We’re back for another Designing Women season 6 recap! This time, we’re talking all things The Terminator. ahem We mean, Julia. We’ll focus on her major plotlines, funniest moments, and how season 6 shaped her character. As usual, we’ll also rate how the character of Julia fares this season - is she up? Down? Still locked in an Italian restaurant with Rusty somewhere?
And come back Thursday for a super-special Extra Sugar - we’re introducing our first-ever Sweet Tea & TV Book Club! We’re going to chat about Delta Burke’s memoir, Delta Style.
Theeeeen, we’ll be back next week to chat about our favorite ATL kook, Bernice.
Come on y’all, let’s get into it!
Or listen on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music.
Transcript
Hey, Nikki.
Hey, Salina.
And hey, y'all. And welcome to sweet tea and TV. This is our season six episode dedicated to the one and the only Ms. Julia Sugarbaker.
Selina: We're recording through a hurricane right now
Nikki, should we tell everyone that we're recording through a hurricane right now?
Recording through a hurricane? We're back virtual, which we haven't done in a while, so we're just checking boxes left and right. How does it feel, Salina?
It feels so good. It feels like 2022.
I was thinking that Kyle was trying to help me set everything up earlier, and I was like. My eyes started twitching, and I was like, I'm just having this horrible flashback. Just a real horrible flashback.
Tears and stuff. So.
Yes. Yeah, we're not doing that today.
Not today, no. Because we're gonna channel some of that Terminator energy. You know what I'm saying?
I do.
so with that in mind, do you want to let us know what happened to the Terminator this season?
Yes. So we're gonna talk about the episodes that were Julia focused, and then we'll talk about her major plot points. so, Selina, I'm gonna run through the ones that I have, given that we have a shared note where we share all these things. We should have the same episodes. If I'm missing anything, let me know.
Okay, so we've got episode three, a Toe in the water
Okay, so we've got episode three, a Toe in the water. we talked about this one in our first episode this season as a bit of a cringe moment this season. This one was ostensibly about Julia, quote, unquote, dipping a toe back into the dating waters, going out with a guy that she met at the mart or whatever. but what ensues is actually 20 some odd minutes of, like, all the gay stereotypes.
Mm, Mm,
so then we get all the way to the end. The payoff is that he's heterosexual and that Julia isn't ready to date. So it's a little bit unsatisfying. But that was episode three. Then we had episode 10, Julia and Rusty sitting in a tree. So in this episode, we get real close to what the title promises. Not quite Julia and the built challenged handyman Rusty sitting in a tree, but rather in a nice Atlanta restaurant. this is the episode that includes the memorable double date situation to the drive in. So we get Bernice and Anthony, we get Julia and Rusty, Rusty's friend, and.
Mary Jo and Rusty's friends. Nipples.
So many nipples. All of them. All right. And then we had episode 11, Julia and Mary Jo get stuck under a bed. So we talked about this one in Mary Jo's episode last week. I like to call this one the Ochuck episode, but this is the one where they're decorating for a yuletide house and get wind that a competitor is stealing their ideas. So the crew, aided and abetted by Rusty the electrician, sneak in to check things out. Julia and Mary Jo then get trapped under a bed when the owner, who is a playboy TV anchorman, returns home unexpectedly with a lady friend. Fortunately, Anthony and Carlene team up and save the day. And it goes smoothly. Of course. Of course, of course. Then we have episode 15, Pain Comes Home. This one also came up in episode one this season, again for me, as a cringe inducing experience. So Payne visits from New York City, but as it turns out, it's only because he and his wife Sylvia have separated and he needs a safe place to land, which turns out he wanted to be his mother's womb. All kinds of awkwardness.
Normal stuff.
Normal stuff. Totally, totally normal. and then we got two more episodes. Episode 17, Maimed. So this one starts out to me looking like an episode about Anthony because he's the one that was chosen to direct a community theater showing of Mame. But after he convinces the rest of the group to audition and Julia lands the lead, it becomes more of a Julia focused episode. She brings her most aggressive Julia energy to the show. she makes big moves related to the production and direction, and then makes, quote, not friends with a drunken former Broadway actress who's co starring in the show.
Yeah.
And then we have episode 22, A Little Night Music. This was my worst episode of the season in episode one of our podcast. It's just a tough watch for me. It fell into the Designing Women trap of feeling uncomfortable anytime men try to be romantic. So as Julia's facing down a possible hysterectomy, she starts questioning whether or not she's still womanly. Fortunately, a romantic doctor who looks like a rock star flirts with her and sings, her country love songs.
Well, I do like the country love song. Oh, no, not. No, I like the background. Never mind. Don't worry. Not his songs. I like George Strait.
Right, right, right. but when he's singing to her, it's a little bit awkward.
Yeah.
So those were the episodes I had. Did I miss any?
Salina, it was just sheer perfection, you know? Great summary.
Thank you.
I just want you to tell me that I have good mic discipline.
You have excellent mic discipline.
No, I don't.
You know, you're really struggling. I can see you actively see the.
Mic be the mic.
Feel the mic.
Don't feel the mic. Don't do it. Don't do it.
Don't do. And make this more exciting.
It would be so exciting.
