angora

In the interview with Lina Khan, when they were talking about product shortages, I thought it was disappointing that they kind of laughed off the Adderall shortage. Khan laughed when Jon brought it up, and he made a joke about the audience's reaction, noting they seemed to have an "interesting predilection" for Adderall. But ADHDers have been beating the drum on this for a while, emphasizing how hard it can be to function when they can't get access to their prescribed meds, and highlighting that federal agencies don't seem motivated to try and solve it. In articles I've read, they've mainly mentioned the DEA and the FDA, not the FTC, but it still wasn't a great look for the chair of a federal agency to make light of it.

Jordan, Desi, Michael, and Ronny all got solo weeks before Desi and Michael did their tag-team week. If they're keeping this format through the election, I imagine all four of them will have multiple solo weeks and different duo configurations. Maybe we'll get a round of solos for each of them, followed by a new duo, then repeat. ETA I really liked Leslie's piece! She always does a great job, and I continue to like the idea of former guest hosts or other comedians popping in occasionally to shake things up a little. I thought the main theme of the piece was smart, viewing Trump as yet another of the things Americans do even though we know it's bad for us. Also, I'm going to choose that the "I'm probably dying of scurvy" joke was an Our Flag Means Death reference!

Since the show came back after the strike, Dulce has only gotten one more full night to host, during the "news team takeover" week.

I keep waiting to hear when it's coming back. I wonder if we're gonna keep going with the guest hosts a while longer, or if they're holding off on more new episodes until they have the new permanent host in place? I could picture the show just kind of bowing out too, but I bet they'd be reluctant to pull the plug during an election year. If they decide to end the show, I could see them marketing this as the "final season" and bring in guest hosts to get us through the election--if the show was ending, they might be able to draw some guest hosts they haven't been able to bring in so far. I really enjoyed the guest hosts at first, especially the opportunity to see so many different perspectives, but I thought the show was a lot more uneven with it came back from the strike (though I thought all the correspondents did a great job with their hosting gigs.) Whatever they plan on doing with the show, I hope we hear something soon.

Fuck. I'm so grateful to the show for giving us a season 2 finale that could function as a series finale in the event that this happened. They had more story to tell, and I'm gutted that, barring some kind of extraordinary intervention, they won't get a chance to tell it--but I'm thankful that most of the characters were left in a good place for us to imagine their continuing adventures. Pouring one out for the cast and crew who put their all into this beautiful, hilarious, sad, weird, hopeful little show. Each one of them left it all on the mat, and I'm glad we got a chance to meet fantastic new characters this season like Zheng Yi Sao and Auntie.

I saw the special when it dropped on Disney+, but I didn't get a change to post about it earlier. Some stray thoughts: When it comes down to it, the Toymaker is *so weird.* He's canonically one of the most powerful entities in all of Who, and he spends the millennia forcing mortals to play twisted children's games? I like that the show delved into him a bit, with the whole, "Your good and bad mean nothing to me. There is only to win and to lose." NPH did a nice job--I liked his showdown with the Doctor in his realm, and between the hammy accents and the strong mix of absurdity and menace, I feel like NPH was flexing his Count Olaf muscles. I really liked that we saw Shirley crossing her legs in "The Star Beast," so it was great to see her transferring from her wheelchair to a workstation here. Fantastic casual representation of an ambulatory wheelchair user! And then they referenced it when Kate was affected by the Giggle, with her ableist remarks! I thought Mel's return was, pound for pound, one of the single *nicest* reunions we've gotten with a classic companion. Both she and the Doctor were so delighted to see each other, and even though they were both busy with the task at hand, I like that they found time to catch up a little, and that Mel was with the Doctor alongside Donna for the rebigeneration. The Fourteen-Donna scenes were spectacular, as usual. I loved Donna first trying to brush off the Doctor's fears that he wouldn't be able to save her and then saying, "Well, maybe I'll save you." I don't mind the bigeneration, and I'm so glad that 1) Fourteen didn't have to die after having only lived for a few days and 2) he's taking some time to rest and heal with his chosen family. That lunch scene near the end was so beautiful! Speaking of the bigeneration, I am so hyped for Fifteen! Ncuti was spectacular. He just *was* the Doctor straight out of the gate, even in his undies. At first, I was a bit confused that he felt so decidedly older than Fourteen, but after the "we're doing rehab out of order" line, I understood that he's coming from the *end* of Fourteen's life rather than just branching off from that moment on the rooftop. He was so tender and kind with Fourteen, and he had such a brilliant mix of joy and warmth. Can't wait to see more of him!

