As it turns out, Charlene’s not doing too good on her New Year’s resolution. That’s right, she trusted the wrong person again and this time it’s turned the tables: now, the Designing Women have found themselves behind bars and Anthony is their legal representation. Like Salina always says, what could go wrong??
As always, stick around for some “Extra Sugar”, where Salina takes a closer look at a well-known political figure referenced in the episode (or are they??)
The references were a'plenty, so here are some reads if you want to dig further:
Hey, what's a body wave anyway?
More on the New South.
Learn a little more about Clarence Darrow (and his most famous cases -- Leopold and Loeb and the Scopes “monkey” trial).
Gloria Steinem - HISTORY, plus more from Harper’s BAZAAR and Mental Floss.
Come on, let’s get into it!
Or listen on Apple Podcasts |Spotify |Google Podcasts.
Transcript
Salina: Hey there, Nikki.
Nikki: Hey there, Salina.
Salina: You know what's crazy?
Nikki: What's up?
Salina: I am sitting here looking at your face.
Nikki: You are?
Salina: In real life.
Nikki: In real life, I-R-L had to really.
Salina: Think about that one.
Nikki: This is a real big day.
Salina: Well, it wasn't supposed to happen.
Nikki: It wasn't.
Salina: So we were supposed to have a virtual recording.
Salina: And you know what we decided?
Salina: Not me, actually.
Salina: Nikki said, you want to just come over and do it?
Nikki: And I said, Yolo.
Salina: I said 2009.
Nikki: You said IRL, so I just used another one.
Salina: Oh, yeah, that's true.
Salina: Don't be looking across this table and telling me truth.
Nikki: I'm sorry.
Salina: So before we get into the episode, I just wanted to celebrate that.
Nikki: That's very exciting.
Nikki: Yeah.
Salina: And we're doing it because also, I think we've got a little itch.
Salina: Wait a second.
Salina: I see you looking at me a little.
Salina: Independence Day.
Nikki: Itch oh, that itch.
Nikki: Okay.
Nikki: Right.
Salina: You all will probably hear this in October.
Salina: Don't worry, it'll still be 104 degrees, depending on where you live in the south.
Nikki: I think it'll be August, actually, so it will definitely still be 104 degrees.
Salina: Oh, you'll feel like you're in h*** then.
Salina: Okay, so we try really hard not to age this since we have to record a little ahead of time, but it's Independence Day.
Nikki: It's the second big holiday of the summer.
Nikki: I was going to say the first, but I guess Memorial Day weekend is the first.
Salina: Yeah, also second.
Salina: Well, it's also the 2 July.
Salina: Technically, we are not actually meeting on.
Nikki: July 4, but it gets better and better.
Salina: It's real close.
Salina: Like I could smell the grilled food.
Nikki: Smell the hot dogs.
Salina: Yeah, just on my lake stained fingers.
Salina: It's terrible, isn't it?
Salina: Sorry.
Salina: Oh my that was almost as bad as the Google hand before.
Salina: Anyways, so I just thought I'd ask, like, what are your plans?
Salina: What you got going on?
Nikki: What you doing?
Nikki: So many things.
Nikki: I'm running the Peachtree Road race here in Atlanta.
Nikki: That's it.
Salina: Well, okay, so for people who aren't from Atlanta, say more.
Nikki: The Peach Tree Road race is a ten k that goes through buckhead midtown.
Nikki: And that's it.
Nikki: I was going to say Atlanta.
Nikki: That's not true.
Nikki: Buckhead and Midtown, which are two kind of different parts of the city, and it's been going on since, I think, the 70s.
Nikki: They do it every single July 4.
Nikki: This is my 11th year doing it.
Nikki: It is my first year doing it alone.
Nikki: I've never done it by myself because I've always had my stepdad or my husband or a friend, and no one is doing it this year, so I'm doing it by myself.
Nikki: So I'm excited, though.
Nikki: It's a huge party.
Nikki: It's the biggest ten K in the US.
Nikki: I want to say if I'd known you were going to ask this question, I would have looked it up in the US.
Nikki: Or possibly the world.
Salina: I think you're right.
Salina: I've read that before.
Nikki: Yeah.
Salina: I'm a little surprised that you just didn't on the fly.
Nikki: Know the should I should well, it's.
Salina: Just because it's you, I expect you to, so but we don't have to roll out the facts.
Salina: Just know, guys, it's a big deal.
Nikki: It's a big deal.
Salina: And people like, drink along the way and party, right?
Nikki: Yeah.
Nikki: There are people, especially as you're in some of the later waves, there are people who are really just there.
Nikki: And I say that non judgmentally.
Nikki: That's usually where we are.
Nikki: We are usually going just for fun.
Nikki: We just walk.
Nikki: We have fun.
Nikki: People hand out beer, sometimes mimosas.
Nikki: There is a priest from the Catholic Church who gives out holy water.
Nikki: He will sprinkle you with holy water.
Nikki: That is, I guess, supposed to bring you good luck and joy and all those things for the next year.
Nikki: So it's a huge tradition.
Nikki: A lot of families have done it for years and years and years.
Nikki: You will always see someone who this is their 50th Peach Tree Road Race or 40th Peach Tree Road Race.
Nikki: There's a person that I saw a few years ago that has the bibs.
Nikki: So you have your race number that you wear on the front of your shirt.
Nikki: They have all of their race numbers pinned together and hanging down their back like a cape.
Nikki: And it's like 30 of them or 40 of them.
Salina: So here's my guess.
Salina: Okay.
Salina: I'm going to go ahead and make a prediction, if you will.
Salina: You all don't know this, but Nikki, okay, so she says this thing where she's like, I'm the most awkward small talker.
Nikki: I am.
Salina: $100.
Salina: $5.
Nikki: I like that other bet better.
Salina: Well, we got to pay for this podcast.
Salina: $5 says that you come out with a best friend.
Salina: Oh, yeah.
Nikki: I don't know about that.
Salina: Something tells me between an unintentional pub crawl run, you're going to find a friend.
Nikki: I would say if you up the ante to $100, then yes, I will.
Nikki: If it's just $5, my introvert will take over and I'll just run.
Salina: I'm not trying to incentivize.
Nikki: If I win $100, though, I put it right back into the podcast.
Nikki: But then you'd have to take my word that I have a best friend.
Salina: How about 2020?
Nikki: Sounds fair.
Salina: Honor system.
Salina: You can't see it.
Salina: We should probably be doing something to record that somehow.
Salina: All right.
Nikki: Okay.
Salina: Let's see what happens.
Salina: I trust you.
Nikki: Thank you.
Nikki: I appreciate that.
Nikki: So we'll see.
Nikki: I have to get up early tomorrow.
Nikki: I have to run.
Nikki: It's hot.
Nikki: It's humid.
Nikki: There are hills.
Nikki: It's Atlanta.
Nikki: But that is literally all I have planned except editing this podcast.
Nikki: What do you have planned, Miss you actually have a life.
Salina: Oh, well, I don't know about that because when you're not doing something with a podcast, I'm doing something with it.
Salina: But we'll pretend we'll suspend reality for a minute.
Salina: I just go into the lake.
Salina: Oh, that's like I really can't be outside in the heat, but it's because I don't like to be hot.
Nikki: Get angry.
Nikki: That's all you got to say.
Nikki: It's fair.
Salina: Yeah.
Salina: So just basically that and then I think I was already telling Nikki, but everybody else can know, too.
Salina: Why not?
Salina: Casey, my husband, he doesn't usually get two days off in a row a lot.
Nikki: That sounds sad, but that does sound sad.
Salina: Yeah, but he works at a dealership and they like you to be there on the weekends, and he gets two days off, and so I feel really lucky to be able to see him for two days in a row.
Nikki: So you're just going to fill that weekend up?
Salina: Filling it up.
Nikki: I hope you do.
Salina: Yeah.
Salina: So we are here for episode 15.
Nikki: That's what we're here for.
Salina: We're well over the hump of the first season.
Nikki: We are.
Salina: I mean, we're downhill from here.
Nikki: It's kind of sad when you say it that way.
Salina: Sure.
Nikki: We have an aggressive recording schedule, so we're keeping with it, but it is kind of sad.
Nikki: We're closing in.
Salina: Yeah.
Salina: We're going to see by the end of this, I think we'll be seven tenths caffeine, but let's just see how it goes.
Salina: So, Nikki, with that, now that everybody knows what a weekend plans are, you're welcome, everybody.
Salina: Would you like to take us into episode 15, which is called Injustice for Paul?
Nikki: I will.
Nikki: Our Hulu episode description this week is the women of Sugar Bakers are delighted to pick up some authentic antique furniture at bargain prices until they wind up in jail for buying stolen furniture.
Nikki: Oh, wow.
Nikki: That's wild, right?
Salina: Sure.
Nikki: This is going to be a wild ride.
Salina: But you really said it with like.