Salina discussed Julia's major plot points on Talk Talk
So, the next thing I wanted to talk about a little bit was her major plot points. I thought this was a little bit of a light season, plot wise for Julia. I was thinking about the whole season. She definitely loomed large through the season. She was in all the episodes, doing all the things, but none of it was really driving toward major plot points. But here's what I pulled out, and I think you will share these because again, we share a note about these things.
Maybe. What if I disagree with every single point?
I'm like, this is why I show up week, week to week is I really just want to see how you're going to challenge me. That's why I'm here, Salina. So do it.
Awesome.
This season we definitely got Julia grieving Rhys and Hayden
so this season we definitely got Julia grieving Rhys and Hayden, still her, first husband or her only husband. in the midst of that, she's attempting to date again, which is proving challenging. like Mary Jo, she's dealing with family issues. She mentions early in the season that she has no one left in Atlanta for her, so her mother and her sister have both left Atlanta. Payne obviously isn't here anymore. And then, of course, she's lost Rhys. so then, in addition to all of that, Payne comes home mid season and she has to help him navigate a tough marriage situation which results in him leaving again. So all kinds of family situations. Then, of course, she has that health scare at the end of the season when she thinks she might have to get a hysterectomy. Did I miss any major plot points?
No major plot points. what I will say that feels like maybe it's a part of this conversation and hopefully I don't kick myself later on. But is just this idea of like, someone I saw someone on social media say, I don't like seasons six and seven because it's so political. And with the exception of maybe two episodes, I would say that season six has been the least political. That kind of thing is normally driven by Julia. So, maybe, like, part of her journey here is that that part of her character that's been so built in over the last five seasons kind of falls away a little bit here. I think so, definitely.
So that's an interesting perspective. I'm trying to see if I have this in my notes somewhere. because that has been her trajectory as a character this season, we get less social and political Julia and a lot more goofy and silly. so it's so interesting that that would be someone's takeaway from this season.
I think people have a really, weird memory for the final seasons. It's wrapped up in too many emotions and then with respect and, some. Whatever. To them, it has been 35 plus years. So maybe they just don't really remember what happened.
Yeah. And then they skip the season in rewatches because they have such a bad taste in their mouth about it.
Right.
Yeah.
Salina Smith: I hope this season is a success. I really hope it is
all right, well, we're calling this season, I mean, this episode about Julia's adventures this season Julia Fun Bitchy, not scary bitchy, which is a throwback to.
Maimed and also my epitaph. I really hope it is. Can you make sure that happens for me?
I've got so many for you. I thought we had another one. I thought we talked about one in episode one. Probably I should have written it down. I can't promise you're going to get anything from me after you die, Salina, because I didn't write any notes down.
Yeah, exactly.
Can you give me a document of all your wishes?
Oh, wait. Salina Smith. No notes.
I like it. Mic drop, no notes.
Here you go.
So that's our high level recap. Salina, you want to walk us through some of our superlatives?
Absolutely. we've got a little bit of a standard going on here now.
I think we'll start with the best and worst episode overall
I think we'll start with the best and worst episode overall. So out of Julia's, what was your best? Or I guess that's like a synonym for favorite.
Yeah, so I really struggled with this one was best. Like. Yeah, what you just said. My favorite or best. Dixie Carter's best performance or like Julia's shining moment. So I decided to land on the latter. Dixie Carter's best performance slash Julia shining moment, which I thought was maimed. When she sang It Hurts Me M during rehearsal, I died laughing every time I watched that.
Okay.
Do you know what I'm talking about?
I don't. I'm gonna have to go back and watch it. I watched a snippet of it today because I'm doing something for social media, but I didn't catch that.
It's when she and Ivy are rehearsing, like, facing off head on, and they're doing their, like, back and forth, whatever. And that's. That, I think is actually when Anthony has to tell him, like, it's supposed to be fun bitchy, not scary. It was so great. Her face work, her vocals. And then I think just Julia's performance was over the top in that episode.
It definitely was. Yeah. Maybe, like, I think it's because of the performance, you know, we get a little bit more of that Dixie that we think, was, you know, or that we were told is real life Dixie. So.
Yes, and it felt it. I liked that. I thought that episode was great, and I thought it was just a great example, of her character.
This is the third time the show has sent Julia on a mercy date
All right, I love it.
What about you?
Well, mine is I. So I wound up going with Julia and Rusty sitting in a tree. Well, the easiest answer was probably going to be like, julia and Mary Jo get stuck under a bed. But we've already talked about that one at length. So I was interested in how this, whole thing would play out with Rusty, who's basically just been a laugh line in previous seasons. So I thought that gave it a little, like, bit of interest, you know, intrigue, if you will. But I really like the good, good, good.
But I really like the choice to make him this, like, romantic softy who's maybe a little more. More culture than, like, they gave him credit for or that we knew to give him credit for. And with the exception of Anthony, we don't always like or understand the way they write men on the show, you know, so Rusty showing up in this kind of way, it just kind of felt like, oh, he's a good one. And, you know, maybe it's the sensitivity and, like, there's this, like, genuine sweetness to him. You know, all he wants is to take a beautiful woman out for his 40th birthday. I thought that was really sweet. You know, it didn't seem like there were other intentions in the mix.
Have you noticed that Julia is, like, end game for multiple men throughout this series? Like, there was that guy she went to high school with that, like, the only wish he had before he died was to go out with her.
