [Brittany’s] now [Jemma’s] pimp.” I don’t know if that’s true or just the musings of a jealous boyfriend…but I have a whole lot of questions about Brittany and her money awaiting the back half of this season.

Nina and Dre finish on a high note: their son, Kevin, is heading to Los Angeles to forge his own path as a gamer and they throw a send-off party for him at their house. It’s a dream that Nina’s accepted begrudgingly but when Kevin promises to make his friends and family proud, she gets a full view of the man she raised. They end the episode — and, perhaps, Alex Hibbert’s stint on the show — wrapped in a warm embrace.

Only Murders in the Building Episode 308: “Sitzprobe”

Written by Valerie Anne

They’re the three best friends that anyone could have.

This week we learn that when Loretta was a teenager, she had a baby and put him up for adoption, and that the scrapbook Oliver found in her apartment wasn’t clippings of Ben at all, they were of Dickie, her biological son.

She auditioned for the show specifically to meet Dickie, and she writes her whole story in a letter, saying she’s loved getting to know him. She takes the letter to rehearsal, but doesn’t give it to him just yet.

Mabel shows up to the rehearsal, and the boys confront her about doing the podcast solo. She says her running theory is Dickie, which Oliver decides is okay for her to pursue because that wouldn’t affect his show at all. Charles is trying to get them all to put their hands in and stop the fight, but Oliver and Mabel aren’t quite ready to make nice.

The rehearsal starts up but is almost immediately interrupted by Detective Williams, who makes a dramatic entrance to interrogate the cast to find the real killer, since the superfan was cleared of the charges. Oliver convinces her to do the interviews in the theater so the rehearsal can still continue. Oliver and Charles are going to try to snoop on the interviews while Mabel goes with Howard, who figured out the noise he heard from opening night was someone shredding something in the locked office. So he gets to work putting the scraps back together

Loretta pulls Oliver into her dressing room and they talk about the scrapbook and Mabel’s Dickie theory, which Loretta hates a lot, and she find Mabel to tell her so. She offers reasons (murder is a women’s weapon) and even a new suspect (KT) but Mabel thinks it’s just awfully convenient that Dickie had access to Ben’s food and hated his brother. Means, motive, opportunity.

Mabel finds her boys and learns that they managed to record the interrogations, and as they share clues like old times, Mabel puts her hand in and the guys join. Murder brought them together again.

Later, Dickie admits to Loretta that when he first heard his brother was dead, he felt relief. Then when Ben was back…he just “couldn’t take it anymore.” This implies to me that he possibly didn’t poison Ben but did push him down the elevator shaft. Dickie tells Loretta she’s been the best part of this whole experience, and for one horrifying second I was scared Dickie was going to try to kiss his birth mother. Luckily he did not.

While rehearsing Loretta’s big final number, Mabel and Charles snoop through her bag and find the scrapbook and letter. Loretta, in the part of the nanny, sings about how she’d go to hell and back for the sake of a child, and sees Detective Williams pull Dickie aside. Loretta panics, stops the song and says she killed Ben. Poisoned him, pushed him down the elevator shaft, the whole shebang.

And Oliver has a heart attack about it.

Boobs on Your Tube: More Melanated Queerness, The Chi Is Gayer (and Better) in Season 6

Hey, you ever heard of Bottoms? It’s time to love it! You want a Josie and PJ Style Thief? No, you want Hazel’s grandpa style? Riese covered them all! Also: Bottoms characters ranked by whether or not they’d be bottoms. Drew’s at you from the Toronto International Film Festival again this week, with reviews of The Queen of My Dreams, How to Have Sex, Days of Happiness, NYAD, and Unicorns and National Anthem. Kayla watched the Dutch threesome movie Happy Ending, which — spoiler alert! — did not, in fact, have a happy ending. However! There’s some sunshine on the horizon! The Morning Show is back for season three and so are Christina’s recaps. Carmen wrote about to the Starz Power book universe (only the gay parts!). And I reviewed season two of Wheel of Time and the super sweet end of Disenchantment.