Nikki: That'S what I was going for.
Nikki: I want to hold everybody in there with us.
Nikki: So this one was directed by Jack Shea.
Nikki: The writer was LBT.
Nikki: And Trish Frandenberg, who I said it right the last time, Brandenberg.
Nikki: I said it right the last time.
Nikki: But she's written on this show before.
Nikki: It aired on February 15, 1987.
Nikki: What a nice post Valentine's Day treat to see the designing Women in jail.
Salina: Yeah, I actually really do like that.
Salina: I bet you there could have been some good promos.
Salina: There probably wasn't, but could have been.
Salina: Yeah.
Nikki: If we had been working there, there would have been.
Salina: It was a real missed opportunity, y'all.
Nikki: Salina, do you have any of those, like, show goofs or Trivia to share with us this week?
Salina: I do have a show goof, but I have to say that I wasn't able to spot it.
Salina: So if anybody was able to spot this, let us know.
Salina: And the show goof this time around is to be on the lookout for the boom mic, which appears accidentally high on the wall in a few shots.
Salina: I'm thinking that's probably in the jail.
Nikki: Oh, maybe.
Salina: But I didn't see it.
Salina: I guess I'm not really that attentive.
Nikki: I have only ever off the cuff noticed maybe two or three goofs ever in movies or on TV.
Nikki: Gilmore Girls.
Nikki: I've definitely noticed the boom a few times.
Nikki: And in Christmas vacation when the dog and the cat are chasing each other around the house.
Nikki: I think it is.
Nikki: Or there's a dog and a squirrel, maybe.
Nikki: Dog and a squirrel.
Nikki: There's just like a cut that clearly wasn't set properly.
Nikki: And so the cut isn't neat.
Nikki: And I noticed that one on my own.
Nikki: No one had to tell me.
Nikki: And I noticed the Gilmore Girls one.
Nikki: Otherwise, I only ever know about these things if someone else tells know.
Salina: I understand that.
Salina: Is this on Netflix where you're seeing the boom?
Salina: Gilmore Girls?
Salina: So they shot it at some certain oh.
Salina: And so when they moved over to Netflix, it has to be a different ratio.
Nikki: Is that right?
Salina: So it wasn't initially in the shots like that aired on TV, but in those you can see it.
Nikki: Do you think that's possibly what's happening here but the reverse, I don't know.
Salina: Because this was also on Internet Movie database, and I don't think they'd be plugging Netflix, nor is it on Netflix.
Salina: Right, but you're saying it could it be a Hulu, maybe.
Salina: I'm not really sure.
Salina: So somebody dig into it.
Nikki: We're not here to take it apart.
Nikki: We're just here to report the news.
Nikki: That's what I like to say.
Salina: Are we not here?
Nikki: I don't know.
Nikki: Whatever.
Salina: Take it apart.
Nikki: Whatever.
Nikki: We're just reporting facts right now.
Nikki: We've only discussed the episode description, the air date, and the director and writer.
Nikki: These are facts.
Nikki: Salina.
Salina: And weekend plans.
Nikki: Those are facts.
Nikki: Salina.
Nikki: Now we start to take it apart with Act One.
Nikki: Getting into act one.
Nikki: This opening scene really sets up a few I feel like it set up a few major plotlines for us.
Nikki: So we learned that Charlene has a friend named Paul.
Nikki: We learn that the business's money troubles continue.
Salina: Yes.
Salina: Well, they turned down $150,000 last episode.
Nikki: Right.
Nikki: Good call.
Nikki: But we haven't really talked about that in a while.
Nikki: So their troubles are continuing.
Nikki: They've lost another really important account.
Nikki: And then we find out kind of later in the scene that Charlene's friend Paul may be good for the business, though, because he can get them antique furniture for cheap.
Nikki: Right.
Nikki: So is there anything like big picture that I missed?
Salina: No, big lot.
Salina: Yeah, lots of little things.
Salina: But that's the gist of the first.
Nikki: Yeah.
Nikki: Yeah.
Nikki: So when they open Charlene's on the phone with Paul we learned his name's Paul, and they're just chatting and flirting.
Nikki: Anything there you want to.
Salina: Mean?
Salina: They called her man crazy some episodes back, and I mean, whatever.
Salina: If you want to flirt, flirt it up.
Nikki: Yeah.
Salina: I just feel like they've got her bouncing around a lot.
Salina: I've got thoughts about the fact that she says they're just friends.
Salina: And then I feel like later in the episode, there's like an open mouth kiss.
Salina: And I'm like, that's a weird way.
Nikki: To treat your friends.
Nikki: Same.
Salina: Yeah, that's my thought.
Salina: Don't open mouth kiss your friends.
Salina: Well, I mean, you can, but it's not standard.
Nikki: But also their flirting is about opera, which I thought was weird and a little bit uppity.
Nikki: I don't know anywho what was a trite opera?
Salina: Does that matter?
Nikki: Oh, is it?
Nikki: I don't know anything about opera.
Salina: We'll get there.
Nikki: Okay.
Nikki: So Julia comes in and shares that the business isn't profitable, and Charlene gives her a business lesson.
Nikki: Sort of like, you have to have money coming in, more money coming in than you have going out, which I thought was really funny.
Salina: That's true.
Salina: Yeah.
Nikki: And it sort of at the same time, incidentally, Mary Jo comes in and says they've lost some more business.
Nikki: Mrs.
Nikki: Wagner.
Nikki: She's gone.
Salina: She's gone.
Nikki: Do you want to talk about why.
Salina: She'S well, yes, and it's a missing lines alert.
Salina: Did you check the script?
Nikki: Huge missing lines alert.
Salina: Yeah.
Nikki: So if you look at the script, we've been talking throughout this podcast about how we go back and look at scripts now because we're on the alert that something's not right.
Nikki: She and Mary Jo had kind of an ugly conversation.
Nikki: It sounds it's we get a little more fat shaming.
Salina: Yeah, she tells mary Jo has told Mrs.
Salina: Wagner that she was too big for the chairs that she wanted.
Salina: I think what really frustrated me about what I found in the scripts was that she made it sound like she felt like it was her moral obligation to tell this woman that fancy chairs that she was getting were too small for her and it would cause some sort of calamitous fall and she just couldn't live with herself.
Salina: And I'm like, is that really it?
Nikki: Right.
Nikki: Okay.
Nikki: Yeah.
Salina: They didn't love it and they wanted to know.
Salina: I think the other part that we get here that's cut out, you didn't really need it, but Charlene and Julia sort of allude to like couldn't you have just told a little white?
Nikki: So, yeah, I will say the only reason I realized that there was a missing piece here was because later in the episode they talk about Weight Watchers.
Nikki: And I was like, what an OD thing to say to this woman.
Nikki: And we can get there when we get to that part of the episode.
Nikki: But I was like something's weird here.
Nikki: And then it got me thinking.
Nikki: I don't think we ever really talked about what happened and why the business fell apart.
Nikki: So that's what sent me to the script in the first place.
Salina: And just a note, we were having some audio troubles in our last recording, but I don't know if we actually wound up sharing this.
Salina: I know you and I had talked about it, but just want to reiterate in case we didn't say it in the last podcast, this is not the first time that we've found some fat shaming comments what they removed.
Nikki: Right.
Nikki: So actually, I got thinking that we talk so much about these scripts and we have all of these we sit here and hypothesize of all the reasons Hulu might have cut it.
Nikki: So I decided today, why don't I just look into this and find out what's going on.
Nikki: Long story short, there is no clear answer.
Nikki: It sounds like there were some cuts that have been made between the original run and syndication in order to make space for more commercial breaks.
Nikki: That's thing one, lovely thing two, is it's possible Hulu is making cuts?
Nikki: And I will tell you when I Googled, is Hulu cutting episodes or something like that?
Nikki: Odly.
Nikki: This show comes up multiple times because people, I guess, are maybe so familiar with this show that they absolutely know something's not right and they're noticing that there are cuts.
Nikki: So it is not clear if Hulu is cutting these things because yeah, to the point we talked about previously.
Nikki: Is it because these things are questionable and kind of jacked up?
Nikki: And if they're not important to the plot, do you just go ahead and cut it and save yourself the pain and just being mean for no reason?
Nikki: Or were they originally cut for syndication and Hulu is just playing them?
Salina: Oh, interesting.
Nikki: So I don't know the answer.
Nikki: It's somewhere between those two sweet tea.
Salina: And TV not brought to you by Hulu.
Nikki: I'm not badmouthing, hulu.
Nikki: It's just facts.
Nikki: Again, just facts.
Salina: Just the facts.
Nikki: So in the meantime, we've talked about Mary Jo a little bit.
Nikki: Can we talk about her doily dress?
Nikki: If she's going to make fun of this woman for being overweight, can we talk about her doily dress?
Salina: Yeah, go ahead.
Nikki: Did you notice it?
