This is a Bramble Jam podcast.

Welcome to Girls Gone Hallmark, a Hallmark and sometimes Netflix review podcast.

I'm Megan and I'm a longtime Hallmark fan.

I'm Wendy, I'm a former Hallmark hater.

On today's episode, we are reviewing a Netflix series, Ripple, episode four.

We are reviewing every episode of this series weekly.

This episode is titled The Storm and it is currently available to stream on Netflix.

If you are new to us because of these Netflix reviews, welcome.

We typically are a Hallmark review podcast.

We do Hallmark movies, Hallmark series, but we are expanding our reach a little bit into Netflix and perhaps other streamers.

So thank you for joining us.

And if you have ideas for shows that you would like to see reviewed here, drop us an email Girls Gone Hallmark at gmail dot com.

You can also send us your thoughts on these reviews or these shows.

Hey, if you want to join our Facebook group, we have one.

It is called Girls Gone Hallmark.

It's Hallmark heavy over there.

It doesn't have to be, though, if you want to come in and talk about Ripple.

People have been talking about Ripple over there.

We'd love to invite you Girls Gone Hallmark in Facebook.

Groups it's kind of a safe space on the Internet.

We're real protective of that space over there and the way people talk.

You're allowed to have all the opinions you want, but we are committed to making it a supportive, inclusive environment over there.

So it is a little bit different than some other groups.

On the Internet.

I will say, I agree.

Hey, before we jump into this episode, can I talk about some breaking news it's not that breaking.

About one of the stars of this show.

Ian Harding.

Yes, so, Deadline reported it's we're eighteenth that Ian Harding and his Pretty Little Liar's co star Lucy Hale are reuniting for a Christmas holiday romcom movie called The Twelve Dates of Christmas.

I know there are so many iterations of that title out there.

It's got to be terrible for SEO one hundred percent.

That has been a lingering question if you guys don't know what we're talking about.

Hallmark has put out an incredible six episode series called Twelve Dates Till Christmas, which.

Is a It's based on a book.

The book is called The Twelve Dates of Christmas.

Correct.

Yes, so they did change it, tweak it a little bit, but now we have like this coming out as well well.

And there's also a Hallmark movie called On the Twelfth Date of Christmas, and I believe there's another movie called The Twelve Dates of Christmas.

Yeah, it's kind of confusing, but also what this is what it strikes me this is basically the same story we have.

Lucy Hale is a successful shop owner who has devoted her energy to her career at the expense of her dating life, and her siblings promise to make her go on twelve dates in the twelve weeks leading up to Christmas in hopes of finding mister Wright.

I don't know if Ian is a friend, if he is a potential date or what.

Come on, he's got to be the guy.

Yeah, I'm guessing he's he's got to be the guy.

But I don't I'm I'm gonna guess this is This is not for Hallmark.

No, I gonna guess.

It doesn't say who it's for.

But interesting.

People are really hyped on seeing these two back together again.

Yeah, they put a teaser of them together and everyone's like, what does it mean?

What does it mean?

It's pretty little liars coming back?

But no, Yeah, I'm hoping we get to talk to Ian soon and we can get a better understanding of this project.

Indeed, he hands booked and busy these days.

He sure is, and I see why I'm a big shan me too.

I have no chill if we interview this guy, I have no freaking chill.

Guys, all right, are you ready for a synopsis?

Let's hear Episode four, The Storm.

Chris returns home reflecting on where she first fell in love with music.

Walter decides to pick up basketball again and gets a warm reception.

The synopsis synopsis available on IMDb are really limited week very weak.

I don't know who's putting these in there, but give us, give us some more.

I mean more than that happens, Guys, It's not Walter just decides to pick a basketball again.

No, no, By the way, Walter is my MVP.

He is my most favorite character on the show.

I want to protect this man in bubble wrap.

Show about Walter.

I'm so worried about Walter.

I think Frankie Faison is so good, He's in what a tuble?

Such a good actor.

Yes, and Walter's trajectory is mostly positive, which has me worried.

I know.

Let's talk news and notes before we talk all about this episode.

Scott Smith directed this episode of Ripple.

He was responsible for last week's episode, The twenty.

In addition to a number of Hallmark projects, he recently directed several episodes of the CW series Moonshine.