Notes from the TV Team:

+ After a much-too-long hiatus, All Rise returns to complete its third and final season on Saturday. Fingers crossed that Ness made it out of the courthouse insurrection alive. — Natalie

+ Was the hug between Willie Jack and Elora on Reservation Dogs this week platonic? Maybe. Maybe not. Or maybe I’m just projecting because we’ve seemingly lost Jackie to Bear? But whatever the case, it gives me the opportunity to, once again, sing this show’s praises. Each and every week, Reservation Dogs amuses and astounds in equal measure. I love this show so much — after this strike is over, I better see Hollywood casting Paulina Alexis in everything — and I’m heartbroken that there are just two episodes left. — Natalie

The Chi 606-607: “Boyz II Men” and “Long Live”

Written by Natalie

“Is it just me or is The Chi good this season?” I asked myself in the notes for last week’s episode. But then a new character (more on that in a second) grabs the mic at the kids’ graduation party, wearing a WE’REGAY varsity jacket and I amend my previous thought: “is it good or is it just gayer?”

It’s too early to make an official pronouncement on what’s driving my love for The Chi‘s sixth season but the proliferation of all this beautiful, melanated queerness? Well, let’s just say it doesn’t hurt.

The latest addition to The Chi‘s rainbow coalition: Britney (Amari Noelle Ferguson), the sister that Bakari thought he’d lost to the foster care system. She’s too young for me to fawn over but I’m happy for a whole generation of queer girls (and heretofore straight girls) who are about to swoon over Britney the way my generation swooned over Snoop from The Wire. I love that for y’all, truly.

(Also? I’m taking Britney’s name as an homage to Brittney Griner. For reasons.)

Britney shows up on Bakari’s doorstep, looking to reconnect and with ambitions of chasing her music dreams in Chicago. She doesn’t say how she’ll do it — she “ran into some money,” she acknowledges — but when she freestyles at the graduation party, it’s clear that Britney’s got the talent to fuel those dreams. Jemma slides up next to her, asking if Britney has a manager, but the newcomer seems more interested in establishing a more personal connection. Jake slings his arm around Jemma to let Britney know she’s taken but Britney doesn’t seem dissuaded. And, given the way Jemma’s turned into a mini-Tierra, I don’t imagine she’ll take much more convincing either.

Meanwhile, Dre’s continued effort to reconnect with her ex-fiancée, Monica, has Nina all in her feelings. On the one hand, the supportive, loving part of Dre understands her reaction, given that Nina came into her queerness so late, but the petty part of her is like, “Nina, you cheated on me with Da Brat, you don’t get to judge me.” After a check-in with Jada and Tracy, Dre leans into her supportive side, letting Monica know that she’s going to fall back until Nina’s more comfortable.

That comfort might take a while though because Nina is going through it…aside from Dre’s re-appearing ex, her son’s gaming career is taking him to Los Angeles and her daughter drafts her into joining her for a therapy session. We learn so much about Nina through Keisha’s retelling of her parents’ divorce — how Nina gave up so much control in that so now she clings to it — and Nina gets immediately defensive about the recounting of her failures as a parent. But as she settles into the session, Nina confesses to her daughter that she never wanted any of her life…that she’d been forced into heterosexuality and marriage and motherhood by a desire to please. Keisha is aghast at the revelation, wondering, “How do I make peace with the fact my mother didn’t want me?” Her reaction is perplexing, given her own history, and it’s odd to see that ignored here.

Fatima’s mother and sister, Aerin and Isis, return to The Chi this week for their first meeting with Victor. He assures the pair that he’s serious about his relationship with Fatima and believes that wedding bells will be in their future. But he questions whether they think Fatima would want to start a family with him, especially given his criminal history. Aerin reminds him that everyone has a past and Fatima has only ever followed her heart. Isis interjects with a mother’s well-earned cynicism — “Every time I followed my heart, it got broken” — and tells Victo not to let that happen to her daughter.

Later, Victor approaches Fatima directly about the possibility of them starting a family. She admits that having a family is something she’s always dreamed about but she never believed it’d happen for her. He assures her that this is a dream they can bring to fruition but Fatima worries about the FBI investigation and the demands of his job. Victor downplays the investigation and affirms that he’ll be a full and active parent. Fatima relents and the couple promises to keep talking about building their family.