I loved it! Others have already brought up the comparisons to "Midnight," and I was also reminded of "The Impossible Planet" / "The Satan Pit" (somewhere with a language not even the Doctor knows, out further than the Doctor has ever gone before and he feels the pull of the unknown.) The Not-Doctor and Not-Donna were both supremely creepy--I loved the moment when I realized the two conversations in the control rooms were happening at the same time, and the Not-Doctor's, "Oh, we get hungry, don't we?" gave me chills. Both David Tennant and Catherine Tate were just incandescently good. They really felt soulless as the Not-Doctor and Not-Donna, and it was especially eerie as they copied more, how they could imitate the real thing almost perfectly, but then they'd get caught out and they'd just turn empty inside. And they were amazing as the actual Doctor and Donna too. This was an episode that got to the heart of who both characters are, what they mean to one another, and how well they know each other, and both rose to the occasion magnificently. Tennant played the Doctor's pain over the Timeless Child revelations and the Flux sooooo well, and Tate killed me stone dead when Donna got left behind. Their scene together in the TARDIS after escaping was beautiful. Wow, putting the Doctor in a situation where he has to try *not* to think, lol. I loved the switch from him coaching Donna to let her mind slow, to Donna trying to warn him off when the copies started tempting him with questions.

Seriously, why are Dulce and Ronny not getting their own weeks? Roy, Jordan, Desi, and Michael all did. It feels really shitty at this point. I loved John Leguizamo's week--he's one of my top picks too, @Sarah 103--so I was happy to see him pop up for another segment. I'd really enjoy that as a recurring bit, past guest hosts/"friends of the show" occasionally coming on to do a piece about something important to them. It would be a good way to maintain the wide range of perspectives from the guest-host era once we have a permanent host again.

I loved it. Ten and Donna are my all-time favorite Doctor-companion team for new Who, and David Tennant and Catherine Tate were spectacular together. They slipped back into these roles so seamlessly, it was like no time had passed, and yet both of them also played their parts conscious of how the Doctor and Donna have changed and grown since they last saw each other. Fourteen mostly seems like Ten, albeit older and wiser. I absolutely loved his reaction to the new TARDIS console room, and everything between him and Donna on the Meep’s ship was beautiful. I enjoyed Rose Noble, even if she felt a little underwritten, and loved that Mum Donna was equal parts “I will destroy anyone who hurts my daughter” and “how many flipping times have I told you to take out the bins?” So interesting to see how Sylvia has changed since season 4 and what her relationship with Donna is like now. I like that we got the chance to get to know Shaun a little and that he seems like such a solid guy. Lovely mention of Wilf. I haven’t decided how I feel about the new sonic yet. Besides feeling overpowered, the projected screens/force fields have a Tony Stark-tech look to them that, to me, doesn’t look right for Doctor Who. And more than anything, if the new sonic can do all this stuff, I would’ve at least wanted the Doctor to go, “Whoa, since when can you do that?!?” I knew that we were getting the Meep from the old Fourth Doctor comic “Doctor Who and the Star Beast,” but I hadn’t realized we were getting pretty much the exact same story! While it was amusing to watch it in live action, it felt a little flimsy compared to the much stronger personal storyline with the Doctor, Donna, and her family. So glad to have fresh Who content with these old faces. Really excited for the next two specials, and nobody let RTD do anything terrible to Donna!

I liked seeing Sarah Silverman and Leslie Jones again--as an Our Flag Means Death fan, it was especially fun that Leslie got to be the one to interview Taika Waititi--but this week is reaffirming that I really wish we could've gotten a full week for each of the correspondents. Dulce and Ronny were both great, and I'm bummed that only having one night for each means we won't get their Long Story Shot topics. I loved Ronny's interview last night with John Oliver and their discussion about what it's like to be immigrant comedians.

Whoa. I’m still processing, and I definitely need to watch it again, but I was happy with the season finale. Considering all there was to get done in half an hour, I think the show brought it home well. Spoilers ahead! Ed reading Stede’s letter was so sweet, and I loved their reunion amidst fighting all those British soldiers–cut short, of course, to help Zheng! I also liked the interactions of the whole Stede-Zheng-Ed trio and thought they worked well together. I liked seeing everyone holding their own against the British, whether it was the imprisoned crew’s determination to escape, Roach dropping cigar ashes in people’s food, Izzy showing his open contempt for Ricky, and then Spanish Jackie poisoning everybody! I loved her reassuring the Swede, “Everyone’s poison trained in this house,” and I laughed *so* hard at Stede saying, “Oh shit, is that us doing that?” when all the British started keeling over. And everyone looked exquisitely good in their stolen British naval uniforms. Can we get this cast in a gender- and racebent adaptation of a Jane Austen romance or something? Gorgeous! I’m glad Auntie survived. I liked Oluwande helping her, and seeing how his encouragement paid off–Zheng’s reaction to Auntie saying she was proud of her was really lovely. I’m still trying to decide what I think about Izzy’s death, but I liked that they used his unicorn leg to make the cross for his grave. Lucius and Black Pete’s wedding was both funny and sweet. I love that the crew tag-teamed officiating the ceremony, and I laughed out loud when Roach begrudgingly admitted that they could kiss instead of slashing each other’s faces. That final tracking shot of the crew–plus Zheng, Auntie, Jackie, and the Swede–setting off in the Revenge was gorgeous. Now we’ll see how long we’ll have to cross our fingers as we wait to hear any news about renewal. Stede and Ed opening an inn together has lots of potential, although I’ll hope the show would still find plenty of reasons for them to interact with the crew. The cast chemistry is too good to keep them apart!