I need you to know that that is. My fun fact for this episode is this is the third time the show has sent Julia on some version of a mercy date. So there's the one that you mentioned, which is season four, episode two, One Night with youh. But there's also technically, season three, Episode three, ep, Phone Home, when she rescues the dad trucker driver.
Oh, yep.
And they go to the Peabody. Yeah, that's a little bit in that same vein.
You know, I just laughed about Peabody.
Was it the pee?
I don't know.
Okay. Is it the ducks? Peabody? I gotta get there. I gotta get to those ducks. so I also. My Last thought on this episode was I think the show made some good pacing decisions. You know, that's like a real sticking point for me. So we spent the right amount of time on that first, because it wasn't necessarily, like, funny, but it was more leaning into the suite, but we didn't lean too much into it. And then everyone winding up at the drive in for the double, date later in the episode was silly, but it worked well enough. I. I think Bernice probably saved that part of the episode.
Yes. For sure. Yeah. That whole part of the episode wouldn't have been. The payoff wouldn't have been as great without her. Mary Jo. What, they were trying to do with Mary Jo is also give it a little comic relief with, like, that juxtaposition of her with the guy she was on a date with and some of the things she was saying to him. But it just didn't feel the same as Bernice.
I also didn't think he was that terrible or that terrible looking or anything.
It was just that unfortunate shirt.
I, mean, even. Yes, the shirt. But, like, also then they were like, he stinks in the car. And then I was like, okay, well, that's, like, probably a deal breaker, honestly.
Well, it's because of the shirt. Like, you would think mesh would breathe, but I think it was probably made of some kind of weird, unbreathable polyester. So I don't think it was his fault.
He needed some acv.
Yes. Yes. That would have helped him.
We're, just here to help.
We're still oxiclean.
Yes.
Or, you know, just deodorant.
We'll just side pod on that.
Yes.
This episode came off as a filler, which I think was intentional
what about your worst episode? You already know worst performance. Okay, so we both went with a little night music.
Then we went with a little night music. I tried to watch that episode again this week just to see, like, was I not giving it enough credit or was it really not that bad? Because that has happened to me before. That happened to me on the Anita Hill one where the first time I watched, I was like, oh, my God, so bloated. What a terrible episode. Then the second time I watched, I was like, oh, I get it now. That didn't happen with this one. This one was still super awkward.
Tough way to spend 22 minutes, to.
Be honest, at like 5:00 in the morning, which is usually when I'm watching the episodes. Yeah, I agree.
Yeah, I don't. I don't think that was the intention for it to be a filler episode, but it Kind of came off on as one. You know, the placement isn't easened. Isn't even really right for a filler.
Episode right at the end of the season.
Yeah. This is also only one of four that LBT wrote this season.
Okay.
And there's arguably a known guest star, you could argue. and so it makes me think that it was very intentional. So I'm curious If LBT or Dixie1 had a scare and then decided to work that into the show. That's something. As we know, LBT did a lot. And then I didn't do a ton of research, but it looks like there was a sizable strike in LA county in the fall of 91 that might have inspired her as well. because that was kind of, like this weird side part, like, of how they got brought together in the first place, so.
That's true. I didn't think about that.
Yeah, I. You know, I. I think it was also very telling for me.
I had forgotten about the elevator scene altogether until I started rewatch
This is one thing we haven't really talked about much in the episode we did a little bit, but the claustrophobic in me would normally run from, like, the elevator part.
Oh.
But that might have been the only enjoyable piece of it. I actually really liked what Allison wrote. She was, like, wrote writing a note to the hospital that was like, when you open this tomb and find our bodies. And I was like, I'm really feeling that. It's, like, the first time, I really was like, all right, Allison, I see you. It only took 23 episodes, and here we are. And then I mentioned this at the top, but they play my, like, one of my top favorite George Strait songs, which is you look so Good in Love. it's just a. Just a good song that man can sing. That's all I'm gonna say.
I had forgotten about the elevator scene altogether until I started the rewatch.
Yeah. I mean, it's just so weird. There are, like, no elevators that big unless it's carrying freight. and then, like, they just needed to do that just to fit everyone in. And then, like, was there a big call for the attempt, to come back? We got to get this. We gotta get that temp back. He had such an excellent performance. So I wonder.
Yeah. Cause they gave Rusty, like, prime, real estate this season after multiple seasons of him being the butt of the joke. Now we've got this temp and the, I guess what was a big part of the episode? I just forgot.
Yeah. I mean, well, it was weird, so there is that.
Did you have any funny moments on the show this season
did you have, Did you have any funny moments?
Yes, I had two. I mean, there are lots of funny moments, but her, tirade, when, Julia M. And Mary Jo get stuck under a bed, when they finally get unstuck and have the chance to call Anthony, she had multiple outbursts in that episode that were really funny. But the one where she was like, anthony, listen, you gotta get us out of here. I cannot take another minute of this depravity. This has gone way beyond breaking the decorating rules for the Yuletide home tour. There is no way that we can admit that we've been under this man's bed tonight and have seen and heard the things that we have seen and heard. We would have to leave this state that just. She just went on and on and on, and it was so glorious.