90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days Episode 615: “Every Time We Say Goodbye”

Written by Nic

This week on 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days, Statler and Dempsey finally have the conversation that could make or break a relationship: do they want children? But first! Our gals have a jolly good time exploring the castle that Statler booked for Dempsey’s birthday. I’m talking sword fights, shouting across a too long dining table to each other, and taking in the miles of greenery in sight from the tallest tower. Scotland is on my very long wish list of travel destinations and all this episode did was confirm it.

While the two drive to Edinburgh to do some sightseeing, Dempsey explains in her voiceover that this is the best she’s ever been treated in a relationship and despite being fearful about potentially moving in with Statler, she’s starting to warm up to the idea. Smash cut to the drive where they joke about both having beautiful eyes (I mean, FACTS though) and if they could, they would have “eye babies” together. This leads Dempsey to admit that she would like to be pregnant one day and that however it happens, she wants to be a mother. Statler’s eyes somehow get even bigger as she says she doesn’t know if she wants kids. In order to keep the peace on her birthday, Dempsey tables that convo for another time and the two enjoy what looks like a delightful day in Edinburgh complete with “Happy Birthday” being played on bagpipes.

It’s their last morning together, and Dempsey and Statler are both just so sad that they’re leaving Scotland and that Statler’s trip is just about over. So naturally, this is the time when they talk about what their future together might look like. After the ups and downs of the trip, Statler being all-in while Dempsey wavered, opinions from friends and family, dropping the L word, Dempsey coming around to the idea of moving in … it all comes down the Kid Talk.

Dempsey reiterates that she wants to have children and when Statler asks why, she says that children make the world a better place, that she would be a great mum, and that she wants to recreate the beauty of growing up that was mirrored for her by her family. And the whole time Dempsey is talking, you can just see Statler sitting there replaying her childhood in her mind and seeing the exact opposite of what Dempsey is describing. When Dempsey explains that she would also be open to adopt, that triggers something in Statler because she immediately says that as an adoptee herself, she doesn’t have the emotional capacity to parent an adopted child. And look, say what you want about Statler, but I love that she knows herself enough to say that she needs to work through her trauma and won’t put her baggage on a child.

Things get dicey though when Statler emphasizes that really doesn’t want kids, a shift from the conversation we saw earlier, and that if that’s something Dempsey needs, then their relationship won’t work. Dempsey then gets up and leaves breakfast to get ready and the producers ask why she left. She says that the conversation we saw isn’t the conversation that they’ve had in the past and Statler made it seem like it was something she would be open to. On the flip side, Statler claims that Dempsey went from “oh, this is something I’d consider” to “I must have children.” And maybe they’re both right, that’s fine! People can change their minds! Will this be the end for them? That’s the question they ask (and hopefully answer) next week.

Only Murders in the Building Episode 307: “CoBro”

Written by Valerie Anne

A handy sign to know

This week, the Trio is flailing a bit while separated. Charles goes to the Diner alone and Uma finds this so pathetic she invites him to sit with her. Charles insists Oliver and Mabel will reach out and apologize but Uma reminds him about how her friendship with Bunny ended and suggests maybe they don’t waste the time they have together.

Meanwhile Mabel is packing up her apartment with the help of Theo. Of note, Mabel has learned a lot more ASL since we last saw these two together, which I love. Theo suggests that Mabel’s next step in her solo investigation should be to talk to Ben’s brother Dickie, who is holding an auction of Ben’s movie memorabilia.

Oliver is also struggling without his buds, especially since he’s having a hell of a time replacing Charles in the musical. He thinks he’s found the perfect solution when Matthew Broderick shows up, but he ends up being more trouble than he’s worth, so he reconnects with Charles and recasts him in the musical.

Mabel and Theo go to the auction and learn that Dickie has a lifetime of resentment from living in golden boy Ben’s shadow and cleaning up his messes. They also realize that the child’s drawing that was said to be Ben’s original inspiration for his hit franchise CoBro was actually drawn by Dickie. Plus, they learn that Ben’s watch was never set to the correct time, and since the medical examiners apparently used his watch instead of, I dunno, science to determine time of death, it means the superfan arrested for Ben’s murder is innocent.

Mabel tries to do the podcast with Theo and Tobert, but it’s not the same, and she misses her guys. But she has to get the superfan out of jail, so she has no choice but to move on.

