old, old news (aka All Hail Netflix)
I keep wondering if I only like Jeffrey because visually he kind of reminds me of Brian Schechter (I am still all broken up about how Brian and My Chem seem to have had a less than pleasant parting... I have most of a near-future Bob/Brian fic all planned out now just because I needed some kind of comforting resolution), but then I remember that I saw part of this season when it first aired and I even liked him then. I mean, he's a jerk sometimes, but the occasional rage... well, it can be entertaining, and there's something to be said for blunt honesty, however vicious. And he's fucking hot. Maybe a little odd-looking -- Brian's definitely hotter -- but still. Hot! I like it when people aren't perfect, perfect is boring. And he's super rock and roll, which always appeals to me, and in a sort of street punk way, something I have a particular weakness for. My fondness for talented assholes is showing, I guess.
Of course, I also adore Alison, who is so sweet and pretty much the nicest ever. But I think she's really genuine about it. I'm from suburban Minnesota and am not exactly a conformist, so to me, sometimes "nice" sounds a lot like "fake." It sounds like "be like everyone else," "be a good girl," "don't rock the boat." Yet I have a deep appreciation for genuine human decency. True niceness, if you will. She's talented too -- it is completely criminal that she went home before Vincent or Angela. Sure, she should've kept her model in mind a bit more (this show is not exactly body-positive, alas) and done better styling for that challenge, but overall, she's just good. I have to think that must have been the producers meddling. It must have been.
I did like how at the beginning of the next ep, Jeffrey was more pissed about Alison leaving than him coming in second, though perhaps he had just already exhausted that bitterness. And he loves his mom, aww! And oh, she loves him too. He's a recovering alcoholic (that's how she put it, anyway -- Jeffrey was less reserved when talking about his past: "a junkie," "on the streets," "suicidal") and she's proud of him, just awwww. Though I'm going to be annoyed at him if he's an asshole to Angela's mom (I'm in the middle of that episode)... A little while later: Hmmmmmm. Reserving judgment. Jeffrey's emotional, defensive kneejerk reaction is definitely to attack, and that's not pretty. But Angela's mom... so very not my type of person. And not uncalculated, I would guess. I'm going to be annoyed if he gets booted because of her, too. For him, that was indeed trying. In both sense of the word, for that matter. ...Oh man, he was really upset about Robert, too. "They're not all good people, they're not all good people and Robert is" -- to his mom. *pets* Oh, there are plenty of reasons I should dislike Jeffrey, I know this, but I just can't. I can't. [*slaps hands over eyes* Shit, and I just spoiled myself for the end of the season while wandering around the internet. Bad fangirl! Bad! Though I admit to a certain feeling of satisfaction, especially because waiting for my other two Netflix discs was going to be torture, so it's kind of nice to know the good news.]
Michael. I do like Michael, I think he's genuinely nice, thoughtful, and a very good designer. I'm not sure he deserved to win two challenges in a row, though. Frankly, I preferred Kayne's gothy-modern Marilyn Monroe dress and Jeffrey's blue and yellow newspaper dress, but the Pam Greer hot pants were pretty spiffy, I have to admit. And the gold-and-white thing he did with mostly plastic looked great, I just thought Jeffrey's moved a lot more like an actual outfit, and looked amazing. But you know, Michael, thumbs up.
Kayne (my brain keeps trying to switch that up into Kanye, ahahahaha) is one my very favorite people this season. I'd be surprised if he made it all the way -- he has similar range problems to the ones Austin had in season 1. But as a person? He's just adorable. Snarky and occasionally bitchy, but at heart never truly malicious. And he's clearly talented. I don't love everything he's done, but I adored the Marilyn Monroe dress, and the Miss USA dress was just gorgeous. I was so happy for him when he won that one.
Uli: Snore. She makes beautiful dresses that are seriously not my style, and they're always the same fucking dress. Bor-ing. Not disastrous, but just so, so, so not me, and not interesting enough to make me care anyway.
Robert: Totally sweet and utterly adorable, and I think he has a core of something in him. But he gets kind of caught up and stressed out and then defaults to boring, alas. I am sorry he's out, but I'm glad Jeffrey's still around. I want Angela and Vincent GONE. Though I admit Vincent has flashes of excellence (interspersed with the many flashes of horror), at least. Not my style still, but creative.
Yeah, it's obvious I don't like Angela, isn't it. She just. Annoys me. Her stuff can actually be decentish when she lays off the florets and really concentrates, but even then, I feel kind of meh. And it's like she and Laura are covering the Wendy ground this season, personality-wise.
At least Laura is super-competent. Like Uli, she also has the tendency to make the same damn thing every time, and I don't particularly like her attitude. Keith annoyed the shit out of me and I'm glad he's gone even though his clothes were fairly promising, but he hit the nail on the head when he called her "bad mommy." Not that I have any beef with her actual parenting skills, that can't really be seen on the show (except the whole "add the sixth one to the pile" thing, which struck me as a little odd... why not just use birth control? is that so hard?), but sometimes the way she interacts with the other designers is condescending in a "mother knows best" sort of way that is rather infuriating. But mostly, I just don't really like her style. It's "elegant" in a way that I find... unconvincing. Uninspiring. And just not pretty. And for goodness' sake, woman, you have no cleavage. I have no interest in seeing all that bony ribcage bared by your hideous plunging v-necks. Just ew. So unflattering! Flat is so much easier to work with in fashion than curvy, yet she constantly chooses to wear the exact thing that looks icky to me. I'm sure it's very fashionable, but well, sometimes fashion is inexplicable to me. What can you do. I want Alison back! *kicks fitfully*
I watched the first disc of season 2 and the skipped the rest of it because I realized I knew what happened and didn't feel the need to see it again, but part of me thinks I should go back and watch it again, if only for Nick. Season 1 pleased me because I definitely felt the right person won (that Chrysler Building dress was probably my favorite piece from that entire season), but season 2, I just wasn't really excited about any of the finalists. I liked them all fine as designers, but I didn't love any of them. But I did really like Nick. And on second time through perhaps one of the finalists will grow on me. Maybe I'll go back after watching the later seasons... But it would be nice to catch all the way up first, I think. Two more discs of season 3 to go!