Kita Robinson wrote this episode.

Among her previous writing credits include the series Blackish, Glow, and You're the Worst, as well as New Girl.

Our cast returns Frankie Fayson is Walter, Julia chanis Chris Ian Harding is Nate, Sydney Agadong as Aria, Marcyta House as Tara, and Sarah Swier as Ellis.

Also returning, we have Robert Bizzacci as John Vanessa Smyth is Clear, and Nicola Correa de Moude as Sylvie.

Milton Barnes joins the cast as Walter's friend Bill Fisher.

Milton has one hundred and twenty one acting credits and has recently been in Mistletoe Murders on Hallmark.

Also David in Disguise, John Wayne Gacy and the series Doc Man.

Lots of crossover with Doc Yes, hospital shows tend to have a lot of you know, you need a lot of patience people coming through the door.

Yeah, Danny Wall plays Nate's surgeon, Doctor Ross.

Danny has been in a number of projects including Total Recall, The Shape of Water, and Snow Piercer.

We briefly meet Lisa Gay Hamilton as Walter's dating app Match.

She has eighty three acting credits and viewers will likely recognize her from the practice.

More recently, she's been in The Gilded Age and The Lincoln Lawyer.

Brendan Wall plays Chris's dad, Rhys Aldridge.

Brendan has forty one acting credits, which includes episodes of Murdoch Mysteries and the series Air Crash Investigation, as well as the series Suits.

We are going to take a quick break and come right back with our first impressions.

Hey, Wendy, what is your first impression of Ripple episode for the Storm?

Well, this show gives us enough air to breathe, like I exhaled at the end of the episode.

But I think maybe the hardest part hasn't happened yet.

That is my biggest fear as well.

White share first impression.

My first impression is, while staying true to form, they tweak their format ever so slightly.

Oh, tell me more what you noticed?

So in the first few episodes, we see a physical object that we're following through.

Yeah, this episode is a little bit different.

I guess episode two with the water main break isn't quite that way, huh.

I was envisioning like the pebble, the dollar.

In this case, it's just the storm that connects all of them.

Yeah, and after episode three, I was thinking, how are we gonna do this?

How are we gonna have like a single item that connects It's not that, though, It's just like there is a connective tissue, and in this case it's the storm.

And it's interesting that it's able to connect them in a wider arena, like it's connecting them across continents in a way.

Yeah, that's a great way to describe it, connective tissue.

I liked a lot about this episode.

What did you like?

I like each episode, like I don't ever come away and go like, eh, that was a dumb one.

Yeah.

Never, I'm never gonna say that.

Are some heavier than others.

Yes, what I liked about this episode and it's it's basically the format that this show is built on is like this particular one is about like misconnections, and nearly every storyline is built around like almost like we have, Chris almost makes it to her dad in time, Nate almost gets the support that he wants.

Aria almost says what she's feeling, you know, Walter almost like so to me, I like, I get is this a metaphor?

Is that what it's called?

Like, yeah, these things that are happening, I like that a lot.

The storm here, I think, is the connective tissue.

Like you said, obviously, the episode is called the storm, but it's not just about weather, you know, It's it's the thing that's interrupting, like the conversations that need to be have, or there's timing problems or whatever.

I like the themes that this show puts out.

I fully agree with you.

I was just looking for the titles of the episodes because it seems like the title gives away what our connective issue is.

Episode one of Stones.

Throughout episode two, Drip Drip, Drip, the twenty the storm, it's.

Called the Flyer.

I don't know what that means, but no.

I like the idea of all these missed connections.

One thing I like is our world expands in this episode in a couple of different ways.

One Nate intentionally and accidentally lets a lot more people in on what's going on with him, which is mainly good, and I'm glad that it's just coming out because I understand Nate's perspective, like he doesn't want it seems like Nate doesn't want to be at burden, but it also seems like he doesn't really want to live in this world where he's sick, and so if people don't know, he doesn't have to be that person.

But it is easier.

It's easier on the viewer, and it is easier in his life if people know and they're able to show up for him and he doesn't have to do all this dancing to explain his absences and to request help where he needs it.

And to me, it feels like an exhale, like you said, when people know, Okay, that's out there.

Now we can just go on with it.

In addition, Walter's world expands the up top.