Charles and Oliver show up to Mabel’s apartment to offer a clue as a peace offering, but Mabel is already moved out. And as they stand in the hallway, bewildered, they get a notification: Mabel has done a teaser for the podcast, and announced she would be continuing it…alone. #BloodyMabel

Boobs on Your Tube: Gay Girls Kissing on Grown-ish Alert

It’s August somehow?! Riese made you a list of all the new gay things streaming on TV this month. Harley Quinn is back for a fabulously gay fourth season. Stephanie Beatriz’s Twisted Metal is a little gay and a lot of fun. Good Omens gives us a lesbian couple to root for in its second season. Che Diaz got done so dirty on this week’s And Just Like That. Nico wrote some perfect Barbie content this week, including: Can You Feel The Kenergy and Barbie-ology: Your “Barbie” Character, According to Your Zodiac Sign.

Notes from the TV Team:

+ Reservation Dogs returned for its third and final season this week on FX/Hulu. While the show’s first two episodes lean heavily into the funny (White Jesus! William Knifeman!), there are still beautifully poignant moments that reaffirm that this show is one of the best on television. — Natalie

+ Also back? The Lincoln Lawyer, which delivers the back half of its second season on Netflix. I haven’t made it through all five episodes but my hopes that there would be more screentime for Izzy and her girlfriend, Ray, were quickly dashed. I’ll keep watching in hopes that it finally gets gay. — Natalie

grown-ish 606: “Savior Complex”

Written by Natalie

grown-ish is not long for this world — it is one-third of the way through its final season — and it feels a bit like they’re experiencing a bad case of senioritis. The creativity is waning and in lieu of actual character development (what happened to Slick Woods?!) or world building (does anyone at Cal U actually attend classes?), grown-ish has opted for the tried and true method for TV shows to push through their malaise: guest stars.

Lots of them. Lots of them. Think Glee, season four, level of guest stars.

This episode alone features guest appearances by Druski, Lil Yachty, Latto and Kelly Rowland. It’s enough to keep the social media streets talking, to potentially spike the ratings, but if you’re actually invested in the main characters? Yeah, there’s not going to be a lot there for you to enjoy…all their stories are shortchanged by these guest characters.

Case and point: after impressing the streetwear curator, Zaara’s invited to try her hand at modeling. Andre shows up to her hype man/manager and Drea appears to offer her congratulations. Zaara invites Drea to celebrate “[popping] her photoshoot cherry.” Though she tries to play it off, Drea’s suggestion of getting together on Wednesday night, sends Zaara into a bit of a panic. She wonders, is what she agreed to an actual date? Zaara tries to talk to her friends about it — and who should pay if it is a date — but laments that she doesn’t have access to their hetero cheat codes.

In a previous iteration of this show, this would’ve been an invitation for Zaara to engage more with Cal U’s queer community. Or maybe she could’ve just visited the Autostraddle archives for two seasons of the “Wait, Is This a Date?” podcast. But there’s no time for world building in grown-ish‘s sixth season so, instead, we’re shortchanged and Zaara’s forced to take advice from the straights. Kiela advises Zaara to just pay for the outing herself and assert that it is most definitely a date.

Zaara tries to take Kiela’s advice but when Drea offers to pay the tip, she’s flustered. Does the split bill mean they’re definitely not on a date? Eventually, Zaara just gives in and asks Drea directly: “is this a date?” Drea draws closer and asks Zaara if she wants it to be a date. Zaara takes the cue and the couple share their first kiss.

Nancy Drew Episode 410: “The Ballad of Lives Foregone”

Written by Valerie Anne

The Bess/Odette storylines remains one of my favorite queer love stories on TV. Because I’m an emotional masochist.

We open where we left off, in the wake of Nancy realizing the Sineater is Tristan, as he lay bleeding and poisoned on the forest floor. He transforms back into Tristan and tells Nancy he’s okay with dying in her arms, but she’s not okay with being a killer so she’s determined to save him.

The dads come up with a plan to talk to the Glasses while the Drew Crew works together to save Tristan. They get the arrow out, but the poison is already seeping toward his heart so they calculate they have 10 hours to save him.

