For those fans of Imaginary Bitches, and I know you’re out there, you know that after every show, there is a chat on the IB website or, more recently, a video chat on BlogTV. If you have had an opportunity to sit in on these video chats, you know what a riot they are. It’s a great chance to interact with Eden, Liz and Andrew and, most recently, Andrew hosting a little chat with James Kee (the remarkable and slightly creepy Dr. Kee) and Sam Riegel (the uber-funny and incredibly twisted brother of Eden) offering a Q&A session with us fans. I don’t recall a lot of questions being asked, mostly because we fans were too busy laughing to form coherent thought, let alone type out legible sentences.
If you missed the video chat, never fear, it’s available for viewing on http://www.blogtv.com.
Well, apparently it was Christmas in July for Eden, Heather and Catherine. The episode opened with Eden sitting on the couch with the girls (Heather and Catherine), as they (well, really just Eden) picked out names for Secret Santa. In all reality, it really wasn’t a secret, since there was only 3 people, but let’s just play along for fun’s sake. The limit was $5.00, the Bitches complain and Eden said that with a $5.00 limit, it forced creativity with gifts, rather than being extravagant if the limit were $500.00.
So, what does one get with $5.00? Condoms.
Anyhow, it also seemed in this episode that Eden was having a better time with Heather and Catherine, instead of her real friends, Brooke, Lizzie and Connie. In fact, Connie and Eden ran into each other in the parking lot. Connie has been trying to get in touch with Eden all week. Eden claims she’s been calling. Well, she called twice. Connie spots the condoms and assumes Eden has been gettin’ it on with a guy or two, but Eden explains the whole Secret Santa shabang.
As an aside, Connie sure seems like the sex maniac… with mentions of latex cat suits and all.
Cut to Eden walking home having a convo with the Bitches when she gets a call from Brooke. Brooke is frantically apologizing for not including Eden in the Secret Santa from the previous year. Eden brushes it off and says, there’s always a next time and maybe she’ll need a set of his/her slippers.
Highlight of the episode is the gift reveal, followed by Lizzie, Connie and Brooke interrupting what looked like a fun moment for Eden and the Bitches. The girls (the real friends) claim their reason for stopping by is to celebrate “Independence from men Day.” All is going well, when they each describe what they hate about their boyfriends or like about being single. The attention turns to Heather, who goes on to describe being with someone for many years, loving the guy so much, but died of cancer. And that not a day goes by where she doesn’t regret all the times she sat around complaining about him.
Time to get misty right? Well, it appears Lizzie, Brooke and Connie feel like crap for stopping by given what Heather had just said.
Too bad Heather was lying! Ha! She made it up just to get rid of the real friends.
**
With each passing episode, it seems Eden is more and more comfortable with Heather and Catherine being around. They’ve really become a part of her life and it looks like she’s having a better time with them than her real friends.
In this episode of IB, we meet, Brittany, a failed actress/yoga instructor who managed to steal away Eden’s previous boyfriend. In an attempt to cleanse her spirit and karma of doing Eden wrong, Brittany offers a free yoga class to Eden (and Brooke, who bargains for the extra slot – along with first pick of the yoga mats, the non-sweaty ones). It seems that Eden’s forgiveness is the only way for Brittany to get her spirit back in alignment.
Apparently, when Brittany stole Eden’s boyfriend, all sorts of darkness and bad descended upon her and the only way she could stop the onslaught was to immerse herself in all things new-age. And that darkness and bad wreaking havoc was apparently Eden, or, rather, Eden manifesting in the form of Brittany’s guilt- or karma, because apparently there was a disagreement between her Tarot cards and her rune stones… but it seems that Brittany’s incessant chanting of “Cease to be, scornful, bad-skinned spirit” drove Patrick nuts and he dumped her. And once that happened, the evil spirit went away. So Brittany quit her job to become a full-time yoga and meditation instructor (“You quit being an unemployed actress?” Brook brilliantly snarks) and the only thing that will get her back into spiritual alignment is Eden’s forgiveness.