Yeah, she's definitely good at that kind of thing. I liked in the first episodes how she kept threatening Allison. I think maybe there was only two, but they're really good. She says at one point, Let me just give you two basic choices. You can either quit, or I can kill you. Think about it and let me know.
And think it back to me.
I might use that one. I don't know. What else did you have?
And then again, Maimed, when she was facing off with Ivy McBride. They were just both so formidable and so extra. And it was fascinating to watch Julia interact with someone that's arguably, more difficult, personality than she is. But they had multiple funny moments. But that rehearsal scene when they were going back and forth, exchanging the barbs. I kind of feel like I need to see Maimed now. Or not Maimed Mame.
Right, Right.
I feel like I need to see that now. I feel like this is a pop culture reference I've missed, but it looks glorious.
Yeah. Yeah, I think it's a goodie.
I had her interaction with the Boy Scout camp director, which we only get like her retelling, but she says, I just had a, most interesting and enlightening conversation with the boys camp director. What'd you say? It was ridiculous to expect us to stay here in this ramshackle pigsty when there are well equipped cabins at the boys camp. Oh. What did he say? Maybe you ought to go home. So I said that we had every bit as much of a right to spend the night in the woods as the boys did, but we did require adequate facilities. So what did he say? Maybe you ought to go home. Then he stretched out in his outdoorsman bark lounger and went back to us, flipping of the channels on his big screen tv, whereupon I inadvertently reached down and yanked out his coaxial cable. And what did he say? That was the big game. What do you expect me to do now? What did you say? Maybe you ought to go home. That was a really long thing for that payoff. But. But if you really love Designing Women, you will enjoy the fact that I just read three paragraphs of text and.
You'Ve motivated them to go back and watch it.
Maybe you ought to go home.
Maybe you ought to turn on Hulu.
I just see her, like, flipping a cord while she's saying it. You know, she's, like, just in her hand, all in a circle.
Very, like 1940s.
Yeah. Like a, jukebox sniper, if you will. What else did you have?
That's all I had. For funniest moments, I've got.
The last one I had was the her calling. if they. If I had to hear them call him the Donald one more time, I was going to pass out. But them calling her, calling Trump at the end, she goes. Hello? Hello, Mr. Trump. I hope I'm not disturbing you. I'm just calling you to say, on behalf of The American public, Mr. Trump, we no longer care. Care who you date. We really don't. You're no longer obligated to alert the news media every time your pants are on fire, because we don't care. So please feel free to fire your many hacks, flacks, and publicists employed for this purpose, because, and I repeat, we don't care. Who am I? Who am I? Well, you've never met me, but you can just call me the Julia.
The play really left us hanging on Julia Sugar Baker's phone call
so anyway, nightmare to get a.
Phone call from Julia Sugar Baker.
I mean, honestly, I want to hear what she has to say to him now, you know that's a phone call. No, but that's the phone call I want to hear, to be honest.
Yeah. So that's where the play really left us hanging. We didn't get enough of that in the play.
No, we sure didn't. which is kind of surprising, so.
It is.
Yeah.
She didn't lean in on that as much as she could.
She was too busy pressing her body parts up against the glass.
I had forgotten about that, but thank you.
I never have, and we've seen it twice.
I never will be awake at night, maybe.
You can have up to three cringiest or most obnoxious moments
okay, so we brought in this category for the next one. So you can either have up to three cringiest or up to three most obnoxious moments, or a combination of the two.
What you got thank you for allowing the combination, because I do in fact have a combination. so all of episode three, which we've already talked about, in episode one I talked about a little while ago, it was just a lot of gay stereotypes for very little payoff. and presented in a really oddly disparaging way, especially for something that was coming from LBT's wheelhouse. and I know that wasn't all Julia. This wasn't even her, like, plot by design. It was Allison who introduced the concept, but it was so unusual for Julia to play into it. So, it was probably equal parts obnoxious and cringey.
Mine was in episode 18, a scene from a mall. She ran right over Anthony's plan to stay out of it with her little mall protest. we talked a little bit about this already, but I'll say again, it's one thing to be an advocate and an ally and another thing to ignore the people that you're advocating for. So I don't know if that was the intention of writers Mark, Alton Brown and De La Duke, but I think that's an important 2024 walk away. To have in mind. And if they were thinking that, and wanted that to kind of shine through in the episode, well, that was very ahead of the time.
It worked out for sure. I had in Pain Comes Home. She had a little bit of a speech about marriage, and in particular it was obviously about Pain's marriage to Sylvia. But that speech really kind of missed the mark for me a little bit. probably in more of an obnoxious lane than a cringey lane. But she said, she said, you have to go. It's time. Darling. When you married that girl, you made a promise. You have to go back now and face your responsibilities. So she framed his entire marriage as an obligation, which I feel like is an old school approach and would be consistent with her character. But it. Or with the character that we're supposed to see Julia as this sort of like old school Southern woman. But it was really unfortunate because it's not forward thinking. It's very much. And it's just very much like, you made this promise, now go figure it out. but then she also just. It kind of minimizes what he was going through. Like, so sorry this is hard on you, but you made an obligation to that girl. Go figure it out. And the way that it read, I think it was intended to be less like that and more like, just be a grown up. Be a grown up and go deal with your responsibility. And it may be that you need to walk away from the marriage, but you owe her that. Like, I think that's what it was meant to be. But the way it read was, like, you owe her go back home.