Nikki: It's like denim with like a lace overlay.
Nikki: You didn't notice?
Salina: Here's why I didn't.
Salina: Because of outfit.
Nikki: Oh.
Nikki: Because of Suzanne's Roge de Berettes.
Salina: So I don't want to skip over the doily.
Nikki: That's it.
Nikki: It's a doily.
Nikki: She's wearing a doily.
Nikki: She loves a doily.
Nikki: She does.
Salina: With the cameo brooch on top.
Nikki: Good Lord.
Nikki: Does she?
Nikki: But you're right.
Nikki: Suzanne comes in and highlight her pink.
Salina: Yeah.
Salina: And I'm glad that you mentioned the designer.
Salina: Did you look that designer up?
Nikki: I read the script and you know what?
Nikki: I might have.
Nikki: I might have.
Salina: They don't exist.
Nikki: They don't exist.
Nikki: Yeah, right.
Nikki: Okay.
Salina: It's fake.
Salina: I actually kind of thought that her outfit looked like Mackie.
Salina: Oh, do you remember the Bob Mackie Barbie dolls?
Nikki: Oh, no.
Salina: Well, he had like a whole line.
Salina: I guess it was like some kind of collaboration between Barbie and his design house or whatever.
Salina: And there was just something about the cut of it.
Salina: It just looked very I know that they go on to make fun of, but and it's not something I would necessarily it's not my style, but it did to me look very couture.
Nikki: I thought it was ill placed.
Nikki: It's not a daytime dress, but I liked it.
Nikki: I like the collar.
Salina: Agree.
Salina: And I don't think Mackie was known for his daytime attire.
Nikki: Sure.
Nikki: Right.
Salina: But it's she's that's what she does.
Salina: But that's what struck me about her outfit.
Nikki: Yeah.
Nikki: So she comes in, and Julia is a little passive aggressive to her about her look.
Nikki: And I don't think the women were terribly impressed with her outfit.
Nikki: But her big news is that she's gotten them more work.
Nikki: So as they're losing Mrs.
Nikki: Wagner, they're getting bo, mastwick, even Steven.
Salina: Was she wearing that on the golf course?
Nikki: That wasn't clear.
Nikki: Okay.
Nikki: Unclear.
Salina: Because that's where she meets.
Nikki: Right.
Nikki: Dude, they golf together.
Nikki: And the problem, though, Salina, what is the worst thing in the world?
Nikki: That a man can be cheap.
Nikki: Yes.
Nikki: And Beau mastwick is cheap.
Nikki: So she's sending Mary Jo out to deal with him and his wife.
Salina: That's the second worth.
Salina: That's the first.
Nikki: I thought she was going to say that was the first worst problem.
Nikki: But you're right.
Nikki: As you're saying that, I'm realizing yeah, I can see Suzanne's mind on that.
Nikki: Not the first problem.
Nikki: So they send Mary Jo out to go deal with the masticks.
Nikki: Mary Jo comes back, and it's going to be a real struggle.
Salina: He's cheap.
Nikki: He's only willing to put up $12,000 to decorate a home.
Nikki: I don't know about you.
Nikki: Even in today dollars, $12,000 to decorate a home feels like a lot of money.
Salina: Do you see what it was?
Nikki: Did you what it is today?
Nikki: No, I didn't.
Salina: 30.
Nikki: That is so much money.
Salina: Yeah.
Salina: So, A, when someone asked me to spend $5 right.
Salina: Like five.
Salina: And we've done remodeling at the house in the last couple of years, and every time I'm just floored.
Salina: But we're just talking about basically what is the makeup, the face makeup of a house.
Salina: So to think about that being 30 grand is kind of crazy.
Salina: But it does sound like the wife has really highfalutin tastes, like she wants all the nicest antiques.
Salina: And I know I've been in some antique stores where I'm like, oh, I can't afford this paperweight.
Salina: It's $5,000.
Salina: I'm not sure why.
Nikki: Right.
Salina: So while I totally agree with you, I can see how Mary Jo feels like she's in a tough spot oh, sure.
Salina: To decorate three rooms, all with the nicest antique furniture.
Nikki: Sure.
Nikki: Yeah.
Nikki: No, that makes total sense.
Nikki: And I do not mean to demean the work of interior decorators and designers.
Nikki: I know what they do is important.
Salina: How dare you?
Nikki: It's important work.
Nikki: It's just to have that amount of disposable income is wild to me.
Salina: Right.
Salina: Like it's just laying around.
Nikki: Exactly.
Salina: We'll just pick up this twelve five.
Nikki: So again, it's this class issue I think we deal with throughout this entire show.
Nikki: And that just struck me.
Nikki: But here's where we get into the real plotline.
Nikki: So they got themselves on a pickle with the masticks.
Nikki: They can't handle this antique highfalutin sort of approach to interior design.
Nikki: On measly.
Nikki: $12,000.
Nikki: So Charlene reveals that Paul deals with antique sales.
Nikki: I want to say secondhand antiques, but they're all secondhand.
Salina: They're estate sales.
Nikki: Estate sales.
Nikki: And so he can save them a lot of money.
Nikki: And the women are obviously a little questionable.
Nikki: They're all sort of like, really, this guy?
Salina: Everybody but Charlene.
Nikki: Well, sure, Charlene.
Nikki: But I think Charlene's on to herself because she believes, after watching Phil Donahue, that a tiger can change its spots.
Nikki: She knows she's had a problem with men.
Nikki: She understands, but she thinks this one's.
Salina: Different, so she hasn't really learned to think.
Nikki: Whatever.
Nikki: Okay, so we cut, and the women are waiting on Paul.
Nikki: I'm going to stop here and say they're all dressed, they're all made up, they've all got their hair done.
Nikki: It's 10:00 at night.
Nikki: That's the part that bothered me.
Salina: Do you see us right now?
Nikki: I know it's afternoon and we are not dressed.
Nikki: We do not have makeup on.
Salina: No.
Nikki: The 80s were a different time, my friends.
Nikki: That just seems like a walking nightmare to me, so I just need to stop there.
Nikki: We get Anthony anthony's back with us, and he has got some friends who are going to help them load and unload all of these things, because they're going to Paul's warehouse to see the goods.
Nikki: See the goods and buy some things.
Nikki: So Anthony's got some friends.
Nikki: Fortunately, his friends are very experienced with loading and unloading quickly.
Nikki: Yes, they're very committed to good customer service, and it sounds like they're very committed to not getting caught by the police.
Salina: Well, and then they're used to working nights.
Nikki: That's good.
Nikki: They don't charge double.
Nikki: Yeah, that's why they don't charge time.
Salina: And a I mean, they were just checking all the boxes.
Salina: Good stuff.
Nikki: They're also former prisoners, which whatever.
Nikki: Anthony is two.
Nikki: He is a former unjustly accused.
Nikki: And look at the man that he's become.
Salina: That's right.
Nikki: So, Julia, you can just stop judging right now.
Salina: Love of my TV life.
Nikki: So this is where we get the next big thing.
Nikki: Paul comes in, he and Charlene lip kiss.
Nikki: You caught onto it.
Nikki: I caught onto it.
Nikki: She says they're just friends.
Nikki: What's with the lip kiss?
Nikki: That seems very familiar.
Salina: I don't know about you.
Salina: This is in my notes, but I rarely greet my good friends with an.
Nikki: Intimate mouth kiss, if ever.
Nikki: No, not for me.
Nikki: Not for me.
Salina: You know me.
Salina: I don't even hug.
Nikki: We know their relationship is different than she's portrayed it to be, but he's going to take him to his friend's warehouse.
Salina: Yeah, I wanted to throw in here that to me, this feels like Shadow part two.
Nikki: Oh, yeah.
Salina: There's something like he comes in and he relays that Charlene just thinks the world of all of you ladies.
Salina: I don't know, it just felt like it's happening.
Salina: Didn't we just see this in the New Year's episode?
Nikki: He's mysterious and charismatic.
Salina: Yep.
Nikki: So he's going to take him to his friend's warehouse, and the last thing I have is just that Julia says she'll eat her shoe if the merchandise is any good.
Salina: Yeah.
Salina: It's very fair to say that she has been incredibly skeptical this entire time.
Nikki: Right.
Salina: And we'll see should she be.
Nikki: I don't know.
Salina: So, Nikki, here's the thing.
Salina: Julia may have to eat that shoe.
Nikki: OOH.
Salina: Yeah.
Salina: Because it's a miracle.
Salina: There are really nice things in this warehouse and at unbelievable prices.
Nikki: If it's too hard to believe, it's probably too hard to believe.
Salina: No, you guys have twelve five.
Salina: You're not going to believe this.
Salina: Twelve four.
Salina: You know what?
Salina: Because you're Charlene's friends, I love you, you're beautiful people.
Salina: Whatever other lines he says.
Salina: But they do go in.
Salina: They're really excited.
Salina: I mean, you can't really tell.