Bess is big mad that she doesn’t have access to her resources that could save him much quicker, and since there’s nothing else for her to do at Nancy’s, she heads to the morgue where Ace has been put in a time out for some reason, and is not as surprise as you’d think to see him with his hands in a bowl of ice and headphones on talking to a ghost. She can’t help Team Tristan without her tinctures and spellbooks, but she sure knows a thing or two about spirits so she can help Ace.

The rest of the Drew Crew splits up, Mr. Glass off to find a relic, Mrs. Glass and Ryan off to investigate the Black Door, Nancy bopping into Tristan’s memories, mourning the loss of the potential for an uncomplicated relationship.

Bess can’t get the ghost to talk to her, she only wants to talk to Ace, but she does help Ace come up with a plan: if they find the real Mia, the morgue won’t release the body they have to Mia’s parents, and Ace will have more time to figure out who she is. So Bess and Ace follow Mia’s hiking path, and find her…alive! While they’re in the woods, Ace’s ghost saves them from a falling branch in her fully burnt-out glory.

When Bess parts ways with Ace, she warns him about getting too attached to this ghost, who clearly feels attached to him. If anyone knows anything about the heartache and devastation that comes with falling in love with a spirit, it’s Bess Marvin. After she leaves, Ace gets the ghost to appear to him, whole, as she once was, so now he at least knows what she looks like.

Eventually Nancy finds Tristan’s memory of the last sin he ate, curing him of the poison, and at the same time Mrs. Glass finds evidence of who the last confession was from, because she secretly wants to sacrifice that person to try to end her son’s Sineater curse. Of course, she doesn’t tell anyone who it is at first, but that person…is Nancy.

90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days Episode 609: “The Big Chill”

Written by Nic

This week on 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days, we finally learn more about Dempsey’s past and who she is as a person, while Statler continues to Statler all over the most gorgeous English farm. When they wake up after their first night in the caravan, Statler immediately complains about how cold it was while sweet Dempsey tries her best to get her girlfriend to see the beauty of their surroundings. As part of her morning ritual, Dempsey sages her entire caravan to get rid of bad vibes, and this morning she makes a special pitstop to jokingly sage Statler’s vagina which doesn’t exactly get a laugh from the Texan.

Dempsey then explains in her solo interview that she’s always been about that outdoor/traveling life because her family has been part of the Showmen’s Guild for decades. They went around setting up carnivals for most of Dempsey’s childhood. We learn that Dempsey had 2 sisters, but her elder sister died from carbon monoxide poisoning when she was 19 and Dempsey was 16. She was never the same after her sister’s death and left home to travel, couch surf, and find herself. Dempsey’s positivity and belief that everything happens for a reason so you might as well roll with the punches, might actually make her too pure for this show.

Dempsey’s travels eventually led her to her friend who I will henceforth refer to as Hot!Ben. Hot!Ben offered Dempsey a job at his business on the farm where they renovate shipping containers as staycation living spaces, and the grounds are absolutely stunning! Dempsey refers to Hot!Ben as a main character in her life, so naturally she’s excited to introduce Statler to him. Aaaand, it goes as awkwardly as you might imagine. They make small talk until Hot!Ben brings up Dempsey’s Thailand trip and how much the communication must have sucked while Dempsey was living it up. This digs right into Statler’s anxieties about the Thailand trip, so she decides to bring it up later that evening.

As Dempsey cooks dinner (and Statler hilariously attempts to help), they talk about Statler’s insecurities and Dempsey immediately apologizes for the lack of communication; she also reminds Statler that she gave her a heads up that that might be the case. And in classic lesbian fashion, after some processing, Statler admits that she’s projecting her previous relationships onto this one, and it’s not fair to assume Dempsey was cheating on her. However, she also admits that she has cheated on a partner before. Throughout this entire conversation, Dempsey is incredibly caring and attentive and gives Statler the reassurance and safety she needs.

As much as I think it’s ridiculous that Statler has yet to tell Dempsey that she wants to move there at the end of this trip, these two are actually really really cute together. There was a moment when they were cooking when Statler took a bite of raw garlic just to prove she would, and Dempsey nearly fell over from laughing so hard. I really want these two crazy kids to make it, and next week Statler meets Dempsey’s dad… dun dun dun!

