#guest recap

[ohayocon]

Next guests for the 2017 Recap!

[recapthis-blog]

Intervention: Eric; Or: Five Eps It's Over

Hello, everyone. Here's Justin Case's weekly installment of drug addicts being too dumb to realize they're about to be interventioned. Also, if you'd like to check out Justin's (and some other people whose names I don't know) excellent podcast go here: http://www.whmpodcast.com/

It’s all hitting me now. This is really happening. Is it really over? I don’t know what I’m saying!

Intervention’s farewell episode is a fever dream. We never really get introduced to Eric (our hero-in crisis) he just kinda shows up and is all of a sudden smoking dope on the roof. 

It's mentioned briefly that Eric was a Marine. Maybe this is all shell shock.

Additionally, there’s much mention of a raccoon that may or may not be living in the basement with him. 

First thing Eric said after trying the drug was:

Want a sneak peek?

Here’s what Eric thinks every time he sees a boom mic:

He means to say this. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=WvufFwdqMzg#t=53s)

It’s more Waiting for Guffman (Guffman being a man that sells drugs) than a traditional Intervention: Prime. I call it Prime in hopes… desperate hopes the cancellation is just a jumping off point for spinoffs. A ‘vention franchise. Ice Tea and Munch could take turns as interventionists. History will remain incomplete, human kind imperfect unless those guys lead an intervention. Our journey has just begun. 

If something happen to him, I would blame myself. - Eric's Father

Eric almost immediately falls off a ladder. I think you just did, daddy. 

A good amount of the episode is culled from Valerie’s submission video. 

Oh… you don’t know Valerie? Claire’s employee of the month three months running! (she probably owns the Clair’s) Valerie is Eric’s ex-girlfriend and front runner to play Audrey in the Little Rascal Playhouse’s production of Little Shop of Horrors. And according to Eric.. her "hooters look huge right now." Giggle. 

Eric is a master thief. He steals air conditioners right outta windows and expensive vacuum cleaners from department stores. What's his edge? It's simple silly. He gets doped out of his mind, walks in and steals them. He steals from Target constantly. I suppose big corporate thievery is a staple of the American organism but Eric brings it all to a new level. He threatens the security folks if they try to stop him. I would be less interested in the theft and more in the skuzzy Pawn shop owner that buys the items fifteen minutes later. Where's Lester Freamon when you need him?

With no mention of PTSD, we'll have to assume it was the pressure of growing up in the shadow of his brothers, famous celebrities and pipe enthusiasts. 

A case could further be made that it was very traumatic for Eric to realize that after returning from a War on Terror his brothers are still asshole Boston cops that clearly like beating on black kids for not “movin’ when they supposed to” The fallout must have been tremendous. But in spite of all that. Eric makes a full recovery. A female interventionist who probably plays bass guitar leads the groups but doesn't do a heck of lot. Eric accepts treatment and is now one of 156 people that have stayed sober past their Intervention. Inspired no doubt by Valerie's impassioned plea for him to accept treatment.

I've asked my best friend (a Robot) to help us out here.

Five Steps it's 0verrrrr

The season closes with a nice Guess Who of Whos, a round robin of former addicts.

Your New Background:

I’m going to throw up! Check the car, Barry.

So Intervention is over. I started to feel withdrawal almost immediately. The parade just ended and it's started to rain. Fortunately in the absence of pill grifters, sex swappers and smack swindlers. 

I have everything else on television ever to make fun of. Watch out world. I just kicked the habit. 

Behind the scenes, I've got a real 'vention situation of my own. Not have... had. 

I've seen a friend fight and win a serious drug addiction. I remain in unearthly awe and jaw-dropping respect for anyone that's been asked a really shitty question and answered, "Yes, I'll go." 

Be Well Everybody. 

[recapthis-blog]

Intervention:Gina&Kalia; Or: Hyon Life...and Heroin.

Resident INTERVENTION-lover, Justin Case has written another grand installment of this week's episode. ENJOY:

Intervention is a show about human garbage. Each episode is a debate, negotiating the tipping point (with psychiatric coaching) of people's expiration dates. In tonight's episode we get both extremes. One family is deeply devoted to their daughter, they commit time, affection and around $8,000 a month to treat her anorexia. The other is a really stereo-typical Asian mom that’s just wants her heroin addicted daughter to be ...strong enough so she can control over herself.  (Her words not mine)

GINA

Before we get started here’s the meme-in-making matriarch Hyon. She is Gina’s mother. She is human garbage.

We can see her story in four screen caps:

The last quote was her reaction to Gina being raped at age 14. Yup.

You can do it on a Boat.

You can do it before a Joke.

You can do it yes you can. 

Everybody likes Her-o-in.

Like her mother, who married a soldier in Korea for his money, just to realize the life in America he promised was Whorabbble. (translated from the Engrish, meaning horrible) is a working girl. She’s pretty honest about it, albeit a bit wordy.

I’m a private entertainers, I’m an escort-slash-dancer-slash-companion.  Despite her intelligent and supportive family-

She just can’t seem to get off smack. 

Leather faced newcomer Seth Jaffe (Mike From Breaking Bad) jumps right in. And boy, he tears right into Hyon. It's a really great (and deserved) beat down. ...Meanwhile a tired old native american man sleeps soundly.