So Eden takes Brittany up on her offer for a yoga class with Brooke tagging along. And we all know this will not end well… at least for Brittany.
The sad part is it’s apparent Brittany is an exceptional yoga/meditation instructor. She reads Eden’s spirit to such an extent that Catherine and Heather make themselves known to her. She believes them to be spirit guides existing on another plane and is very excited to interact with them.
However…
Upon threat of terrible illness, Katerina and Harriet (aliases for our beloved “Bitches”) encourage Brittany to “cleanse” herself by revealing some rather devastating secrets, despite her desire to offer up other ways of cleansing (Light some incense? Or fast? Buy a Prius?!) Instead, she is forced to admit such things as; she’s sleeping with a yoga student, despite the fact that he takes the class with his current girlfriend and Brittany’s only doing it to get a part in his movie; scamming a student by selling her Earl Grey tea mixed with tree bark; and that she is not astral projecting herself into another student’s subconscious, she’s just charging him for his wet dreams.
Each student storms out of the class, effectively ending Brittany’s career as a yoga/meditation instructor, but not before Eden, and Brooke, enjoy the destruction. When all is said and done, Eden offers up her forgiveness to Brittany, since, hey, Brittany kinda got what she deserved, and Brittany is left with an empty yoga studio…
Karma… it’s a bitch.
Pay close attention to Eden’s facial expressions once Brittany starts letting her secrets out. Our heroine is the picture of innocence, despite the fact that Brittany has read her spirit to such an extent that she’s managed to actually converse with Catherine and Heather! Even Brooke seems to be enjoying the utter devastation Brittany is experiencing before bolting the room with a supposedly non-sweaty yoga mat.
But who’s that guy in the back who never once breaks meditation? He looks like Waiter Guy to me.
P.S. to all the morons who have commented on the episode page on YouTube since it was a featured video the other day. You might try reading the show’s description before watching, crying about it, then posting a rude, obnoxious or just plain disgusting comment. If it’s porn you want, try looking up actual porn sites and stop trolling YouTube to get your jollies. I haven’t seen a pissier bunch of cry-baby 12-year olds in my life. Man, the crap that happens when grade school lets out for the summer… jeez…
P.P.S. I tagged Andrew in this entry and I don’t know why, but, since I don’t want to change my tags, let me just say… I like Andrew Miller. He created this funny show, writes a lot of this funny show and pimped this blog in the last IB Friends email… Plus, he got Eden to curse on tape. Thanks Andrew!
Last week on Imaginary Bitches, Eden’s real friends decided an intervention was necessary to save her from her “imaginary friends”. Seems that Brooke took it upon herself to enlighten Lizzie and Connie about Eden’s new playmates and they decided an intervention was the way to go. It was their brilliant idea to set her up with a co-worker of Connie’s, played by the talented and adorable Greg Rikaart of The Young and the Restless, in a decided departure from his daytime gig. The “girls” weren’t too pleased with the idea, tossing off a couple of rude comments along the way, including a viciously catty remark aimed at Connie (Connie: “Are they here now? Should we find a psychic to do a séance or something?” Eden: “No, they’re here. In fact, Catherine is suggesting you get a psychic to see if there’s a good haircut in your future.”), to which both Lizzie and Brooke have subtle, yet pointed, reactions to.
Connie is the target of another deliberately rude comment not much later, after the girls have insisted to Eden that they’re going to get her a boyfriend so she can be part of the club again (Connie: “Wait. Can they have boyfriends?” Eden: “Catherine says yes. But different kinds of boyfriends than you guys have. Not losers.”)
Eden’s “real” friends have taken the blame for Catherine and Heather’s appearances, knowing they’ve left Eden out of a lot of their activities due to her single status and are going to remedy the situation by fixing Eden up with Mark, who works in Connie’s office. Seems Mark has been too busy working on his career to get into a real relationship, but now that he’s successful, he’s ready to “concentrate on the rest of his life!”
