Cheat Work Thursday

Photo by Brina Blum on Unsplash It has been over a year since our first Covid staying-at-home order lockdown over here. Since then, we've gone through various levels of restrictions with various levels of vague, chaotic rules and, hey, also abuse of power. But these days, as much as I can, I'd tell myself to avoid screaming into the void and try to focus on things that I can control. We need to stand up and speak up, but taking breaks from the endless things that rile you up sounds super great too. Anyway, we are back to the "strictest" measure this month. "Strictest" in quotes because there's really no rhyme or reason for this thing. We were super strict when the total active cases was 3,000 for the entire country, but we opened domestic tourism and state borders when the daily cases were 3,000 at one point. So who cares. Flip one coin next week -- there's your Covid regulation for five days. I think the daily case count was 9,000+ about a ...

"AFTER THE RAIN" The finale thankfully skips the annoying, unnecessary cliffhangers. So, that's great. Except for the identity of the new Lord Featherington, it pretty much concludes all of its storylines: Marina Phillip Crane arrives bearing the devastating news that George Crane, who was, in fact, loyal and in love with Marina all along, has died on the battlefield. He offers Marina his hand in marriage in his brother's place to which Marina declines because she "doesn't know and love the man". Also -- we're sure this is just a small factor -- she's no longer with child now, so nobody needs saving, thank you. For five minutes. Because false alarm. The tea shockingly didn't work, and as she's back to being pregnant again, we helplessly watch her board Phillip's carriage, accepting the man's proposal. She asks Portia how did she stay married without love for so long. "You find things to love, my dear. Small thin...

"OCEANS APART" The episode deals with the aftermath of "Swish" . Daphne and Simon are in a cold war, sending messages via footmen during dinner, and dueling over loud piano and pigeon shooting (we're not judging this activity enough, btw). It's a far cry from the first time we saw them at the super long table, when they were living recklessly, dismissing outdated customs and moving chairs closer (gasp!) because they just couldn't keep their hands off each other. Then Whistledown drops the Colin-Marina news, and they have to continue the war in London as Simon insists on returning with Daphne. Apparently, Colin is not over Marina. His family has to put their foot down, stopping him from visiting her to distance themselves from the scandal. Arrives the new Duchess of Hastings with a plan: she's betting on people to deviate to talking about her and Simon instead, now that they've returned. And when she sees how distraught Colin is, she offer...

"SWISH" I was naive to think that Clyvedon was Simon's house; the huge castle that Daphne is soon eager to redecorate is one of his estates . Anyway, it looks like they are only there for the honeymoon. The newlyweds arrive, and the world -- including the housekeepers and the protocols -- is just a background. Life is perfect and the air has been cleared, so what's left to do is just have sex everywhere all the time -- on the library's ladder, at the park in front of the ducks, at night in the rain at the mausoleum. Daphne can't wait to do all the Duchess stuff too, being noble-y and touching people's hearts with her kindness and knowledge and plans. Unfortunately, her lavender-goggled eyes getting into the role -- that includes her pardoning three pigs from being slaughtered -- starts her off on the wrong foot with her new housekeeper Mrs Colson and her subjects around Clyvedon. Back in London, young Colin announces his engagement to Miss Marina ...

"THE DUKE AND I" " Yay !" Sorry. I just have to jump to *that* spoiler for the title. Ok, let's recap. It's the morning after the duel. Violet is nursing her hangover when Daphne breaks the news of her engagement to the Duke, and the plan is to speed up the wedding -- which would require a special licence -- because they are soo in love. It all seems a tad confusing to the both of them, as Daphne can't even put on a pretend face that says she's sure of what she's doing. At the palace, Queen Charlotte has started giving out instructions for Friedrich's impending nuptials to Daphne, only to be interrupted by Whistledown, who's never not happy to prove the Queen wrong: Daphne is definitely engaged to the Duke. Meanwhile, at the park, Simon shows up for the promenade looking like he had just swam out of a tavern in clothes that he had worn for three days. Mind you, statistically, an engagement should put you at least in the top ...

"AN AFFAIR OF HONOR" How do you land yourself two duels in a mere few weeks? *Squints at Anthony*. I'm starting to think this is Anthony 's ruse to run away and finally be with Siena. Let's back up a few days. Following the successful fan move , Daphne and her mother are invited by Friedrich to the royal tea party at the palace during which the always-clad-in-that-one-blue-coat Prince gifts her a necklace. Always the killjoy, Whistledown tells us she's not positive that the Duke is out of the picture yet. Even without that kind of negativity, Daphne's already distracted, imagining it's Simon who's putting the necklace on her neck instead of Friedrich. Then Daphne and Friedrich meet up again at a boxing match between Simon's friend Will Mondrich and some dude named Billy, who loses. Simon is there too, supporting Will, but I can't with the Prince's banter: "Miss Bridgerton, I'm delighted to see you here today, tho...

"ART OF THE SWOON" Now that she's popular again and the Berbrooke problem has literally gone away, things seem to be going as planned for Daphne, and proposals have started to come in for her. But they all understandably get rejected because she's still waiting for that one perfect match that she'll marry for love -- or Simon, really , cuts in Lady Whistledown, simplifying it for everyone. And maybe without fully realizing it, Daphne has also started to enjoy her time with Simon -- be it dates that include her being enchanted by the guy's affinity for spoons, or conversations with an accidental sexual lesson during one of the promenades, or some weird dreams where Simon takes off her satin glove for no reason while dancing. They continue on with the ruse, and Daphne keeps getting asked for a dance by other suitors at these never ending balls, only to find herself still having no interest in any of the men. Totally not helping, Violet keeps nudging her ...

"SHOCK AND DELIGHT" So the Duke did vow to not get married or have a child after all, thanks to his relationship with his asshole of a father. Anthony tells Daphne of the fact, but it's not the time to panic yet because Daphne and Simon are just fake-dating. On the other hand, the very popular among suitors Marina Thompson might have to, considering she's now pregnant with one Sir George Crane's child, which was triggered by a wrapped bundle of cake and biscuits, and considering the guy is thousands of miles away in Spain right now, fighting the war. Apart from a look at a life of flash mobs at balls, buying new gowns, picnics, soirees and promenades , we have other things to unpack, too, this episode, like: The Queen hates to be wrong. It doesn't sit well with the Queen that her glowing review of Daphne is disputed by Lady Whistledown and, most importantly, has yet to result in an enthralling betrothal. True, Daphne and the Duke have danced, n...