Salina: Obviously, we know from the description that things are about to go south, but it could be okay.
Salina: Yeah.
Nikki: I mean, there are no red flags here at all.
Nikki: Like, they're not there in the middle of the night.
Nikki: This guy's not flying in and out all the time.
Nikki: He doesn't offer these things at an amazingly low rate.
Salina: Don't tell me truths.
Nikki: There's nothing here that should have sent any sort of red flag for them.
Salina: Don't poo poo on my good time.
Nikki: Sorry.
Salina: But I mean, there was stuff there.
Nikki: There was stuff there.
Nikki: That's right.
Salina: I'm like, this is legit.
Salina: There are legitimately items in the warehouse and good stuff.
Salina: Yeah.
Salina: I mean, he could have been kidnapping them or something.
Salina: I don't know why?
Nikki: I don't know, man.
Nikki: Could have happened.
Nikki: Don't go into a closed room with a person you don't know, is all I'm saying.
Nikki: With bases where he could hide your body.
Salina: Sound advice.
Salina: So I think basically the cops bust through the doors, like as soon as money exchanges hands.
Salina: I honestly couldn't remember if he's in the door or out close by.
Nikki: I was going to say not while he's in the room, because they have to catch him later in Chicago.
Salina: That's right.
Salina: Okay.
Nikki: Yes.
Nikki: It's not as soon as the money exchanges hands, he has plenty of time to leave.
Salina: But in true sitcom fashion, it is a total of 4 seconds later.
Salina: Yeah.
Salina: Okay.
Salina: So next thing we know, we're in the know, we're in city jail, Atlanta, getting our best views.
Salina: And I think it's fair to say that the ladies have found themselves in their own unfortunate incarceration.
Nikki: They know Anthony's Plate now.
Nikki: Yeah.
Salina: And I think there's not a ton that goes on here.
Salina: So I thought more what we could do is what is it with the middle of the shows on these episodes?
Salina: I feel like I said the same thing in the last episode.
Salina: I'm like, you all might not remember it, but I know Nikki does because we recorded that one yesterday.
Nikki: I don't remember it, though.
Nikki: That's the challenge of 2021, post pandemic brain.
Salina: Oh, there is that fact.
Salina: But what we do get, I thought, is kind of this reaction from everyone it brings out maybe it heightens everyone's base personality.
Nikki: Maybe.
Salina: And to be clear, they're not technically in jail, they're just in a holding cell.
Salina: It's fine.
Salina: I like this look that Nikki's getting.
Nikki: My look is, you know, all the distinctions between holding cells and actual jail.
Salina: We live in the world of law and order, Nikki.
Nikki: Oh, right.
Salina: There's like twelve of them.
Nikki: So it's funny you say that, because I really didn't think very much about that.
Nikki: But I did notice Suzanne still had her earrings on and her overcoat, and she put something in her brazier, and I thought, this ain't real jail.
Salina: In all fairness, I'm not sure they would have let her keep those things.
Nikki: Even in a holding cell.
Nikki: That could be a shiv.
Salina: I don't think so.
Salina: Yeah, but I'm not entirely sure on that.
Salina: I'll have to check my Law and order reference.
Nikki: I'll get back to.
Salina: That.
Salina: That's where they all are.
Salina: Except for Julia.
Salina: This really brings out let's not use the P word because people get upset.
Salina: Let's use advantages.
Salina: Okay.
Salina: Not p****.
Nikki: No, it's like what P word?
Nikki: Privilege.
Nikki: Oh, that one.
Salina: But advantages.
Salina: So the whole time she knows that they're probably doing something that's illegal.
Salina: Then she gets caught for doing something illegal.
Nikki: Now she's she's incensed.
Nikki: How dare they arrest me for doing something illegal?
Salina: Right?
Salina: So they take her around the corner, she's arguing with the officer and she's letting him have it the whole way back there.
Salina: She's going to sick Reese on them.
Salina: If you all don't remember, Reese is her boyfriend, that is also the lawyer, and she's going to end this woman's career, essentially the guard.
Salina: She's annoyed and she basically threatens her with a body search, which I'm a full body search, which I'm like.
Salina: That feels like not a good time for you either, but what do I know about a person's good time?
Salina: So anyways, Julia says, listen very carefully, if any person dares to violate one orifice on this body, she will be eating her teeth for breakfast.
Salina: I do indeed appear to be the picture of Southern gentility, but when I get riled, I make Rambo look like little Mary Sunshine.
Nikki: Why'd you have to use the word orifice?
Salina: Well, that's I think what, a full body search?
Salina: Yeah, but orifice contains at least one orifice.
Nikki: She could have just said violates me.
Nikki: Orifice was just such an anatomically correct word to you.
Salina: Well, LBT.
Salina: Is real smart.
Nikki: Anybody who sticks anything in my holes, you're going to be in trouble.
Salina: Would that have been better for that.
Nikki: Would have been better.
Salina: I don't know if I like either one of these options at the same time, while.
Salina: I'm kind of annoyed with Julia just because you kind of know you were wrapped up in something that may have not been a good decision because you were skeptical the whole way.
Salina: The other part of me is like, good for you for standing up for yourself.
Nikki: Well, not a criminologist and not an expert on law and order.
Nikki: So I preface this next statement with that.
Nikki: I think Julia's frustration is they were an accessory.
Nikki: They didn't, quote, unquote, knowingly do something wrong.
Nikki: They were not willingly involved in a criminal activity.
Nikki: And so she's frustrated that no one will hear their side of the story before throwing them into jail.
Nikki: And if you're a person, I imagine, who's not used to going to jail, holding cell or not, it feels like.
Salina: Jail in all fairness, because I like to throw out an argument and then walk it back.
Salina: It could also be that she thought there wasn't going to really be anything good in the warehouse.
Salina: It doesn't mean that she knew that he was like a total thief and that they had gotten caught up in some sort of major scheme.
Nikki: Don't walk that back.
Nikki: I think she knew that part.
Nikki: I think she knew that part.
Nikki: Okay.
Nikki: 10:00 at night, random guy who can get him a really good deal on good antiques.
Nikki: She knew.
Nikki: Yeah, she knew.
Nikki: But I think she's just frustrated because they didn't know, quote, unquote, for sure.
Nikki: And she just wanted somebody to hear her side of the story before they put her in jail.
Salina: Reasonable doubt, right?
Nikki: Oh, sure.
Salina: So let's talk about everybody else then.
Salina: We have Suzanne.
Salina: She's really thinking about herself in such.
Nikki: A shocking turn of events.
Nikki: She's really worried about her mascara.
Nikki: She used her one phone call to call to cancel her hair appointment.
Salina: You know what else is funny about?
Salina: If they're going to pull lines they didn't decide to pull from, maybe we don't need to have her commentary about the ridiculousness of expensive mascara.
Salina: That's not the line.
Nikki: Oh, I see what you're saying.
Nikki: For cutting purposes.
Nikki: Yes.
Salina: All that said tip, don't ever spend most of your money on expensive mascara.
Salina: Over the counter will do it.
Salina: Guys, there are really solid mascara options over the counter.
Salina: That's just a little tipsy.
Salina: Tips for me to you.
Nikki: Okay, thanks for that.
Salina: As much as I didn't think it was important, I'm going to stop this podcast to tell you you can get some really good mascara through.
Nikki: Oh, maybelline for me.
Salina: Well, L'Oreal is like Lancome.
Salina: They're just the old Navy.
Salina: To the Gap.
Salina: To the Banana Republic.
Nikki: I didn't know that.
Nikki: See, this is a whole different podcast.
Salina: It is.
Salina: We'll teach that later.
Salina: You wouldn't know it these days, but I used to know a thing or two about makeup.
Salina: Anyways, so she's going on about her looks and then we also get like, everybody got a call, right?
Salina: They got their one call.
Salina: That's also some law and order information for you there.
Salina: And she used hers to cancel her hair appointment.
Nikki: It seems fair to me.
Nikki: You don't want to leave your hairstylist waiting.
Nikki: That's just rude.
Salina: That's very thoughtful of you.
Salina: The only problem is it means that no one called Reese that we know of yet.
Nikki: Yeah, whatever, man.
Salina: Julia used her call to stop the check that she wrote Paul.
Salina: So, like, really, their problems are kind of solved.
Nikki: But it's like, 11:00 at night.
Nikki: That check can't be cashed until banks open the next day.
Nikki: Couldn't she have just waited a couple more hours and used her call to call Reese?
Salina: That probably would have been smarter.
Salina: Jules just not really thinking with her lady brain.
Salina: So then we have charlene.
Salina: I think this is the thing, like, where I was talking about everybody sort of going into their baser instincts, because I think her baser instinct is just to kind of, like, dig in that he's obviously not really involved.
Salina: He's framed.
Salina: I don't think she used those words, but essentially that's what she's saying.