Yeah, I can see that. I mean, I think that's a little bit of the conundrum of Julia. Right? Like, in some ways she's so forward thinking, and then other ways, she winds up being super traditional. which is why I was surprised by the pressure body parts on the glass, because that just didn't seem very traditional. But, you know, times are changing. Times are a change. And, you know, I want to be very clear that's for anybody that wants to put their body parts on the glass. As long as the person on the other side is aware and consenting in the Consenting. Yeah, they need to be into it. Otherwise, you're just a pervert.
And we probably should say for anybody who's listening for the first time or new this season, that we went and saw the Designing Women play when it came to Atlanta. So what we're talking about is that play go back to, like, one of our special episodes.
Fine. Give them the context. Text.
Like, when did Julia press her breasts against the glass? Post 2020, guys.
Everybody was. Honestly, it gets really boring to be locked up in the house for that long. okay, Well, I found a few things cringy about her and the doctor in episode 22. Just going back.
I can't believe that didn't make my list.
Well, don't worry. I gotcha. Excellent. Well, you know, in our first episode, again, like, we've touched so much on, our low tolerance for the way romantic characters are written in the show. But I did pull a line to prove this point. He says, then you become a surgeon, and everyone's body sort of becomes like a map for you to navigate. Sometimes it seems everyone is just a map and nothing more. Then someone like you comes along and you're like, wow, the human body. I can't even get through it.
Wow.
Okay, that's a great lead in for my second part of why this is Cringe, which is like, he is her doctor. What is happening? So this is just, like, so far from appropriate. I'm not saying there's never chemistry between a provider and a patient. Certainly there has been and will be again. But, like, this is playing out more like a fantasy in someone's head. Like the beginning of, like, a M. Thank you. Help me. I'm like porno. He's you know, he's playing her guitar and they're slow dancing in the break room. This is women's porno. like what? It's ethical porn.
It was a strike, Salina. All bets are off during a strike.
All bets, all clothes, everything.
Episode 17 was Julia at her basest, her most natural
did you have any others, or do you want to move on to socially and culturally relevant?
I think that we had one.
Ah.
More Obnoxious Julia that I wanted to talk about, which I touched on a few minutes ago, but maimed. Episode 17 was Julia at her basest, her most natural, and I think some might even say her most obnoxious. So she had that freak out over the newspaper ad. Heads are gonna roll. It was just so over the top and so extra. she threatened Mary Jo to have to perform the role of the homely assistant without makeup. It was just mean.
Yeah.
and then Allison said she always suspected Julia had a mild case of OPD or obnoxious personality disorder. And I think she might be onto something. It could be lurking in there. but then, you know, she advised that little boy to glue his tooth back in, which I just think is cold blooded. So I think we had a few obnoxious moments there.
The show must go on.
Teeth be darned.
Yep. Thank you for cleaning that up, because I wasn't going to. Okay, well, that's a good one in fair. And I think that might have been what kept me from enjoying that one as much as I was. I felt super annoyed with her. So I need to go back and watch that one, you know, for a third time. And third time's dark. and, like, really just lean more into, like, appreciate it from the other side and not, like, how I would feel and want to punch her in the face. If I was with her, I'd have to get, like, a little Bernice on her. I've always wanted a piece of you.
I feel like that's what's coming in your future. Salina, is just to turn a little Bernice. God willing, should we all be so lucky.
I would love to be Bernice.
A lot of Julia's plot points this season spoke to aging
Okay, so are we ready to talk about the most socially or culturally important or relevant plot out of Julia's episodes?
As ready as we're gonna be.
Okay, well, tell me what you got.
Part in the notes. I think a lot of Julia's plot points this season spoke to, aging and the issues that women deal with as they age. So with that in mind, I was torn between two Pain Comes Home and a little night music. I landed on Pain Comes Home simply because I hated A little night music. So much so in pain comes home. I think she was dealing with, the thing that a lot of women struggle with as they get older and I don't know, is portrayed as much on TV because. And in entertainment, because we focus so much on youth and young women and the adventures of young people that I don't think we talk a lot about this issue that some, women of a certain age. I even hate to say older women. I just mean, like, women of a certain age deal with. Which is like, having been a parent so much of your life, or in Julia's situation, she was a wife for a long time and then slipping into a time where either your kids don't need you as much or you no longer have a partner and having to figure out what life looks like. And she actually said, in a little night music, something along the lines of, and now I have to figure out what the hell to do with my life or what. Where the hell I'm going. And I think both of those things speak to this. This next chapter for women. And I do. I think that's culturally important because I don't think we talk about that a lot.
Okay, so I.1. I agree with you. I think that.
Thank you. I thought you were saying. Okay, you're wrong in here, first of all.
No, so I agree with you. I think mine's just going to be a different shade of the same kind of thing. Okay. But I like the way you're talking about, like, the ageism piece of it, which I think is really important, especially as I'm just running up on 40, like, it's.
It's, getting depression, isn't it?