Eden is more than willing, since it gets her out of another Saturday night doing “imaginary make-overs.”
So, Eden and Mark arrive back at Eden’s post-date for drinks (“Wine? Beer? Root vegetable organic drink that tastes like death?”) and some talk.
Well, now we know why Mark has been too busy for a relationship. He’s involved in Second Life on the Internet. Has a whole other life and everything. Brett… a professional pitcher/alternative rock star/community activist with a firm handshake. And he has the audacity to mock Eden’s two “friends” (Eden: “Hey, don’t get all high and mighty on me, pal. You’re the one doing imaginary work for imaginary money to take your imaginary self to an imaginary concert!”)? Here Eden tosses off a picture perfect eye-roll that speaks volumes on her opinion of Brett, but because she’s innocent soft-spoken Eden, Catherine comes to the rescue and immediately insults “Brett”, claiming, among other things, that a firm handshake is the sign of giving a lot of hand jobs.
Heather, on the other hand, thinks “Brett” sounds hot and as Eden sexily explains to Mark Heather’s fantasy about baseball, including Heather playing “catcher” (which doesn’t involve the sport of baseball in the slightest, but does include using ones hand to appear to give signals) Mark begins to think their two “make-believe” worlds could be very compatible. Even if Eden’s is easier to access than his.
Sadly, at this point, Mark’s work interrupts and rather than heading home, he asks if he can borrow Eden’s computer.
This is where the date takes a decidedly bad turn…
Watch here and enjoy:
In this episode, Eden Riegel once again creates a very realistic rapport with her “imaginary” friends. Her interaction with Catherine and Heather is so believable that her friends, and even her date, are utterly convinced they are in the room with them. Andtheir responses and reactions to these one-sided conversations is what propels this show along. The way Eden sells the interaction, carrying on two conversations, one with real people, one with imaginary ones, has everyone believing her. We also finally get a physical description of one of Eden’s bitchy friends, Heather, who is a dirty blonde with perky… everything (and who sounds a little like Maggie Stone from All My Children, except for being much taller).
And this episode gave us some of the best eye-rolls ever committed to film, or Internet, something that Eden Riegel excels at.
It appears with each passing episode that the “Bitches” are getting stronger as Eden begins to, I truly believe, enjoy this new side to her psyche. She’s apparently been quiet and unassuming in the past.
Not anymore… Eden is letting her inner bitch come out to play…
In last Friday’s episode of IB, Eden was confronted for the first time by best friend Brooke about her imaginary “friends” Catherine and Heather. Unable to avoid the truth, Eden admits she has these 2 hanging around, but insists they’re not her friends but rather “horrible bitches.” It seems that Brooke accidentally ran into Waiter Guy (okay, not so accidentally, it was at the café where they initially encountered him) and he explained about having an argument with Eden and Catherine. Eden initially tried to deflect the reason that relationship ended (“It’s bad enough he has sex with me and never calls, but now he’s making up crazy stories about me, too?”) but Brooke doesn’t buy it and point blank asks Eden about her Imaginary friends.Eden relents and grudgingly admits to having these two bitches for friends.
Brooke has mentioned this to her therapist, which mortifies Eden; “How comforting! At least I wasn’t making up the fact that I’m crazy.” Brooke; however, blames herself. Eden made up these friends because she, Lizzie and Connie were in committed relationships and bailed on Eden just because she’s single… Eden, on the other hand, insists that these two are not her friends but they give her someone to talk to about boys, dating and other things. Brooke declares war on Heather and Catherine, boldly stating she is going to “Reclaim” Eden. She makes plans to spend the evening with Eden and the other two, doing whatever it is they do, in order to send Catherine and Heather back to whence they came.