Salina: He's the victim of circumstantial evidence.
Salina: She knows because she's the only one there who's been in jail before.
Nikki: Which was shocking.
Salina: It was.
Salina: But it was also for something that somebody else did.
Salina: Hers was really where she was.
Salina: It was circumstantial.
Salina: It was a friend of hers that she befriended who didn't have a lot of money.
Salina: People in their high school were being really mean to her.
Salina: And so she went out somewhere shopping or something with them.
Salina: But it turns out this girl had stolen 600 mood rings or something.
Nikki: $600 worth of mood rings.
Salina: Okay.
Nikki: A lot of mood rings.
Salina: Yeah.
Nikki: It doesn't matter.
Salina: Yeah.
Salina: Anyway, so it landed them both probably in another holding cell.
Salina: I'm guessing jail is jail is jail or mall jail.
Salina: I don't know.
Salina: But whatever it was.
Salina: We get that kind of random story from Charlene.
Salina: But it also says why she feels the way she does to some extent.
Salina: Although I kind of want to be like Charlene, just kind of, like, wake up a little bit.
Nikki: She was right about Shadow.
Salina: I still argue he was a really bad agent.
Salina: That's my argument.
Nikki: Neither here nor there.
Salina: She does use her one call to call Anthony, who is then supposed to call Reese.
Nikki: Right.
Salina: So little snowball effect.
Salina: So the one person we haven't talked about is Mary Jo.
Salina: I think she just wants to know what to tell our kids.
Salina: And so she's made up some story.
Nikki: Right.
Salina: All right.
Salina: The guard does announce that their lawyer is there.
Nikki: That's very exciting.
Salina: It is very exciting.
Salina: And then around the corner, Anthony not Reese person.
Nikki: Doesn't make sense.
Salina: Yeah, but they leave him alone, like, with the women.
Salina: And what we find out is that he couldn't get a hold of him.
Salina: The police mistook him as their lawyer.
Salina: And he was very dressed up.
Nikki: He was.
Salina: Because he's usually kind of casual, especially.
Nikki: When he came to pick up the truck so that he and his friends could come help them move.
Nikki: He was in a vest and, like, a plaid shirt, so he had to.
Salina: Go change into a three piece suit.
Nikki: Right.
Salina: So don't ask questions, guys.
Salina: Just buckle in and enjoy the ride.
Nikki: We're asking all the questions.
Salina: It's the we just have fun.
Salina: So he does say he's sorry that him and the other guys left.
Salina: It was involuntary reactions.
Nikki: Yeah, man, I get it.
Salina: But he is working on a plan to get him out.
Salina: But then the guard comes back around the corner, and there's an issue because there's another Reese Watson downstairs.
Nikki: It's not really an issue.
Salina: It's not.
Salina: And here's why.
Salina: Because Anthony lets her.
Salina: Oh, that must be my dad.
Nikki: That must be my father.
Salina: He says I'm a junior.
Salina: These are his words.
Salina: That his mom was of a darker persuasion, and that's the new liberal south for you.
Nikki: His voice was so funny.
Nikki: Right then.
Salina: He does such great impressions.
Nikki: That was great because it is him.
Salina: Impressing, like, doing an impression, basically, of, like, a Reese.
Salina: And by a Reese, I mean an old white guy.
Nikki: Yeah.
Salina: Okay.
Salina: And he does a fantastic job is all I'm saying.
Nikki: Good.
Salina: Yeah.
Salina: So, Reese, we don't all this happens off screen, but what we do know is that he posts their bell, they're free to go, and we do get a few tidbits on the way out.
Salina: So I guess this is still on screen.
Salina: Ignore me, but Paul was in jail in Chicago, so they caught him rather quickly and got him to Chicago rather quickly, but I don't believe that for a second.
Nikki: Or he got to Chicago rather quickly and that's where they caught him.
Salina: Either way, none of these things are happening in this amount of time.
Nikki: Yeah, maybe there's a couple of anthony had time to go home and change clothes.
Salina: That makes more sense to me than either he got caught really quickly.
Salina: Do you know how long it would have taken them to process him through Atlanta and then up to Chicago?
Salina: Forever.
Salina: And even if he was on the way back up to Chicago, he would not have made it up to Chicago unless he was in a private plane or something.
Nikki: Could be.
Salina: That's true.
Salina: I mean, he might be floating in the money.
Salina: The other big piece that we get here is that Charlene figures out because the cop or the guard on duty tells her he's got a rap sheet longer than the Mississippi.
Salina: And so now it finally actually doesn't really settle in.
Salina: But we'll get to that.
Salina: And then as they're walking out, there are a few ladies of the night who are coming in, and one is wearing something special.
Nikki: What are they wearing?
Salina: Nikki.
Nikki: She's in highlighter pink.
Nikki: She's wearing a Roger de Berettes.
Salina: And Suzanne's jaw hits the floor.
Salina: And with that, we're out that scene.
Nikki: And the last scene really revolves around trying to do something about Paul.
Nikki: Julia, I guess, has decided that she wants to testify against him in court.
Nikki: And the other women don't want to.
Nikki: They have been getting threats.
Nikki: They've been taking threatening phone calls.
Nikki: But Charlene went to visit Paul in jail, and he says that all these threats are just coming from a practical joker friend in Chicago.
Nikki: Oh, I see.
Salina: The business is struggling and she just happens to whip up there for a trip to Chicago.
Nikki: I mean, I guess maybe they extradited him.
Nikki: Thank you, law and order.
Salina: We're really putting our knowledge to use today.
Nikki: So Charlene says she can't testify against a friend.
Nikki: Mary Jo says these threats are just too much.
Nikki: Suzanne says no.
Nikki: And I don't really remember now why Suzanne said no.
Nikki: Did she have a good reason?
Salina: Not really.
Nikki: Okay.
Salina: I feel like she just always globs on to whatever's nearby.
Nikki: Yeah.
Nikki: So they just say no.
Nikki: And Julia says, well, you know, my moral compass is pointing me in the direction of testifying, so I'm going to so then we skip to, I guess, testification day, testifying day.
Salina: I kind of like testification.
Nikki: We skipped that.
Nikki: Julia's in Sugar Bakers by herself because no one else wants to testify.
Nikki: She's on the phone with Mrs.
Nikki: Wagner.
Nikki: And this is where I call back to looking at the script because she mentions Weight Watchers.
Nikki: And I was like, well, that's an odly specific thing to mention.
Nikki: And that's how we found out that there was some fat shaming early in the episode.
Nikki: But it turns out Mrs.
Nikki: Wagner wants to work with them again.
Nikki: Whatever Mary Jo said to her has inspired her to join Weight Watchers and do something different.
Nikki: I don't know what to say.
Nikki: And then all the women start to.
Salina: Show up, but that's their money.
Salina: Problem solved.
Nikki: Well, yeah.
Salina: I mean, everything else out of the posh with your Weight Watchers joke in there at the end, because we've done a lot of this.
Salina: They lost.
Salina: They keep trying.
Salina: They keep doing all these things, but something is coming together for them, actually.
Nikki: So at least that Suzanne shows up.
Nikki: She's decided she's going to testify.
Nikki: Mary Jo scrambles in.
Nikki: She's going to testify.
Nikki: And then finally Charlene shows up and she says she's going to testify.
Nikki: And it's not even because of the phone call she got from Paul's lawyer.
Nikki: Everybody's like, what's he calling you about?
Nikki: And so he basically offered to not name them as accomplices if they didn't testify against him.
Nikki: And Charlene said she called the DA.
Nikki: And said, I'm testifying.
Nikki: They can take this offer and do with it what they will.
Nikki: So she decides she's going to testify, and the women head off for court.
Salina: I like what she said, though.
Salina: She said, you can always find men, but good friends, them, you don't let down.
Salina: Together we stand.
Salina: I thought that was kind of nice.
Nikki: Oh, we haven't heard that before.
Nikki: I thought that was maybe like, in the New Year's episode or any other the breast cancer episode.
Salina: It's in every episode, but they haven't said over men yet.
Nikki: Okay.
Salina: And I do think that's a big thing for the 80s because I don't always know that on television.
Salina: I think it was always like, relationships were the most important thing.
Salina: And I mean like a relationship, like a love interest.
Nikki: Right?
Salina: And so I think to talk about friendship in this way that supersedes a potential relationship with a man.
Salina: What did you say that one time that Designing Women walked so that Gilmore Girls could run with the references?
Salina: I think Designing Women walked here so that Sex in the City could run one day.
Nikki: Look at you, Pollyanna.
Nikki: Look at you.
Salina: I'm a very positive person because it reminded me of an episode of Sex in the City where Charlote suggests that her and the other women on that show could be each other's soulmates and guys could just come and go.
Salina: They could be this fun thing in their lives.
Salina: And that was really remarkable for those times, too.
Salina: So I just thought I would share that.
Salina: That was one line.