Yeah. Okay. While a little night music didn't work for me, the whole hysterectomy plot line is certainly not lost on me, you know, and what she's going through. So it raises a lot of questions about what it means to be a woman. Is it the body part? Is it energy, like feminine energy? Is it being sugar, spice and everything nice? You know, that understanding is something that grows and changes over. Over the years. But I also think there's a real sadness or mourning when something so inextricably linked to your identity, like the ability to bring life into the world, is suddenly taken away from you. You know, that's not something that's often explored on tv, and yet it's happening to halfway, at least half the population on a regular basis. So that in itself is worth appreciating. While I don't appreciate much else about the episode, I really appreciated that aspect, and I think there was a certain bravery in that. Julia and Mary Jo seem to face a different shade. We're still in the shades here. Nightshades. a different shade of this idea again in episode 20. I enjoy being a girl. That is. What does it mean to be a woman? So, Nikki, you did such a lovely job speaking to this in our first episode. But I will say, ultimately, I think what Julia and Mary Jo come around to is that you can totally call out misogyny. You can still wear a twirly skirt. you know, being a feminist doesn't mean that you can't be feminine. I think that is something that gets confused and not normally by feminists.
Sure.
For the record, again, proud feminist over here. Proud. Loud and proud. Okay, check it out, guys. Check it out, guys. It means equity for everyone. ultimately, also, when applying this to today, gendered things are something the general we continue to grapple with. So the brain wants to put things in a box. And I understand that, but at the same time, we. You just keep proving over and over again that humans are just a little bit more complicated than that. So I don't know that they were trying to say all that, but it made me think about those things as I was mulling this question about what really were the most important things for Julia this season.
Yeah.
so, see, just a different shade of, the age. You know, shades of the age. Shade, age, shades. Let's see how many times we can say shade, shades. All the shades.
I loved how bouncy her hair was towards the beginning of the season
So before we leave superlatives, I have to say two things about Julia. Three, please.
Oh, gosh. Three. I don't know if we have time for that.
We don't have any time. One is, I loved how bouncy her hair was, especially towards the beginning of the season. I don't. I don't know what it was, but there was something so, like, Pantene Pro V about it, you know?
Okay.
Like, I just loved it.
I'll have to take a look. See?
Yeah. Especially in the first couple of episodes. And then I gotta call out two outfits. One is in the season premiere. It's like a white suit jacket that's a little low cut and buttoned up, and it has a skirt with it. At first I thought I went back and watched it today. I thought it was. And I wish it was like this, actually. I thought it was a gold chain that ran, like, asymmetrically from, like, the clavicle down to, like, the top of the low neckline. And then say it, Salina. And then, But it's actually like, It was actually like, layered gold necklaces. Okay.
but did you get pictures of these?
You would think so. We'll have. We'll have some eventually, you know.
Okay.
And I was, like, taking video this morning, but I was like, yeah. Ah.
it's just sometimes it's too much.
It was way too much. But then the other one that I really like, this is in pain, comes home. She wears, like, the salmon colored suit. They usually put her in these power colors, like the reds and the purples.
Yeah.
I loved her in this color. I wonder if that was purposefully done because of the mom aspect.
The mom thing.
Yeah. But it, like, really softened her look a lot and. And gave, like, just this. I, like, I wasn't sure she could pull off those colors. I don't know why. It's Dixie Carter. I should know better. But I'm just so used to seeing her in a power red. And I was like, oh, she is a knockout in these, like, soft pastels.
So I feel like I actually remember that outfit because it is striking.
It's so good.
She does look beautiful.
Yeah, she is just ridiculously beautiful.
Are you ready for our new segment? Yeah, I don't know
so, yeah, I'm done now, I swear.
Are you ready for our new segment?
Yeah, I don't know. It's not really good.
I have, a surprise for you. When you. Listen, Salina, you haven't heard our first episode from. I mean, it's episode two, the Mary Jo episode, where we do our first technology takedown. You haven't heard it yet?
No.
I have a surprise for you when you get there.
Yay. I'm not a Patreon, so I didn't get early access. Well, sorry, I guess I'll have to start paying. Yeah.
Salina suggested we talk about who Julia would be in the digital age
Technology takedown. We introduced this new segment this season where we want to talk about which plot lines would need revamps if the ladies lived in the digital age. so since we just introduced this new segment, it's time for us to start playing with the rules a little bit and switching things around.
We're going to change it.
We're going to change it completely. So this week, Salina suggested we talk about who Julia would be in the digital age. So we want to answer three hypotheticals. What's her go to social media platform? Thinking about her foray into the dating world this season. Would she be on the apps now that Reese has passed? and part three, is she a podcast person? So, like, let's take those questions in turn. Salina, what is Julia's go to social media platform.
Okay, so let's frame it up first. Like how old is Julia? So she's supposed to be about 12 to 50, 15 years older than Suzanne, depending on the episode. So, Suzanne would have been 34 in the fifth season.
The fact that I know these things, that's alarming.
Yeah. But she does turn 29 in the first season, second episode. So I'm just going off that math anyway, so let's call Julia 46 to 49. And we do know that age really matters when it comes to social media platforms, generally speaking. So with that in mind, she was pretty active on formerly known as Twitter, you know, for the politics and breaking news. But she was part of the mass exodus of 2023. You know, she's real plugged in. She has a lot of strong feelings about the new owner. she can sometimes be found scrolling Instagram for French recipes. And of course she follows all of the good museums and art houses.
