On 5/15/2023 at 4:39 PM, debraran said:
I thought the hibachi seemed nice but he had so little cooking skills and being a little awkward, that wasn't the easiest to start with. I have a feeling fast food is still predominant and it seemed he didn't get a lot of home cooked food after his Mom passed.
I wondered what he originally was thinking of making before he brought up hibachi, or that might have just been script.
In this case, Speedy specifically asked if Antoni could teach him how to make it and he seemed excited about it, so it worked for me. And because so many of the heroes either don't know much of anything about cooking or work a million hours a week, it makes sense to me that a lot of Antoni's segments are about, "See, you *can* make something! Don't be scared of the kitchen," and, "Here's something great you can make for yourself that doesn't take a long time." Often, he's helping someone take their first step to establish a relationship with cooking, and to me, it seems like that's more helpful than, "Make this dinner party menu."
On 5/16/2023 at 9:30 AM, Hanya2 said:
But I didn't like Tan's clothing choices. There was an ill-fitting, oversize beige suit, with a white knit top underneath. It wasn't flattering, and Tan was taken aback that she didn't like it. Also, a miniskirt and some very short, flouncy dresses. Maybe she said she didn't like colors? The flouncy dresses were ok for a party, but as someone in the same basic demographic as this woman, there are way more elegant, stylish and professional choices. How about a sleek, stylish suit, or some colors and interesting prints. And why didn't she get to shop in a store like their other heroes?
I assume that, because Tan clocked that her current clothing choices were rooted in personal/self-esteem issues, and she voiced a lot of insecurity about her body, she felt more comfortable in the "safer" environment of the Queer Eye house.
On 5/16/2023 at 7:03 PM, aradia22 said:
Don't put your compost in the fridge. Put it in the freezer before it starts to go off and take it out when you're ready to add it to the compost.
I have a smaller compost container in the fridge that I add to during the day, then in the evening I dump it into a bigger one I keep in my basement freezer, where I have more space for it.
Frat Guys - Obviously, the show set out intentionally wanting to go beyond the old “for the straight guy” premise, and I like seeing everyone they help. But I do think straight guys are often the most in need of the Fab Five’s gentler, more open brands of masculinity. The open-up session with Karamo was clearly cathartic for all of them, but I also really liked Bobby encouraging them to respect their home by treating it well and teaching them how to fix things. (That said, what’s the over-under on how long it’s going to take that fancy renovation to get completely trashed?) I like that Tan had them all pick out their own clothes and most of them did pretty well, just getting minor tweaks from Tan to be more “stepped up.” I thought all the makeovers looked good, especially for all the curly-haired guys.
Stephanie - Me and my house/wardrobe full of nerd stuff was prepared to feel called out by the Fab Five casting aspersions on all of Stephanie’s fan stuff, but I really liked this episode. It was interesting to watch them peel back all the deflecting/camouflaging she was doing because of encounters with homophobic assholes and her own internalized homophobia. The talk with her brother was really liberating, I appreciated Tan talking about how sometimes queer folks *do* need to hold themselves back for their own safety, and I liked Jonathan’s explanation that it’s okay to start an affirmation before you even believe what you’re saying. I thought the hair and the clothes looked fantastic on her. The renovation wasn’t as stark, since Bobby was starting with a new house, but I liked his emphasis on it being a place *for* Stephanie/Rachel, where they could take up their own space. (Though I don’t see why there couldn’t have been more of Stephanie’s fan stuff sprinkled around the house in the sleek displays he set up in just the one room.) During the ending video, I loved the whole Fab Five doing a Big Gay Gasp when Stephanie proposed.
Speedy - Sure, having Karamo go, “Let me call the other wheelchair user I know,” is…something, but in this case, it was definitely beneficial. Wesley is someone who runs an advocacy group that’s focused around athletics, so he was in a good spot to talk to Speedy, empathize with him, and encourage him. I like that he joined Bobby and Speedy to go apartment hunting, pointing out different accessibility issues to watch out for. The renovated apartment was pretty good, but it seems like he’d have a tough time transferring to the couch with that big coffee table in the way. I liked Tan’s sentiment, later echoed by Wesley, that Speedy can’t stop people staring at him, so “might as well give them something to stare at.” Jonathan showering him in compliments was sweet, and I liked that Antoni quickly realized that the cooking lesson was less about accessibility and more just, “This 20-year-old has no idea how to cook.” I would like to see a future episode featuring someone who’s lived with a disability all/most of their life; this was good, but, as with Wesley’s episode, it did seem kind of focused on the “abled gaze.”
Jenni - Tan’s out here doing the good work, helping people find a better relationship with their bodies. I liked his observation that, when someone feels bad about their looks, the last thing they should do is put on something that makes them feel worse, and his remark about “American happy” was spot on. Karamo’s window activity might have seemed a little cheesy, but there really is something powerful about taking the negative thoughts you have about yourself and physically seeing those words in front of you, and finding a way to say the opposite thing has a power, too. I really liked Jonathan’s conversation with Jenni about women in education/caregiving roles feeling like they don’t have permission to embrace their sensuality. And omg, getting the whole Fab Five gifts was such an educator thing to do!
Dan - I didn’t like how the whole week revolved around how Dan needed to change specifically *for* Cara. On some level, it’s understandable, since 1) he was nominated by her daughters and 2) he *did* really want the relationship to work. But I was so glad for his time with Jonathan, who pointed out that he doesn’t have to have a “binary” deli-or-Cara mindset and could make compromises without jumping straight into drastic 180 changes. It was also good to have Jonathan remind Dan that he needs to show up for himself before he shows up for anyone else. I liked seeing how appreciative Dan was to the Fab Five throughout, especially Bobby and Antoni. And it made me smile when Antoni told Dan he’d just assumed he was pretty adept in the kitchen but quickly course-corrected without judgment when he realized that wasn’t the case.
Mary - A heavy episode, but a good one. I really liked Mary’s thrift store/mission, and it was illuminating to see all the ways her prison experience affected her daily life: her locs as a “literally protective” style, the decarceration of simply being allowed to make choices, not being able to throw food out, etc. And I’m a big fan of “explanations, not excuses,” so it was good to see her talking with Karamo and unpack the various factors that kept her at arm’s length from her children while still acknowledging the hurt she’d caused them. During her salon time with Jonathan, I loved the sight of five people attending to her at once, giving love and hair to her hair and helping her to nurture herself.
Michael - Bobby’s role with the hero is often hands-off, since he’s so busy with the renovation, but whenever he has a personal connection to the hero and their story, he really dives in to do something meaningful for them. Sharing his own experiences/insecurities with Michael and being there as he finished his application was really good. It was nice that the Fab Five offered their space for the fundraiser to avoid weather issues–Antoni’s catering looked great–but I was surprised that they were there for the whole thing. Have we really seen them attend any of the end-of-episode “events” before?
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