I said, I'm so worried about Walter because things are going in the right direction.

He has that dream about Brenda, which is really well done, because to me, I thought it was like a memory, and then you know, we see kind of where we realize it's a dream and she's saying, use the whole bed, live your life.

And he shows up back at his pickup basketball game and his friends are also happy to see him, and why didn't you tell us?

We would have been there for you, And then they are there for him, and I just am like, so proud of Walter for taking this step and showing up at that game doing what he needs to do to move forward.

In his life.

And then his friends show up, and then he has this nice moment at the bar with his friends and Ellis and Rebecca and Tara and Sylvie and his world is growing and expanding, and then I think he's doing all of this work to move forward and his he kind of accidentally launches his dating app and we see glimpses of a woman who was like, Okay, Walter, what.

You got going on there?

It worries me because in a show where so many things are going wrong, when his life is moving forward, I'm scared.

Yeah, I hear that.

I have a question for you.

Do you think it's too soon or maybe not appropriate for the people in his life to be like, bro, you need to get it.

They're not saying that, but you need to get out there and like start dating again, I just lost his wife.

I do if that were something he wants, fine, but I do think it's too soon for people to start pushing for it.

Yeah.

I think it's right for them to encourage him to be out in the world, reconnect with your friends, moving your use the whole bed.

All of that feels right and appropriate.

But it has not been long enough for them to be like, you got to get yourself on a dating app?

Man.

Yeah, yeah, I think so too.

I have I have a wish, So we'll circle back to the wishes, but we'll circle back to this conversation and my wishes.

Yeah.

I love Walter's watching his arc.

Like you said, I don't know.

I'm just so I'm so afraid of what will happen.

I'm not worried about any other character as much as I am about Walter.

No same, even though there's some quietly devastating things coming for many of them.

Exactly exactly.

Back to Nate for a second.

I am really happy that he has finally like let people in.

I can tell you from personal experience, it's hard to you feel like you need to like manage somebody's reaction.

Yeah, to news of I have cancer and so I can see how he was, like maybe reluctant to tell people.

I think he's been trying to manage Claire's reaction to it.

That can be a lot.

I was happy that he did allow Claire to be the one to be there for him for surgery.

To me, my takeaway was like, he realizes that he can't do it alone.

I don't know if that's fair to Claire, because if Chris was around, I think Chris would have been there and Claire would have not, So part of that feels icky to me, But I mean, what are you gonna do?

The clar scenes were really I had a lot of feelings about the clar scenes because she really steps up in this episode and he lets her, which is nice, and because I can't trust anything, part of me is thinking, is he just making peace with the fact that these are two people who are going to be in each other's lives forever and it makes good sense for them to be on good terms as co parents and as humans, or is he in the vein of I need help.

The person and I thought was going to help me has somewhat ghosted me.

So I'm gotta be nice to the one person who's willing to show up.

But I don't like I don't like that.

No, I don't either.

I don't neither.

And again I don't have any idea what his motivation is there, but it does seem like Chris's absence kind of drove him back into needing Claire, and Claire's wonderful she steps in to help him explain to their daughter.

What's going on.

Oh yeah, that was a great scene.

She shows up for him at the hospital, She's the one who receives the news from the doctor.

They have a really nice scene after he comes out of surgery.

And so in the last episode, I was saying how I felt for Claire because he wasn't being very nice to her, And in this episode, I feel for her because she's taking on so much of the emotional weight.

Of this experience.

And I'm worried for what happens when Chris returns and Nate has his person again and doesn't need Claire as much.

Is he going to allow her to be as present?

Yeah?

I don't know.

I don't know.

Let's talk about Chris and her dad's storyline.

Mm hmm.

We never really get like a full understanding.

Did she get an emergency phone call while she was at the hospital and then left right away.

Is that what had happened?

That's what it seems like.

Yes, okay.

I liked all these flashback scenes of her younger self and her you know, showing us like she had a really good relationship with her dad and it kind of went sideways over some dude who was controlling.

But from the parent perspective, I like fully sided with the dad because he wanted so much more for her and knew that she wanted so much more for herself, and he was like, what are you doing with this dude?

That was interesting to watch unfold, and that scene is heartbreaking when she's on the stoop or whatever talking through the intercom and you think like he is just being non right responsive, and we see him like going close the blinding is like that's better, and I was like, oh my god, he's just shutting her out, Like how awful is that?