Definitely. How quickly Jim seems to have forgotten their comment about, "I guess you never know when you're in the good old days." Leaving Stede and joining up with a captain who'd previously planned to execute Jim and Archie is quite the choice for these three to make. Not to mention, Zheng has been creating her own fleet. Instead of leaving the Revenge, why not at least try to broach the idea with her and/or Stede about teaming up?

I wonder if they initially planned for another ten-episode season and then felt like they had to cram when they only got eight. I think even another two episodes would give the plot quite a bit more room to breathe. My thoughts on the new episodes: Episode 6 Such a great episode! I like that the big party from the trailer wasn’t specifically a drag night, a wedding/engagement party, or anything like that. It was simply the crew “Calypsoing” Stede to throw a big party just because. But within that, I love that Ed explained the con to Stede and he still went along with it, and that everyone got super into the spirit of it, making up fake Calypsan traditions–culminating, of course, in Wee John dressing as Calypso! The quick shot of Jim, Oluwande, and Archie dancing together was sweet, and I loved Izzy singing! And using the treasure from Ed’s “guilt room” to pay for the party was a lovely idea on Stede’s part–I really liked the theme of “turning poison into positivity.” Oh, and their strings of pirate-themed bunting were so cute! I can easily see those popping up on Etsy. I’m glad we’re seeing that Ed is still troubled by his guilt and the things he’s done. It was good to finally get a scene between him and Izzy, and while we certainly didn’t get a heart-to-heart between them, I think Ed’s apology to Izzy, as small as it was, was important. And Ed’s own feelings of regret turning into concern for Stede was really well done. I love that, for the most part, Stede handled Ned Low *his* way. The seeds were already there with Ned Low’s crew, as we saw the crew of the Revenge picking up on their boredom/discontentment and trying to turn that to their advantage. But Stede did a marvelous job of it–love that Hellkat Maggie took over the ship and was ready to discuss profit-sharing with the crew! Like Ed, though, I’m worried about the turn things took at the end, and I’m not sure what it says that Stede and Ed’s first time is going to coincide with Stede’s first intentional kill (the quick flashbacks to young Stede after throwing Ned Low overboard were nicely done.) We see a lot of “artistic” killers/torturers in pop culture–hello, Hannibal! But I kind of love that, for all of Ned Low’s pretension, his art was pretty lame and his crew was just grumpily going through the motions of it all. He repeatedly sneered at Ed for being generic and “lowborn,” but his great “symphony” was just his shallow attempt to find purpose in a bunch of people screaming. I noticed during the Calypso party that we hadn’t seen Lucius and Black Pete yet, so I was glad to see them show up below deck. I laughed so hard at Lucius saying, “What if we just tell their stories? Isn’t that the best revenge?” They were so funny running around collecting every single knife they could find, and I liked that, when they finally emerged, Ed just told them not to get in the way of Stede doing his thing. Episode 7 Yep, I figured post-kill sex wasn’t going to be the right move. The morning-after breakfast scene was cute, and you could tell Ed was starting to broach the subject of getting out of piracy–I wonder if he might have explained himself better if they hadn’t been interrupted, or if that conversation would’ve gone badly no matter what. I completely understand why Ed wants to put all that behind him. He was disillusioned with piracy before he ever met Stede, and feeling trapped in his “monstrous” Blackbeard persona was what fueled his downward spiral at the start of the season. At the same time, though, he’s being super impulsive here. It took him every ounce of willpower he had to be quiet long enough to catch a single fish, and now he thinks he’s going to be a fisherman? Girl, please. It’s realistic that Stede’s newfound fame would go to his head. So many people have regarded him as a joke for so long, and he’s managed to work within that space, but now that he suddenly *is* like one of the notorious pirates he’s read about, it makes sense that he’d play the peacock here, to the point that he’d get himself in way over his head against Zheng Yi Sao. To that end, I can buy that he lasted as long as he did in their duel. She was clearly toying with him throughout, both to impress upon him how wrong he’d been and because she didn’t see him as a real threat. Frenchie and Black Pete grifting off of Stede’s fame was fun–I loved Frenchie selling “genuine planks” from the Revenge, and I laughed out loud at Black Pete urging Lucius to hurry up with the counterfeit autographs. And I loved the post-credits scene! Again, after noticing that Roach and Fang hadn’t been around, it was great to see them at the very end. I love that they had a spa day! I don’t mind Oluwande still being hung up on Zheng Yi Sao–apparently his type is “ruthlessly capable badass”–but I wish we could have seen any of that between episodes 3 and 7. If he was “always” talking about her back on the Revenge, where was it? We could’ve gotten a quick bit of him trying to tell a story about her and Jim or Archie going, “You do remember she was gonna kill us, right?”, or lamenting that he might never see her again when they were being tortured by Ned Low’s crew. Just something. If they weren’t going to bring it up at all, they could’ve gone with him not realizing how he felt until he saw her again. Still loving Zheng Yi Sao and Auntie, and so excited for the season finale! That last scene was a banger.