Seth is my favorite interventionist now, in case you were wondering. 

KALIA

I’m choosing not to eat purposefully. I’m going against the laws of nature which a lot of people can’t do. So I’m special. I’m more powerful than you are because I can chose not to care. 

-The scariest thing I've ever heard anyone say. -K

It's unclear what triggered Kalia's anorexia six year ago. They mention she attended a particularly ruthless private middle school in Los Gatos, California. 

http://www.greatschools.org/california/los-gatos/schools/?st=private

One of these schools is a maker of monsters.

Sean 23, Kalie’s brother (the fat one) describes her:

…People dying from genocide, that is kind of what Kalia’s figure looks like.

I don’t think it means what you think it means, Sean. 

This is a desperate story. Desperate because her parents are smart people. Kal is nineteens and her parents treat her as such. They are trying really really hard. There’s no excuses or waiting around for the situation to resolve itself. They do seem like good parents. And although I feel they’ve done their best to treat her anorexia (a disease that I learned can cause your brain to herniate out of the bottom of your skull!), they probably could have talked her out of that marijuana leaf bellybutton ring. 

As screen capture happy as I am today, to show Kalie's body in it's grand emaciation is just exploitive. Keep in mind she's been anorexic for 6 years, nearly one third of her entire life. It a terrifying image. She leaves treatment after twelve weeks and finds a grandmother in Los Angeles that promises a roof over her hear and a mouth not to feed. 

Godspeed, Tiny Bird Lady. 

JustIntervention - Conclusion

There were a lot of interesting breaking points in this episode. In real time we saw parents decided to keep their children around for show, porcelain angels on the mantle and another toss them like spoiled yogurt. That’s the stakes this show plays with. Human worth on trial in the people’s court. All I'll remember of Intervention is grainy footage of drug deals at night and how parents handled the sad news that their sons and daughters were addicts. What I mean to say is, after watching so many episodes back-to-back it's become clear how much the maturity of your loved ones correlates directly with the addicts recovery. 

Kalie's really handsome fathers says, 

We've moved past the point of feeling responsible. If she's going to be in recovery then we'll go to the ends of the earth to help her.

He no love you all time.

[recapthis-blog]

Intervention: Dana; Or: The Girl Who Played with Fire; Or²: GUEST RECAP TIME

It's time for Justin Case's (still his real name!) weekly Intervention recap. 

It’s always been my understanding that somewhere in the Production process Intervention episodes are given a 1-10 rating by the studio. This index is based on, the subject’s interest in Rap metal, instances of “street sleeping” and the level of superiority evoked in the viewer. Whoever dug into the “Please Shred” bin this week at A&E to air Dana’s story should be ashamed.

So let’s set the table.

Dana lost three of her children in a fire (picking up the remote) It was not her fault (pressing Guide button) one son did survive however (way not to Commit!) but she totally lost custody of the unbreakable little bastard and he never makes an appearance. She begins taking painkillers for the burns and like, just never stops. The family remarks that maybe she’s taking the drugs to deal with the emotional pain of the fire-

Actually let’s reset it. Bring out the good forks.

Dana was dealt a shit hand, terrible stuff. She’s coping (not elegantly mind you) with her loss. Dana’s family is the problem here. Her brothers, one of which is responsible for heroically saving her life have chosen their sister’s tragedy to finally get their Hoarders spin-off** in top gear.  There’s lots of hard swallowing and very dramatic looking up^ if that makes any sense.

Dana needs to learn how to cope with the loss of her children. If she doesn’t then I will be burying her next to her kids.-- Just answer the question, Tom Jane. 

The snotty know-it-all-Sister-In-Law Joy is probably the brightest of the bunch.

She’s got to live her consequences. Yup, the brightest.

Ten Feet Tall and Bulletproof

Dana takes up to 200 pills a day and smokes crack regularly and the family is tired of her “My children were burned alive (to death) weepy mom act” and are setting her straight.  They’ve decided it’s time for a new approach. Step one in dealing with devastating grief?

1) A boot up the ass.  

2) Wait for a TV studio to assign professional mental help to fix the problem.

3) Boots come in pairs, don’t they?

Their tough love tactics are lost on Dana especially after she’s “Introduced to Crack” To be fair, crack is probably the best first date drug. I’d image others would be too intense, not very easy to talk to or just basically have no plan. Crack is probably good amount of fun on a first date. Yup, I’d like to take crack out on a date. Sorry WEEED, you’re just too chill for me.

‘Vention Convention

She goes to treatment and gets better. I’m actually sort of happy it worked out for her.

The family goes to treatment as well… and 6 months later somehow relapse (at being a good family?) and have to attend further sessions. 

It’s way much better than where we were. - Patricia 

They end up moving the entire family to a farm in Arkansas where I presume Patricia finally gets to kill that damn horse.

** Here’s their pitch from before:

It’s called, Just Clean This Shit Up! and we’re basically the hosts cause people are lazy and they don’t like to be cleaners so we ‘nspire them I guess, didntcha see us on Intervention?

Justin J. Case,

EEE, Equestrian Euthanasia Expert