Fair enough. See now I take a different stance on Twitter, formerly known as X. I also think that she would have been pretty active there. I think her rants are usually longer than the 280 characters or whatever that they allow, but they usually do boil down to one like crazy impactful one liner anyway. So I think it would actually be kind of a good fit for ex. but I actually feel like she would have stayed post Exodus and I feel that way because of what you said at the end. She would have strong feelings about the new owner and she would not go quietly into the night. She would need to stay strictly to tee off on Elin and maybe some of the other, big users.
Who's watching the watchers? This is what I'm Julia.
It's my take, Julia Sugar Baker.
We're in safe hands.
And then I do have to say, at the risk of generalizing based on age alone, so I'm very glad that you teed up age. My first instinct actually would have been Facebook. Without having done the math, you would just assume that at the age she would be, she's going to be on Facebook looking at Reese's, I mean Payne's, children's pictures and Mary Jo's grandchildren probably at this point, pictures she'd be on there. but I actually think her rants probably would skew a little too liberal for Facebook. So I don't know that she would be there very, actively anymore. I also do think she would be on nextdoor, but I think she would be a lurker I think she'd be seeing what everybody's doing around in the neighborhood.
Okay, all right, I like that.
So what about dating apps? Would she be there?
Okay, so I think Carleen would have made her a profile and.
Oh, my God, Salina. Same Page City.
Yeah. And then some kind of shenanigans would come from that, and I want to see that episode a thousand percent. We'll write in our spare time. No problem.
So, yes, my. In my mind, Carleen read some sort of, like, real cute story online of an older couple who found, like, second or third love on a dating app, but she would mistakenly think it was something like Tinder or Bumble or probably, most likely Grindr. And she would set up an account for Julia there, and chaos would ensue.
Love it.
She'd be on Grindr, and she'd accidentally become a gay icon. Or she would end up, like, in real life, or she would end up on multiple, like, weird dates. But I totally think it was Carleen who set her up.
You don't have to be, farmer.com lonely. I can't remember the jingle, but it does seem like maybe she would accidentally set her on that, too. Yeah.
Yes.
You don't have to be lonely on, Farmers Only dot com. Is that it?
I don't know. I'm gonna have to look this up. I don't know that one. Where have you heard this ad?
I don't remember. Tv.
Are you listening to the Future Farmers of America podcast?
I'm a big fan. You know, I've got that real farming energy.
You do, you do. It's, the green thumb of keeping plants mostly alive.
And to tell y'all how much Nikki, trust me. She said before we, like, figured out and why we. I mean, before she figured out how we were going to record today, she said, Salina, you can do a lot of things, but I just don't think that maybe you trying to figure out audio is a good idea.
I don't think I said it because.
I'm a farmer at heart.
Skill sets, you know, it's like to.
Really get in there with my hands, you know?
You do. You do. I don't. I'm really stressed out.
I've got zero skills.
It's not true. It's not true.
Is Julia a podcast person? Is she listening to anything under NPR umbrella
You keep us on track and you give us exciting questions, like, is Julia a podcast person?
I'll look at you with your transitions. Yes. definitely political ones. Something in the vein of Pod Saves America. Is that what you picked? Central. Okay.
Anything under the NPR umbrella? Oh my God.
That's what I said. I said she's obviously tuning into whatever NPR is serving up.
Up this American Life.
Fresh air. Yeah, I mean, it's all of it.
You know, Thousand percent.
Yeah, she's listening to whatever is on Saturday mornings. No, no, wait, tell me more or whatever.
Wait, wait, wait, wait, don't tell me. Yeah, yep, I have that one in my notes too.
Yep, yep. And I'd hazard a guess that she's left some one star reviews on the Tucker Carlson pod. She has strong ratings there. Hey, you guys, if y'all want to leave us a five star rating.
Shameless.
Plug, that'd be great. No, one stars, please. One star. They're not even covering season six. Screw them.
I hope that person comes back. I will say also that I imagine she's not joining me and Carleen and listening to like Dateline and true crime stuff, but I do bet she has something gossipy hiding in her feed that she listens to, like, as her guilty pleasure. So like, she's walking around sugar bakers all primped and like pressed in that business dress suit and everything, and everybody assumes she's listening to like financial advice or something, but actually she's listening to a podcast about like one of those Bravo shows that you watch, Salina.
She's a below deck.
Yeah, she's listening to a below deck fan podcast.
Do y'all know what happened on the latest below? Dick. Except she wouldn't tell anybody.
She would never tell anyone unless she was in some sort of like, fan club on Reddit. Like she's, you know, an anonymous username like Atlanta Decorates or something and she like pops in on those. I could see her doing that.
That's funny. I love it. I love it, love it.
This episode is spaghetti stained second dates
Speaking of. Ah, I screwed it up. Rating review. I got no transition.
It was close. I liked the transition because she's rating and reviewing things online.
You loving it?
My. I'm, loving it. My rating scale. This episode is spaghetti stained second dates. And that's a reference to her date with Rusty.
Oh, now I just want spaghetti.
I know. I have freshly baked bread baking downstairs and it's all I can smell right now.
It's amazing.
Smells so good.
Congratulations. Congratulations.
Thank you.
I have some pretzels with almond butter.
Peanut butter filled them. Oh, almond butter. I bet those are good.