Salina: And I do actually think I know why Suzanne bowed out.
Nikki: Oh, okay.
Salina: I forgot.
Salina: This one thing happened, which was they had that detective come by.
Salina: I think he got them all really scared.
Salina: And I wrote down this line.
Salina: He said he's so proud of them for testifying with no regard for their personal.
Salina: But no need to worry.
Salina: They haven't had a witness problem in years.
Salina: I have underneath there what capital, what dot, period.
Salina: Some people call it a ridiculous line.
Salina: It's just so stupid.
Salina: I know what they're like.
Salina: They needed something to get the women scared, to break them apart for 4 seconds, to bring them back together again.
Salina: But that was just really silly to me.
Salina: But I think that is actually what scared.
Nikki: Okay, that might be right.
Nikki: That's it.
Nikki: That's all I got, man.
Salina: Yeah.
Salina: Hope you guys enjoyed it.
Nikki: But we got some things.
Nikki: We got things.
Nikki: We got our rating, we've got our references, and we've got a cool extra sugar this week.
Nikki: No, you're giving me the face like you've dropped everything.
Salina: Thought we were just leaving.
Nikki: And we're done.
Nikki: Bye.
Salina: Yeah, let's do all the things.
Nikki: All right.
Salina: So you want to rate this sucker?
Nikki: I do.
Salina: Which, by the way, Casey said to me, he was listening back to one of the episodes, and he said, what did you say there?
Salina: And I was like, Rate this sucker.
Salina: So if any of you haven't been able to understand me, that's Southern for again, rate this sucker.
Nikki: So, Salina, shall we rate this episode?
Salina: Let us do that today.
Nikki: That was my Anthony to your Salina.
Nikki: That's pretty good.
Nikki: What's your rating scale?
Nikki: I don't have a good one.
Salina: Fake designer name drops.
Nikki: Oh, okay.
Salina: It was a tough episode for a one, though.
Nikki: I thought it was.
Nikki: Why don't you go first?
Salina: Okay.
Salina: Are you going to give me your rating scale, though?
Nikki: I don't have one.
Salina: Oh, you don't have one?
Salina: That's why I was taking oh, okay.
Salina: I wasn't in love with this episode.
Salina: I gave it a two and a half out of three fake designer name drops.
Nikki: Two and a half out of three?
Salina: Oops.
Salina: Just cut that in post, Nikki.
Salina: I meant out of five.
Salina: You guys, I can't count.
Salina: Maths isn't my strong suit, as you all have learned over this time.
Salina: It's words, really is where I do my best work.
Salina: So here's why.
Salina: I'm over here rubbing my eyes over my lack of math skills.
Salina: So I did think there were some enjoyable moments, but on the whole, I just thought this was an average episode.
Salina: That's it.
Salina: My favorite parts were Anthony, both in describing the extra drivers that he hired because I just thought that was clever.
Salina: And the case of mistaken identity at the jail with him.
Nikki: That was really funny.
Salina: Otherwise.
Salina: Yeah.
Salina: And I like that they were all there for each other at the end.
Salina: But to your point, that's become trite.
Salina: We've done that before.
Salina: So how many times we're going to come together?
Nikki: Gosh, ladies, how many times do we have to like each other?
Salina: Blah, blah, blah, your friends and family.
Nikki: Blah, blah, blah, over it.
Nikki: I'm going to go three out of five.
Nikki: Three of the designer fake designer name drops.
Nikki: It's fine.
Nikki: That's it.
Nikki: That's fine.
Nikki: I was thinking about this this morning, actually, and thinking I feel really bad because I find myself lately I feel like I'm constantly saying it was a fine episode.
Nikki: It was fine.
Nikki: I want to be super clear that I'm enjoying this show.
Nikki: We just have to watch these episodes so many times.
Nikki: And we are 14 episodes, 15 episodes in, and there have been some that are really bright, shining moments.
Nikki: So it's kind of getting a little hard to impress me, maybe.
Nikki: Is it?
Salina: I think it's that, and I just think it's hard to come back from episode ten with all the snacks that we had.
Nikki: Oh, that's really missing dog on it.
Nikki: You did bring coffee today.
Salina: I brought one slim gem if you.
Nikki: Want to split it.
Nikki: I'll pass, thanks.
Salina: What, you want the whole Slim Jim?
Nikki: So, yeah, it was a fine episode.
Nikki: Yeah, it'll do.
Nikki: I've already previewed episode 16, and I fear my rating will be similar.
Salina: Oh, boy.
Nikki: It's really, really hard to write.
Nikki: And my husband and I were, incidentally, talking about this this morning, week after week to write really witty, funny things that all hold together, right?
Nikki: Because I've been watching Modern Family, and I am so impressed with how routinely funny that show is.
Nikki: It's all silliness.
Nikki: You're not expecting anything more than silliness.
Nikki: So they do the silliness really well, and it's very creative.
Nikki: The way, I just watched an episode about lice, which sounds like the most ridiculous, like, why are you watching TV about lice?
Nikki: But the way they do it so taps into what it's like to be a parent and hear that your kid might have lice.
Nikki: And it's just amazing to me how they do that week after week.
Salina: That's what comedy is.
Nikki: Yeah.
Salina: I see in you something that we can relate on.
Salina: And then I take that one little and it could be anything.
Salina: And it's usually like, really these very simple things that you can't believe I could possibly have this in common with another human being.
Salina: So I will tell you that my friend sent me this is not us talking about the other we'll get there.
Salina: My friend sent me a TikTok this week, and it was somebody at the computer screen watching the HBO thing come up, where it's like and then it was like, what always follows this?
Salina: And I went, Because it's Sex in the City, and then it flipped over and they were dancing and going and that's what I'm saying.
Salina: It's that thing where you just know, you know, you know, because you know.
Nikki: Right.
Salina: And that's good comedy.
Salina: But even Modern Family has, like, a formula that works for them, and it's not much different than this one right here, which is basically shenanigans.
Salina: And then at the end, a wholesome message.
Nikki: Oh, my gosh, I cry at the end of Modern Family.
Nikki: Routinely, we've established I'm a crier anyway, but routinely the touching message at the end gets me.
Salina: Yeah.
Nikki: And it's based in silliness.
Nikki: Like, silly things will be happening on screen while they're saying it.
Salina: It's stronger.
Salina: So I think over time well, it's also probably more relatable because the plotlines are going to be more relatable today.
Nikki: Right, I think that's a good point.
Salina: All of those kinds of things.
Salina: But there is some formula.
Nikki: There anyhow shut up.
Nikki: No, but we digress.
Nikki: Yes.
Nikki: References.
Salina: Yeah.
Salina: You want to start with 80s?
Nikki: Sure.
Salina: I sliced out the combination references because you told me that that didn't make any sense.
Salina: And you know what?
Salina: I hear you, Nikki Maze.
Nikki: I hear you.
Salina: So we're going to start with eighty.
Nikki: S.
Nikki: I like being heard.
Nikki: Phil Donahue.
Salina: Yeah.
Nikki: Tanning bed in the ladies lounge.
Salina: Oh, I missed that one.
Salina: Okay.
Nikki: People still go to the tanning bed.
Nikki: It's fine.
Nikki: But it was very eighty s to go to the tanning bed.
Nikki: And very Southern eighty s to go to the tanning bed.
Nikki: I have a friend that lives in South Georgia.
Nikki: We went to her town in college, had a combination video store tanning bed.
Nikki: And then the back is where they kept the tanning beds.
Nikki: Another Rambo reference.
Salina: Yeah.
Nikki: Jay Leno and Weight Watchers.
Nikki: They're now WW.
Salina: All right, I think we're going to do a pretty good job here because we don't actually have a lot of overlap.
Salina: Some they reference the books in the beginning, as in where they keep track.
Nikki: Of all the money.
Salina: The books are actually there was a book and it wasn't on the computer, so that felt very 80s.
Salina: We got the checks, handwritten checks, and then there was a joke made about dropping oil prices because that's who all that stuff was from.
Salina: It was giving the chic money problems and that's where all of those wares were coming from.
Salina: So that was actually, I think, something that was going on in the body Wave, which is what Suzanne was supposed to be getting and had to cancel.
Salina: I actually found an article.
Salina: I'll share it.
Salina: You can get a body wave today, guys, and I'm going to tell you, it looks pretty good.
Nikki: Is a body wave the same or different than a perm?
Salina: It's like a looser and but it'll last like a year.
Nikki: I'm into this.
Salina: Like beach waves.
Nikki: I'm into this.
Salina: It was beautiful.
Nikki: Oh, interesting.
Salina: Beautiful.
Salina: Well, you'll get to see oh, okay.
Salina: You'll get to see and then also an answering machine because they were like, leaving Reese messages.
Nikki: Oh, right.
Salina: So I understand.
Salina: I'm sure at some point somebody's going to go, these things existed past the that's very true.