But when Brooke arrives at Eden’s it is much to the surprise of Catherine and Heather, who were certain she wouldn’t show. Brooke tells them they need to get used to disappointment. As they settle in to an evening of Grey’s Anatomy, Brooke is curious to know if “they” are talking about her. Eden says they are and relates the snarky things being said. Catherine thinks she’s a fat, selfish bitch who takes Eden for granted, and Heather wouldn’t mind taking Brooke’s boyfriend Michael for a “spin”, so to speak. Brooke is very earnest in her concern over Eden and the “friends” she’s conjured up, taking everything very seriously. Almost too seriously.
She takes charge, jumping to her feet “You know what? Screw you guys!” she exclaims. In order to prove to them that she has always been there for Eden, she proceeds to list off a series of embarrassing events, like when a boy she was dating announced to everyone that Eden let him get to 2nd base… or the time she failed her drivers test. Or when she failed to mention she was taking antibiotics, got drunk, then puked all over Brooke and Lizzie? She informs them in no uncertain terms that they can go. She will always be there for Eden. She is not leaving.
Unfortunately, she does just that a few minutes later. After Eden informs her the “girls” are still here, that they stay with Eden because their relationship is more real, because if they wanted to they could be anywhere. Drinking wine in Paris, chasing butterflies in Costa Rica… having sex with Michael.
Brooke chokes momentarily on this news. “What?!” she exclaims. “My Michael?” She’s amazed that they are so obsessed with him. As she prepares to give Catherine a piece of her mind, Eden blurts out that Catherine is suddenly gone. Brook is totally flummoxed… “What?” she practically squeaks. Eden doesn’t know where she is, but she’s gone, even though Heather is still there. Brooke has a moment to think and realizes something… grabbing her purse, she states that her work here is mostly done and she’s going to go see what Michael is doing. (Or more importantly, who he might be doing) With a parting “I love you” to Eden, she bolts.
Eden sits in stunned silence for a moment then hits the DV-R, restarting the show, so that she and Heather, who is still at Eden’s side, can watch from the beginning. If nothing else, there is one friend who has not abandoned her…
The episode ends with Eden eating a healthy bite of chocolate before looking at the TV. “Oh my God, what did she do to her hair?” The camera pans over to Heather, then back to Eden, who perfectly deadpans: “I know… she looks 40.”
This episode was wonderful with the introduction of one of Eden’s real friends with her two imaginary ones. Like the movie Lars and the Real Girl, it seems that her real friends are completely buying into these new acquaintances and are more than willing to interact with them. Instead of telling Eden to grow up, get over herself or act like an adult, they are willingly playing along to help Eden through this obviously rough time when she’s just not a full member of the group anymore.
Eden, on the other hand, as a ginormous attitude problem built up in her subconscious. Deep, deep, deep, deep down inside Eden resides an incredibly nasty, funny, barb-tongued beyatch. Catherine and Heather are allowing her to voice these barbs, insults and wickedly snide remarks at the abandonment by her “real” friends for their men while maintaining a charming and innocent facade. The wholesome, winsome, engaging face of Eden.
Brooke Nevin’s nonplussed responses to Eden’s commentary from Catherine and Heather, plus her brave attempts to stand up and drive the two out of Eden’s subconscious and her life was great work. The scene in which she almost hurt herself bolting Eden’s to get back home and save Michael from Catherine’s clutches was gold. And Eden, again, shines with her ability to play opposite a chair or a pillow and make it utterly and completely believable, convincing us with her portrayal that someone is truly there.
This series has such an endearing quality to it, tapping into the subconscious of us all in some fashion, because we’ve all been in this position at some point in our lives. Plus it delivers a wicked sense of humor that, as Brooke would say, “doesn’t mince any words” at all.
I just wonder how Eden’s other friends will react when it’s their turn to be skewered by Catherine and Heather…
Episode 4 of “Imaginary Bitches” airs this Friday, May 23rd at 11 p.m. Eastern, 10 p.m. Central and 8 p.m. Pacific.
Soap Suds & Duds 