I liked both Leslie Jones and Sarah Silverman as guest hosts, but I'd rather get a full week for Dulce and a week for Ronny instead of second weeks for them.

Thoughts on the new episodes: Episode 4 OMG, I loved it! After everything Ed went through in the first three episodes, and everything he put his crew through, I figured we were going to have to deal with that before we could get to the Stede/Ed stuff, but this episode did an excellent job of covering both in a way that made sense. I completely understand the crew voting to banish him, and I can buy Ed not fighting them on that but feeling further betrayed by Stede as a result. “You’re no fucking mermaid,” was perfect. I thought everything between Stede and Ed was good. As fun and silly as the bit with the rabbit was, Ed broke my heart a little when he told the rabbit how rare it was to find someone who truly understands you. And throwing him and Stede into contact with the hilariously chaotic Anne and Mary was a good way to get all the baggage out in the open: old wounds poked at and secrets revealed before they were ready, which then allowed them to talk honestly as they waded through everything that had just come up. Stede was absolutely lovely, owning up to the hurt he caused Ed while also trying to explain *and* pointing out that he’s forgiven Ed for things too. I loved that he made Ed listen to his “I love you” speech while also assuring him he didn’t have to say it back. By the end of the episode, I could believe where they’d ended up; Ed softly admitting that he’d like Stede to talk to the crew again was sweet, and I laughed when Stede needed Ed to come with him because he couldn’t find his way back to the ship. Minnie Driver and Rachel House were terrific, a fun mix of sappy and murderous. I liked the scenes between Anne-Stede and Mary-Ed, and I loved that, for those two, the sweetest gesture Anne could make was to set their house on fire. And it killed me that people kept forgetting about Buttons and he’d just pop up randomly and freak people out. I loved the storyline back on the ship. So sweet that Roach, Black Pete, Wee John, and Oluwande wanted to try and help the others, even though it was completely believable that all of them were too jumpy and traumatized to recognize the loving gestures for what they were. The scene of everyone pointing their weapons at each other was fun, and I liked the resolution that they all banded together once they realized that Izzy was more messed up than any of them. I think this episode ultimately offered a lot of healing for Ed’s crew and Lucius, but I hope we continue to see evidence of how they’ve been affected by their experiences (much like how opening up to Stede and then Black Pete in episode 2 didn’t “fix” Lucius’s trauma.) Oh, and Oluwande calling Jim “babe” was too cute! Episode 5 This felt like a needed episode, a nice blend of growth and silliness. Some good stuff in the “curse” storyline, from Stede’s excited little twirls in the suit to Roach inventing peanut butter. I liked that Stede eventually acknowledged that the crew’s superstitious fears weren’t worth keeping the suit and asked for their input in ridding the ship of the curse. And I loved he *did* do well “in the field,” like he told Izzy–punching the guy who tried to stab him on the first ship and firing his well-timed warning shot on the second. I liked the mix we got with Ed here, that he genuinely was sorry and wanted to make things right with the crew but also didn’t know how and just kind of wanted to get it over with. The cat collar made me smile. Sending him fishing with Fang was a good choice; Fang was able to be honest with him while still being sweet and nonjudgmental. But while it makes sense that there’s a lot of focus at this stage on how Ed hurt people, I do hope that at some point he’s able to talk about what he was going through and get some support. With the crew, I appreciated that we got to see several different mindsets after the events of episode 5. You had Izzy determined to move on while also denying what he’d been through, Lucius trying to deal but feeling rushed by those who were pushing him to get over things, and the others mostly in a good place, integrated back with their friends. The scenes between Lucius and Black Pete were so sweet.