And then you see the note about it being the intercom being broken, like one little thing completely changed their relationship.

I really am glad that she was able to have the realization of what happened.

At the end of the episode, when the delivery guys like, well, that intercom has been broken for years and you can see the wheels turning.

But how frustrating as a person to be like, we missed so much?

Yeah, because of this one, this intercom, she was trying to make amends with him.

He clearly would have accepted that from her, and then they both stubbornly didn't reach.

Out after that.

Yeah, it's kind of heartbreaking, to be honest, And we see her throw her phone away.

So did he even have a way to contact her after that?

I don't know, And that's a good question.

That's a good question.

I did like that full circle moment, though, I thought, like, how easy that was that she got there going, oh, the intercom's broken.

Let me think about this, this one moment ten years ago or whatever it is, where I stood out here and tried to like reach my dad.

Yeah, but how important of a moment, you know some things.

I think you probably would remember that forever, the moment where he in her mind officially turned away from her.

I guess, but I don't know if I would have put two and two together no so quickly myself.

Yeah, My one last like is more of a question for you, is Tara not really into Sylvie.

Oh my gosh, that's very interesting.

So here's how I read the situation.

I don't know.

I think having her in her space overwhelmed her.

I think she likes her new relationship.

She seems happy in her new relationship, but the reality of the new relationship where it's not just all sunshine and dating and making out, you know, her partner snoring in her physical space, was too much for her.

That's my take, got it.

I can accept that.

I can accept that.

It's like there's a Hallmark show called We Just Talked About It Twelve Dates Still Christmas.

There is a similar storyline in there, where there's a character Evelyn, who is starting to date again after losing her husband, right, and she is struggling with feelings of like I haven't had to worry about somebody for ten years.

Like I wonder if it's kind of the same thread here of like, you know, Tara hasn't been with her wife because her wife has passed, and maybe she's not quite ready.

But I think it's more along the lines of you said, like she's just not ready, like in her space yet.

Yeah, we know that Sylvie's in a couple more episodes for me.

I wasn't so much reading it as she wasn't ready for the feelings, as they just it was too much, too soon, And maybe she was like, oh, I don't like her this much.

You know, God's sad.

It is sad, you know.

I hope it's more, Oh wow, I'm not ready for someone else to be in this bed.

You know they talk about sleeping on your own side of the bed.

Yeah, and now all of a sudden you have someone else there.

I hope it's more that and not like WHOA, All right, yeah?

Are you ready to move on to wishes?

Well?

I want to ask you about the final airport scene.

Does that appear anywhere for you?

No?

With Chris and Nate?

Oh yeah, I mean I have some questions here.

Yeah, he is supposed to sit and I had to rewind it because I was like, what are the seat numbers?

He's supposed to be in her row and then he's not, So what happens?

I don't know, that's my question.

I don't know.

And I rewound it too because I noted the seat numbers the first time, but then I thought, oh, did they not have the same flights?

But he does have a ticket to New York.

They are clearly on the same flight, so I don't know what's happening there.

Miss.

I loved the idea of like, these two have come in contact before, you know, just by a way of proximity, not even like interacting.

It's kind of interesting.

What's that say about?

Like the universe?

These two are supposed to be together, They were supposed to meet together a long time ago, and that didn't happen.

So what happened?

You know?

I'm interested in this thread?

Me too?

All right, let's talk wishes.

I thought Aria's breakdown needed I needed more context here.

I'm only assuming what happened.

I'm assuming she got her period and that's why she's upset.

Yes, but the line I knew I should have taken a test throws me Exactly.

Does that mean?

If she had taken the test, she would have known she wasn't pregnant, and then she wouldn't have been carrying this hope.

For so long?

Potentially?

I agree, I need more context.

Yeah, her story is still the biggest unknown.

We haven't circled back at all to the photo and the tattoo and her dad.

I know we're on episode four.

I can't remember when all that happened.

Maybe episode two.

I'm assuming we're gonna get there, but I feel like they don't show her a ton.

It's been mostly about Nate.

Yes.

Aria remains a very big question mark for me, and my other wish revolves around John.

I can't really figure out what's going on with him and where he is in his head in his relationships.