They're so good. You've had them.
I've had them.
This is about seven jars later. These are very popular in the Smith household.
You guys are big on The Nut.
Butter Smith Craner household.
On the whole, Julia came out on top this season
so this season, I would give this 1 a solid 4.5. This is where I talk about it. I appreciate that we didn't lose the buttoned up aspects of Julia. I think she still stood her ground in very Julia esque ways. Thinking about scenes from a mall with its limitations, and maimed. But she really leaned into the wacky this season. So thinking about the dates with Rusty and agreeing to go check out the competition in the holiday design contest. So I feel like we really got the best of both worlds with her this year without being too overpowering one way or the other, which I appreciate. So I'm giving it a solid 4.5. What about you?
Well, I'm, Well, let's go with my rating scale. First of all, it was, questionable hospital serenades.
And I gave almost went with something about that. I wish I had it written down somewhere, but it was something like, cringey guitar solos or something.
Oh, yeah. We could have done something about, like, malpractice suits waiting to happen. I don't know. anyway, so I gave it four out of five of those questionable hospital serenades. And I would just say on the whole, I feel like I've kind of been coming from the angle of, like, are they up? Are they down? So to me, it feels like on the whole, Julia came out on top this season. She's got Allison's money that's helping Sugar Baker stay afloat. Allah. excuse me. She's legitimately, in theory, found someone by the end of the season, we'll never see him again. But, you know, she had some nice dates along the way, and then she did a lot of performing this season, which we know she loves. She starred in two plays and sang as part of a Trio for the Olympics song. I mean, that's pretty good. Pretty good. Little run. She also got to keep, This feels now it feels mean. Blame Salina from eight weeks ago that wrote this. But she got to keep her uterus. I mean, that's special. I mean it in a really nice way. I do. I mean, in a nice way. I like to have mine. so served me well. And unlike my qualm with Mary Jo's season, you know, we get to see exactly where she is at the end of the season, and that's important.
So, yeah, four out of five.
Look at that.
Give us a good rating wherever you listen to the podcast. Or rate us for how much you hate us
All right. Are you ready for our next episode?
Yes.
So, technically, our next episode is an extra Sugar. A very special one. Your birthday.
Oh, that episode. Sorry, I was skipping ahead to the Bernice episode.
Oh, yeah. Well, okay. So we got some exciting stuff coming, guys. That's what Salina's telling you. Technically, our next episode is gonna be Thursday. It's a special Extra sugar. Where? Finally doing a book club episode. We're going to cover Delta Burke's book, Delta Style. Eve wasn't a size 6, and neither am I. So, Salina, you got your copy on Amazon, right?
Yes, I did.
And I got mine on thriftbooks.com so if you want to. It's available widely is what I'm saying. So if you want to read along with us, go ahead and order it.
And be quick. Every time I look at Amazon, it's like, this is the last copy.
Spoiler alert. It's not. so then our next main episode. Well, if it told you yours was the last copy and you got it.
No, it was gone, and then it's back again. Oh, really?
Yeah, they're reprinting them one at a time.
This came from a Seattle Goodwill.
Oh. fascinating.
Is it?
Anyways, I don't know.
Thank you, Seattle Goodwill.
Yes, thank you. So our next main episode is going to be. Who's it about, Salina?
Delta Burke. Oh, Bernice. Crap.
Lord have mercy. I tried to tear up so she could talk about it. She was so excited a few minutes ago.
I still am talking about Bernice or Delta. What?
I hate you. I hate everything about you. so if you don't hate us, we encourage you to follow along with us and engage. We're on Instagram and Facebook @Sweet TNT. We're on TikTok etv pod. You can find us on YouTube at Sweet TV 7371. You can send us an email at Sweet Tea tvpodmail.com and our website is www.sweet tea tv.com. and, there are lots of ways you can support the show Salina mentioned earlier. You can just rate. Give us a good rating. Give us a good rating wherever you listen to the podcast. Or you can tell your family and friends about us and just pass along, pass along our podcast to them. So that's it?
Yeah. My granddad gave me a rating this week. He said it's not bad.
That's, like, really nice coming from a man at that age.
He is 81, so he might as.
Well have cried on you.
Well, I didn't even think about it from that perspective. I was like, that was what he told, like, some family members. It's not bad. I was like, hey, you want to.
Like, she's not a talentless hack.
Shine it up a little bit there, Granddad. I thought I did that sound wonderful. Oh, I was gonna say, too. If you want to hate. Listen, I don't care.
Oh, yeah. No, I don't care.
Yeah.
No, please, please, just don't rate us.
Yeah.
Accordingly.
Or rate us for how much you hate us, with the more stars being the more you hate.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Or send us an angry email. It's fine. You can document your feelings. Sure. Great. I'll obsess over it for three weeks
Or send us an angry email.
Great.
Send an angry email. It's fine. Yeah. You can document your feelings.
Sure. I would love to ignore that. I'm just kidding. I'll obsess over it for, like, three weeks. Does that make you feel better?
She'll still be bringing it up a month later.
Yep. All right, well, I know what that means.
What does it mean, Salina?
It means we're gonna. We're gonna see you either on the Bernice episode or the Delta Burke one.
We'll see.
Good night, y'all. Bye.
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