Salina: But what we're trying to say is they also really symbolize things that make us think about the 80s southern things.
Nikki: I had antebellum money.
Salina: Yeah.
Salina: I also have yikes in parentheses next to that.
Nikki: Also, Auntie Charlene and Julia made a passive aggressive compliment about Suzanne's new dress.
Nikki: This one was so good, I thought of it twice.
Nikki: So I took my notes earlier in the week when I was watching this episode and came back to them to kind of like freshen things up.
Nikki: And I was like, oh, my gosh, passive aggressive comment from Julia.
Nikki: That has to go in Southern references.
Nikki: And it was already there.
Nikki: So good.
Nikki: I thought of it twice.
Salina: That's okay.
Salina: A lot of these references are happening more than one time.
Nikki: Right.
Salina: And we're catching them on multiple occasions.
Salina: You know what we call that?
Salina: Writing week after week, I have bequeathed.
Salina: It's not like it was invented in the south.
Salina: It just sounds southern.
Salina: There's some of these you can't you just bequeathed.
Nikki: I don't know.
Salina: It just sounds southern.
Salina: So Julia, she says she may look the picture of Southern gentility.
Salina: I don't know, it's pretty on the nose, but you get it.
Salina: Getting riled.
Salina: That felt pretty southern beauty parlor.
Salina: Actually, I think that sounds kind of 80s, too.
Nikki: I was going to say, do you.
Salina: Want to combine those no combinations?
Salina: And then Anthony refers to the new liberal south.
Salina: I quoted him earlier about that.
Salina: It's in a tongue in cheek way when he does it.
Salina: But the new south was a real thing, and this was something that reformers called for, like a modernization of society and attitudes to integrate more fully with the US.
Salina: And to reject the economy and traditions of the old south.
Salina: And the slavery based plantation system of the period.
Salina: Period.
Salina: So, okay, just turn into Colonel Sanders.
Nikki: It's just thinking.
Nikki: Colonel Sanders.
Salina: Good.
Salina: That was my impression.
Salina: And there's also an Atlanta connection here, which felt worth saying.
Salina: So the term the New South was actually coined by its leading spokesman and Atlanta editor, Henry W.
Salina: Grady in 1874.
Salina: So just a lot of Atlanta things there.
Salina: We have a lot of things named after this person in Atlanta.
Salina: For those who have not visited and don't realize this.
Salina: But we have a hospital named after that.
Salina: Not that, but know that guy.
Salina: We also have a high school named after him and several other things.
Salina: A beautiful high school.
Salina: But I digress.
Salina: So references you had to look up.
Salina: Anything?
Nikki: I had Madame Butterfly.
Nikki: That was an opera from the early 19 hundreds.
Salina: Sad.
Nikki: 1974.
Nikki: Long gas lines.
Nikki: I didn't take any notes on it.
Nikki: I just looked it up.
Nikki: There were long gas lines.
Salina: Gas lines also in that order.
Salina: And it says gas lines.
Salina: In the 70s.
Salina: It was a thing.
Salina: I mean, gas was high, and there was, like, running out.
Nikki: There was an embargo with Saudi Arabia.
Salina: That's right.
Nikki: And that led to some issues in the Carter administration.
Nikki: Sure.
Salina: Yeah.
Salina: Hey, we know things.
Nikki: We know stuff.
Salina: You know what that proves, you young whippersnappers?
Salina: We weren't alive in the 70s, but we can know things about it.
Salina: So we encourage you to learn things about the 80s, like Designing Women.
Nikki: Oh, God.
Nikki: We've gotten to that point in our lives.
Nikki: I looked up hepple white chairs with a shield back design, which is what Mary Jo points out when they're in the warehouse.
Nikki: Why are you laughing?
Salina: Because did you have to look it up?
Salina: Get the script?
Nikki: Yes.
Salina: Okay.
Nikki: So long story short, this was a person who made cabinets in the 18th century, and they ended up making furniture, like in the style design or something.
Nikki: These are very important antiques, is the bottom line.
Nikki: It was a very specific reference.
Nikki: When the ladies are in jail.
Nikki: This is my favorite one.
Nikki: There's a picture on the wall behind Suzanne of a man looking over a wall.
Nikki: Have you ever made that drawing yourself?
Salina: Made that drawing?
Nikki: Yeah.
Salina: An art class or something.
Nikki: No, just like in your notes or doodles or whatever.
Nikki: I don't never in your life?
Salina: No.
Salina: But this sounds like something that we may need to drop into social media so we can share it.
Nikki: Yes, I will draw one with me.
Nikki: I'm a terrible artist, so I can't draw anything.
Nikki: But this is really easy to draw.
Nikki: And it looks like a wall.
Nikki: And there's a man with a very long nose hanging over it.
Nikki: Anyway, I looked that up.
Salina: Like where the sidewalk ends.
Salina: I don't know.
Salina: For some reason, it sounds like very like a shell silverstein.
Nikki: No drawing.
Salina: And now well, we're really taking this off topic.
Nikki: Anyway, I saw it over Suzanne's shoulder and I thought, oh my gosh, I used to draw that.
Nikki: Why did I used to draw that?
Nikki: It is a wartime image that was initially drawn during world war II.
Nikki: I think it was by soldiers.
Nikki: It does not really matter the point behind it but it became ubiquitous.
Nikki: And it's so ubiquitous in fact, that it showed up on the wall of this fake jail in Designing women.
Nikki: And I saw it, I wanted to know the backstory and so I looked it up but I won't bore everybody else with it except to say if you also drew the person looking over the wall, there is a story to it and you just search man peeking over wall drawing.
Salina: That social media post belongs to you because you're going to have to explain that now you've done it.
Nikki: We'll do.
Nikki: And then the last reference I had was Julia called Reese, the Clarence Darrow of the south.
Nikki: That name is familiar but I had to look it up again.
Nikki: So this was a lawyer in the early 19 hundreds who was involved in the scopes monkey trial, basically where there was a teacher that was accused of violating Tennessee's butler act which had made it unlawful to teach human evolution in a state funded school.
Nikki: So Clarence Darrow was the lawyer who defended this teacher.
Salina: He was also the lawyer in the Leopoldon Loeb case.
Salina: And that's where two wealthy students kidnapped and murdered a 14 year old.
Salina: It was a really big deal.
Salina: I think we could share some articles.
Salina: We won't go on and on because it's really fascinating.
Salina: So if anybody finds true crime interesting, you'll probably enjoy these articles and then you can dig in a little bit more on Clarence because I think things kind of went downhill for him towards his later career.
Salina: But yeah, super interesting guy.
Salina: Was that your whole list?
Salina: I only have one thing that wasn't on your list and that was green stamps.
Salina: So this gets mentioned at some point in the episode.
Salina: I probably should have said when it did.
Salina: I think it was like what can you get somebody interested in?
Salina: Or like maybe it was something to do with how they were going to pay those guys that were helping Anthony.
Nikki: I thought it was a joke about Suzanne.
Nikki: Maybe that's it something about she said have you ever thought of have you ever thought of incorporating comment?
Nikki: I don't know.
Nikki: It doesn't matter.
Salina: So green stamps, I had to look it up because I didn't know what that was.
Salina: And they were trading stamps popular from the they were part of some rewards program that could be traded in for merchandise.
Salina: If you guys remember what it was from the episode, tell us.
Salina: I don't think Nikki and I are going to be going back to look.
Nikki: At this one again.
Nikki: No, because we are.
Nikki: Onward and upward, Salina.
Nikki: We are moving on to episode 16.
Salina: Take it home.
Nikki: Reese's friend.
Nikki: So, as always, if people want to support us, what can they do?
Salina: Salina, you can send money to my Venmo account so you can tell your.
Nikki: Friends and family about.
Nikki: Can't ask people to listen to the podcast.
Nikki: Tried to seamlessly throw it over to you and crap.
Nikki: The bet on it ruined.
Salina: If somebody sends me cash, then you don't get any.
Nikki: That's true.
Salina: Sorry.
Nikki: We'll come back at the end and let you share your Venmo account.
Nikki: Yeah, so people can share us with their friends and family.
Nikki: They can send Salina money so then she can turn it around and put it back in the podcast.
Nikki: And we would just love if people could share the show and rate us and review us wherever they listen to the podcast.
Nikki: And as always, you can follow us on Instagram and Facebook.
Nikki: I'm compressing Instagram and Facebook at Sweet tea and TV We're online.
Salina: We're online, guys.
Nikki: WW.
Nikki: Sweettv.com.
Nikki: And you can email us at sweettvpod@gmail.com.
Salina: Well, you also told him to share us.
Salina: You can pass us around.
Salina: We're a commodity.
Nikki: You know what, man?
Nikki: It's the end of a long week.
Nikki: We're headed downhill into a holiday.
Salina: I feel like I'm about to get kicked out of Nikki.
Salina: And with that, how about we see you around the bend?
Nikki: Bye.