We know he ended things with Desi, but but I'm curious what the motivation was there.

You know, did he just realize like, oh God, I'm doing something wrong.

I don't know.

There was a scene when he comes home from work and the apartment is dark and he's like, yes, Aria, and I was like, oh gosh, like what happened?

Like she's no law And then she's like hey babe, and she's fine, and I thought, Oh, they're hinting it something darker happening here.

But there's so many unknowns that that's my biggest wish about the series right now, is some clarity there.

Yeah.

I'm sure we'll get it eventually.

Yeah, Like parts of me are like I need to know everything now.

Hm hmm, Yeah, I have no chill.

Another one of my wishes is and this is what I said we would circle back.

What is the timeframe we're working with here?

Has it been months?

Has it been weeks?

Is this a few days between these things?

Because how long has it been since Walter's wife died?

And now we're like pushing him.

To date, Like what, Yeah, that's a great question because it seems like from episode three and four it's back to back days.

It seems like it.

Yeah, because Chris left the hospital went to.

The airport right exactly, but exactly, But.

The cancer treatment timeline doesn't line up for me, like you had one chemo infusion and now you're having surgery, like you would have more because he had said we're going to do chemo to shrink the tumor drink Yep, it would be more than one chemo infusion for that.

Yep.

So ye, that time right, It is weird to me as well.

And like the Tara and Sylvie like wow, we've just jumped right in, like you guys just had a date.

Yeah, and now you're like babe and like relationship ye.

Yeah, yeah yeah yeah.

And my final wish is the missing ring kind of just dropped like yeah, we know nothing about that.

I'm sure it's going to resurface, like at some point Aria is going to see the ring on Claire or something is going to happen.

The financial woes between Nate and Claire like not addressed again.

No, there's many loose threads.

Yeah, and then and also Nate's mom, you know, she just in and out nothing else.

So I'm sure these things will pick back up, but just not in this particular episode.

Mm hmm.

Are you ready to talk?

Did you see that?

I am?

I just have a couple like.

Oh, nice little callbacks throughout the episode.

Uh, the woman Chris meets in line at the airport, Yeah, you know, she meets a flight attendant on the fly and then they're together in London.

Just cute little moment.

The exact callback to Chris closing the blinds in her father's apartment exactly the way he did the sun blinding her eyes.

Just some nice parallel moments.

My only did you see that?

Are like when Walter decides to use the whole bed.

You know it's it's this is storytelling down right for me.

Yeah, there's no light, he doesn't have to stay out loud.

I'm gonna move to the middle of the bed, like you know, he just does it.

We're watching, we see him a lot in this episode, like struggling with sleep.

So I thought that was really good.

Last week I asked you if you had noticed Walter's apartment.

Yes, I did take special note of his gallery wall today in contrast to his dating profile.

I loved it.

I think I noticed in this episode that the bar is really cool too.

It's not like some divy bar, like this looks like a place like people would want to be and hang out.

Like.

It's very the tone of it, like in terms of like color that they used, it's very comforting.

I whoever was like the set designers here, I really good job.

Yeah, it's gorgeous.

Really good job.

And then my last did you see that is like the whole rainbow at the end.

Yeah.

In my mind, rainbows are like a symbol of like good and hope and whatever.

And you know, the story has cleared, but nothing has been fixed here.

No, no, it's still like all bad.

It's not all bad.

I take that back, it's not all bad.

Like there's good things happening for Walter, but like you know, the storm has cleared, but there's a lot of unresolved issues happening.

Yeah, those still real cloudy in terms of some of these stories.

Here forecast is still real cloudy.

Yeah, exactly.

Yeah.

One little minor thing I thought Walter's continued reliance on an edible arrangement as something to do when someone's going through a hard time was funny.

I love an edible arrangement, FYI, and I love I do too.

Someone brought me one after I had a baby.

It was delicious.

I also I love Walter's circle of friends.

I love that he Ellis and Rebecca are part of his circle of friends, as well as, of course Tara.

I love how much Ellis loves Walter and how she's leaning on him.

Look, I love Walter.

What can I say?

Yep?

Exactly.

Well, Hey, thank you for listening to this episode of Girls Gone Hallmark.

We will be back next time with more reviews.

We'll see you next time.

Goodbye bye.

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