Boobs on Your Tube: Queer Insta-Stalking Works Out OK Actually on “Grown-ish”

How many of y’all are joining Natalie in the middle of the night to watch every single World Cup match on TV? I know it’s more than a few of you! Well, also this week Sa’iyda and Drew reviewed Egghead & Twinkie, The Mattachine Family, Silver Haze, Chasing Chasing Amy, and T Blockers from Outfest. Kayla wrote about Riverdale’s Patricia Highsmith Parody, The Cost of Pepper. She also reviewed The Afterparty and the latest Jenna Lyons developments on Real Housewives of New York. Valerie Anne unraveled the mystery of The Crowded Room’s queerness. I recapped Miranda’s first gay Valentine’s Day on And Just Like That and super-duper loved the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Lower Decks crossover. Carmen watched Tubi’s Hoochie Daddies and is still not exactly sure what she saw. And Drew made a list of what she’s most looking forward to at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Here’s what else!

grown-ish 605: “Right My Wrongs”

Written by Natalie

Last week’s encounter with Drea seems to have made an impression on our girl, Zaara. Why? I’m not entirely sure — even Zaara herself called out Drea’s bitchy behavior — but I’m also not a freshman in college. Once upon a time I too was inexplicably drawn to attractive assholes who treated me badly…so I can’t blame Zaara too much. This feels like a queer right of passage.

For now, though, Zaara’s just insta-stalking Drea and, as she scrolls, she discovers that her stalkee will be at a downtown gallery’s Streetwear Exhibit that night. She uses the promise of pupusas to convince Kiela to accompany her so just in case she does run into Drea, she’s not that obvious. But as soon as Kiela spots Drea across the gallery floor, she realizes that she’s the unwitting wing-woman. Kiela calls out Zaara’s thirst and and Zaara admits that she’s got a crush on Annika’s Influencer Island bae.

“When I’m around her, I feel something…I feel something I’ve never felt before,” Zaara admits. But just when I think she’s going to say something sweet about being in love for the first time, Zaara adds, “I feel…uncool.”

Kiela pledges to be a good wing-woman for the night and she lives up to her end of the bargain. When Drea approaches, Kiela assures her — however awkwardly — that coming to the streetwear event was her idea and, more importantly, at the first possible opportunity, she leaves Zaara and Drea to enjoy the exhibit on their own. Drea calls Zaara weird — which is technically an insult but sounds like a compliment when Drea says it — and invites Zaara to accompany her as she works the room. Once they’ve made their rounds, they share a drink together and Zaara asks if Drea’s bothered by her insta-stalking. Drea admits that she wishes Zaara had just followed her on IG and asked to meet-up instead.

Before they can get further, the curator of the exhibit interrupts and lavishes them both with praise over their styling and low-key invites them to model the streetwear. She gifts them with photos the event photographer already took of them and Zaara’s taken aback by how much she likes them. It’s just another day at the office for Drea, though: she’s just happy to collect her check but this time, as a bonus, she got to meet someone really cool.

Nancy Drew Episode 409: “The Memory of the Stolen Soul”

Written by Valerie Anne

I know COVID protocols are wonky and time consuming on set now but they didn’t even peck on the cheek upon being reunited and I was a little sad about it.

This week we open with Nancy and Nick in the forest. Nick spots Nancy’s bag of shells, including one with a romantic note on it. Nancy admits that she’s enjoying how…uncomplicated it is between her and Tristan. But also she’d like to get back to Sineater business please and thank you. Thanks to Bess, they have a theory on how to defeat it and know that it will be most vulnerable under the Black Moon in two nights, so they get to work.

Speaking of Bess, it’s time for her court date and Addy shows up to support her. When Bess asks why Addy’s mom stopped texting her, Addy admits they weren’t thrilled when they heard about the charges. She assures her that Bess can charm them again once this whole mess is behind them.

When Nancy and Nick return to the town hall mirror and try to find out what the first sin is that it erased, they end up seeing the Horseshoe Bay founders birth the Sineater instead.

Nancy heads to the courthouse to support Bess, where the charges against Bess are dropped…and new charges are brought up. Including endangering children. The plea they offer would require Bess to give up the Historical Society entirely, and what’s worse, make announcements to the town that are wholly untrue.