Salina: So it's time for extra sugar.
Salina: Is it a lot?
Nikki: Wife just didn't appreciate the body roll toward me.
Salina: It wasn't torn.
Salina: It okay.
Salina: Let's just get into it.
Salina: I didn't have, like, a snazzy name for this one, but basically this time, what I'd like to do is do a little bit of a deep dive on a reference that we get in this episode.
Salina: Sometimes we'll just give an explainer so people know what it is that's being talked about.
Nikki: And by we, you mean you.
Salina: I think you just gave one for Clarence Darrow.
Nikki: I just gave one for a random drawing behind Suzanne's shoulder in the jail.
Salina: And that, too.
Salina: Yeah.
Salina: So don't forget that's yours on social, so but I think sometimes it's worth exploring a little further, as you and I have been learning on the fly.
Salina: LBT really loves a reference and especially political references.
Salina: Really keeps us on our toes sometimes because we're talking about current events that aren't so current anymore.
Salina: They're kind of lost to the sands of time.
Salina: So feels like it sometimes when I'm trying to Google for it.
Salina: We get a really big name drop in this episode.
Salina: It's very brief, easy to miss.
Salina: But this is the person I'd like to focus on for this week.
Salina: Instead of telling you who this was, we're going to back into this parking spot, okay.
Salina: Because that's a fun time.
Salina: Okay.
Salina: So what I'm going to do is I'm going to run through some of their background and their accolades, and then I'm going to tell you who it is.
Nikki: Okay.
Salina: Which I feel like I already said, but don't tell me how I did that okay.
Salina: So this person was born in Ohio in 1934.
Salina: They were left to treat and take care of their mentally ill mother at the age of ten after their parents divorced.
Salina: They also, after college graduation, and because they received a prominent fellowship, wound up living in India for a few years.
Salina: So, you know, world traveler is what I'm trying to say.
Salina: Then they went on to be a writer, a journalist, a bestselling author, including a very prolific biography about Marilyn Monroe.
Salina: This person briefly wrote a sketch comedy on television.
Salina: This person helped found two prominent magazines, including New York Magazine.
Salina: And in their early career, they went undercover as a journalist in a popular New York City establishment and then wrote an expose about the poor pay and working conditions there.
Salina: They helped create New York Magazine, where they were editor and political writer.
Salina: I already kind of told you about that, but I did not tell you about the editor piece as well.
Salina: So now you know.
Salina: They were a co convener of a national political caucus, created a foundation that helped support individuals with HIV.
Salina: Then in the late 1990s or not the late 90s, but just the 90s, they helped establish something that I bet you you're familiar with take Your Daughter to Work Day.
Salina: Did you ever participate?
Salina: Okay, so that was something that I did participate in with my mom.
Salina: And this was actually the first national effort to empower young girls to learn about career opportunities.
Salina: So this person doesn't marry until the age of 66.
Salina: I'll tell you who it is at the very end.
Salina: It's very interesting.
Salina: They are the winner of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Salina: And then I would ask you to guess, Nikki, but I told you ahead of time, so I'll just go ahead and spoil it.
Nikki: I'm super glad you didn't ask me to guess, because I would have guessed.
Nikki: Is it the author of Eat, Pray, Love?
Salina: Sure.
Salina: Well, maybe there's a lot of accolades in mean so this person is Gloria Steinem.
Salina: So that's quite the list of huh?
Nikki: That's fine.
Salina: She did all right.
Nikki: Cool.
Nikki: But did she have a podcast?
Salina: She's been on podcast, but did she have a podcast?
Salina: But did she have she probably does.
Nikki: She probably does.
Nikki: I should watch my mouth.
Nikki: Yeah, no, that's really impressive.
Salina: Yeah.
Salina: So just to go back in case people missed it, where this happened in the episode is when they're in their lovely warehouse and right before the police come.
Salina: Suzanne is not pleased when asked to participate in some of the manual labors.
Salina: And when she does, though, she winds up chipping a nail and she remarks, I could just kill that glorious.
Salina: You know, we talk a lot about representation on this podcast, and it often leads to these conversations about misrepresentation.
Salina: And that's not just for groups, so it's not just for Southerners.
Salina: It's not something that just happens in a racial or ethnicity way.
Salina: It's not something that happens just for women and countless others.
Salina: This often happens with individuals, too.
Salina: And it just sort of struck me with that reference in this episode that I think for some people, Gloria Steinem and others like her, they become more like myths, legends, and it looms large, but it's all very categorical like.
Salina: Oh, you mean the feminist.
Salina: And I think for a lot of people, that's probably the extent of what they know.
Salina: I feel like if I pressed a good amount of people for, like, okay, but what else?
Salina: They wouldn't know anything from that list that I shared or very few things or they'd know other things.
Salina: So for that reason, I thought it might be worth sharing some of these achievements instead of just sharing the labels that we so easily put on people.
Salina: The other thing that I wanted to do is, oh, I owe you something.
Salina: So her husband did pass away, but his son is incredibly just thought I just thought this was really interesting because I did not realize this.
Salina: So she married David Bell and it's Christian Bale's, Father.
Nikki: Oh, yeah.
Salina: And he was an animal and environmental activist, but he actually passed away only four years after they married.
Nikki: Oh, God, that's sad.
Nikki: Yeah.
Salina: And I think she still speaks of the great love that she has for him.
Nikki: Were they together a long time, do.
Salina: You know, before that?
Salina: I don't really know.
Salina: But the marriage was four years.
Salina: Let's see.
Salina: I've got a quote for you because I kind of thought that this might resonate, and I know you love a good quote.
Salina: I really think this one will, though.
Nikki: Salina stumps me with her quotes.
Salina: This is where we're going to drop this one, guys.
Salina: I want to drop something in your ears.
Salina: I want you to think about this.
Salina: I want you to think about this, especially if you're a man.
Nikki: Okay?
Salina: So listen up.
Salina: We've demonstrated that women can do what men do, but not yet that men can do what women do.
Nikki: Oh, dang.
Salina: That's why most women have two jobs one inside the home and one outside of it, which is impossible.
Salina: The truth is that women can't be equal outside the home until men are equal in it.
Nikki: You see my eyes tearing up.
Nikki: It's true.
Salina: It's a good quote.
Nikki: It is.
Salina: Yeah.
Nikki: I think, fortunately, we've talked a lot this last year about when you force everybody home, how the roles are incredibly unequal.
Nikki: Even if you have a supportive partner, they're just unequal.
Nikki: And we're seeing more and more data coming out that women are leaving the workforce because it is so doggone impossible to wear all the hats all the time.
Nikki: It's impossible.
Salina: Yeah, absolutely.
Salina: And I did say men listen up.
Salina: But let me step back and say people are people.
Salina: I don't care if you're a man.
Salina: I don't care if you're a woman.
Salina: None of that really matters to me.
Salina: Personally.
Salina: Just be a good person.
Nikki: Just be supportive of your partner.
Nikki: And I think I can only speak from the experience of a cisgender female married in a heterosexual marriage with children.
Salina: Let me turn your mic off then.
Nikki: Hold on, I'll turn it off.
Salina: Just kidding.
Salina: Yeah.
Nikki: And I just say that speaks very much to my truth.
Nikki: And it may not be true to everyone, but I think for a lot of women in my position, that rings very true.
Salina: It rang really profound to me.
Salina: I just think that we need progressive thinkers.
Nikki: When was that quote from?
Salina: I really want to say it was from nine.
Nikki: Okay, so it was relatively recently.
Nikki: Okay.
Nikki: I would have cried even more if you had said that was from 1974.
Salina: She probably was saying something similar then.
Salina: Yeah, I think the fight was different.
Salina: I think the struggle was different.
Salina: The last thing that I'll say is, I do want to plug a show.
Salina: It was called Miss America.
Salina: It was on FX.
Salina: And Gloria Steinem is portrayed in that show.
Salina: And so are several other very key people in the fight for equal rights for women and equal pay in the workplace, which was really the heart of the Equal Rights Amendment, which still has never passed.
Salina: And it's just a really excellent look at the way women function, how complicated life is and how complicated equality and justice can be.
Salina: And it really sets up some very interesting dynamics between women because there was an entire group of women who were also pushing against the era, and this became their life's work.
Salina: And so I'm not here to pass judgments.
Salina: I'm just saying go watch the show.
Nikki: When you're done with Designing Women.
Salina: Yes.
Salina: And go educate yourself the way I like to through television.
Salina: Then you fact check, guys.
Salina: Then you fact check.
Salina: That's what we're doing.
Salina: That's what we're showing you.
Salina: That's the service that we provide here.
Salina: So thank you for joining us.
Salina: We are so excited to join you and in person with one another today.
Salina: I mean, not you.
Salina: You're not here, but we are.
Salina: And with that, I will just say happy July 4, happy Independence Day, and thank you for joining us for Extra Sugar.
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