While doing research about the founders and a mural in the town house, the Drew Crew learns that Addy’s parents were the ones who originally defaced it, because they heard that there was a ghostly imprint behind it that told the truth of what the founders did to their ancestors.

Addy’s parents tell them how the Horseshoe Bay settlers kidnapped a bunch of native children and erased their crimes, passing land that wasn’t theirs down to their descendents and pretending their sordid past never happened. Addy speaks her ancestors’ story into a jar that distills the essence of truth into liquid, and Nancy takes that to use as a poison against the Sineater.

When the time comes, Bess takes the stand and rejects the plea deal. She says the supernatural is not a threat to children; the lies we turned into history are the true threat, and she won’t stand for it. She blows powder at the mural and reveals the truth of the kidnapped Indigenous children. The town’s first of many forgotten sins.

After her speech, Bess is found not guilty of child endangerment, but still has the Historical Society taken away; and somehow it goes to the head of the Hateful Haters group.

Bess is sad, but Addy’s mom is sending her flamingo memes again, and she still did the right thing. George tells her that she only lost a building; she’ll always be a Keeper.

Addy comes over and says she quit her job at the bank because she wants to be on the town council and fight for truth and equity and reparations.

The Drew Crew splits up on the night of the Black Moon to do their assigned tasks, and Nancy’s is to kill a Sineater. But while she’s on the hunt, Nick realizes that the people they had on their murderboard as Sineater victims were actually Sineaters themselves, in a reincarnation plot. Nick tries to warn Nancy that the Sineater is a person but he’s too late, she’s already shot the Sineater with her poison arrow, and watches Tristan’s shell note fall out of its lifeless hand.

90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days Episode 608: “Misunderstood”

Written by Nic

The 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days powers that be are really keeping the sapphic fed this season because we got a bunch of Statler/Dempsey footage again this week! Once they’re back at the hotel and Statler stops talking about Dempsey’s ass, they exchange gifts; Dempsey got Statler a set of dead insects from Thailand which she is lit about, and Statler got Dempsey a metal ant whose limbs can be posed, which Dempsey is less lit about. At least Statler acknowledges that she probably got Dempsey a gift that she herself would want as opposed to what Dempsey would want. As they get ready for bed, they continue to talk about how awkward they feel, and in Dempsey’s solo interview, she insists they’re not having sex that night.

Cut to the next morning and guess what, they had sex! Apparently their first kiss was so bad and awkward (I kind of love how open they were about that), but once they figured it out, one thing led to another and they decided to have sex. Dempsey very obviously is uncomfortable talking about sex, meanwhile Statler is kind of like a teenage boy about it, and at first the editing made it seem a bit one-sided, but thankfully Dempsey expressed how glad she was that it happened and how she felt it brought them closer together, even though she felt insecure about her lack of experience compared with Statler’s.

After their full English breakfast in bed, they head to Dempsey’s farm, a cool 2 hour drive from Manchester. On the way, they’re holding hands and calling each other “darling” and it’s all VERY cute! Dempsey’s a little stressed because she hasn’t been home since before her Thailand trip and thus hasn’t had a chance to sage her caravan (which I’ve learned is basically a nice trailer) to get out any stuck energies before Statler’s arrival. She’s not the only one stressed though, because Statler expresses some worry over the fact that Dempsey hasn’t told her dad (her supposed “best friend”) about her relationship with Statler, and if that means she’s not serious about them. Now, to be fair homie, you haven’t told Dempsey that you plan to MOVE HERE if things go well, so I don’t know… maybe cut her some slack for wanting to get to know you better first?

They get to the caravan and the inside is super cute and cozy! Dempsey did a great job decorating and getting it all set up, except if either of them needs to poop, they’re going to need to go across the way to where Dempsey works since the plumbing isn’t totally hooked up yet. They take it mostly in stride though, and relax on the couch before turning in for the night. Statler’s worried about whether she could live here long-term because despite the awkwardness, Dempsey could be the love of her life. Statler, girl, I beg you, TALK TO YOUR GIRLFRIEND BEFORE MAKING BIG LIFE DECISIONS.