AncientNewbie

I'll give the limited series a thumbs up. If it comes back for a second season and I have to reconsider who knows. Star Wars always has the same reaction with me--it's the first movie I saw in the theater and I'm always immediately consumed by nostalgia and childlike wonder. Later on I can look at the plot holes and mcguffins and apply some adult sensibilities...but for right now, I'm really liking the finale.

For all his success on the Challenge, I think someone could make a supercut of all the times Wes announced some strategy that instantly failed. Yet it never stops his next master plan or his confidence in the plans...

I was okay with the John Bananas cameo, mostly, because I enjoy bombastic Wes so much and what's more Wes than dialing up a supposed arch-enemy to chat out the game? I have no clue on either M or F elims right now. It could go either way and I'm liking that, if not the wait to see what happens.

I just started last night, but I'm enjoying it. They did make Shoresy a little more palatable and a better person than his Letterkenny bits, without totally altering the character. I laughed a lot through the first two episodes.

I have a soft spot for this show, being a native Adirondacker like Erin, but I'd agree with everyone who felt the "trying too hard" vibe. It seems even more obvious to me because I follow them on Insta and there's been a lot of posting that, to my cynical eyes, makes it look like the show is in danger if the numbers don't deliver. Mostly, I feel it's a harmless quirk of the show, but with something like the "emergency call, let's stop and look at this..." recreation I just roll my eyes a little too hard.

I've read the comics, very casually, so I knew a rough idea of the character and her family. The mom was less strict than my own mother was when i was a teen...in fact, less so than today when I'm nearly 50, but that's probably a topic for my own therapist... Enjoyable first ep. I liked the slight change to her brother's character, making him more of an ally, and Kamala's enthusiasm just leapt off the screen.

If they do this right, in my fanwanking mind, Bail learns a lesson about secrecy which leads him to some spy skills and down the path of the Rebellion.

Trivia eps vary in quality, but I really enjoyed the focus on TJ's sadistic glee. That's become one of my favorite bits. I was surprised Derrick didn't put Nehemiah in. I get why he didn't, but I just don't think that would matter as much to him given the strained relations. Wes continues to amuse me. Not quite "shoe to the face" amused, but he gives good content in the talking heads.

I really enjoyed this ep. I'm a sucker for space wizards with laser swords and this delivered aces in those categories.

Well, as they are prone to repeating, they want "America's favorite dancer" and not "best dancer" or "most hireable"...and AI and other talent shows have proven that we'll keep watching in large numbers even if the soft focus hardscrabble story is the focus and not the talent in question. Disappoints me to an extent, but I get it...eyeballs and sponsorship are driving this cart, not the promotion of dance. Soapbox aside, I enjoyed the ep largely. I've long been a Mandy fan, so getting to see her do three routines and interact with the dancers was entertaining for me. I don't think I saw enough of each one, but I think there's some justifiable talent still in the pool to watch.

Not unhappy with this ep...might have liked to see a different male player go home, but at this point I have some liking for pretty much everyone so I think I'd just be unhappy no matter who went home. I liked the star turn for Kellyanne this ep, but then again, she reminds me of someone I went to school with, so I've always had a soft spot for her and her limited competence.

It's still early and there's a judging chair now open to be filled...but I'm okay with the new panel. I felt Mary became too one note, and never understood why there was a ballroom specialist and not specialists in other disciplines permanently on the panel. And Nigel could be a bit of a lecherous old man at times, although Morrison has now proved you don't have to be an old man to do that... So, anyway, I'm willing to give Twitch and JoJo a chance. As long as there's no Hot Tamale Train, they'll have my interest.

Tyler Perry happened. Apparently this Friend of Peachy didn't think swimsuits were realistic for marooned survivors, so instead we get underthings. Solid episode for me. I'm flexible on first run that I just want to be entertained for an hour. On rewatch I'll wish I had more reaction to last ep or internal camp stuff. But Omar's lie and his mustache-twirling giddiness were fun and the shortened version of Letters from Home/Loved One Visit was touching if brief. Emphasis on brief.

And here I was thinking all his recent travel pictures were a hint about coming into money...

This was a good ep by my personal measure. Tori is going to cockroach her way along and is being edited just like a great wrestling heel. Jonathan's tragic doom is already being whispered and it's Jeffy's Shakespearean masterpiece, although I'm sure he'll cry into his pillow at night after the vote. Omar really pulled a Cirie by the looks. And even bossy Rocksroy got some humanization and came off as so grateful for the sights he could take time to enjoy. I was legit moved by that sequence and I'm a heartless SOB.

The wrestler was John Hennigan, also known as John Morrison, also known as...I could go on, because appearing under different ring names is sort of part of his gimmick as a wrestler. Meathead that banged Chet's head and famously didn't care was Joel. Says something about this season that the most I have to reply the day after is with "past seasons" knowledge. I'm enjoying it well enough, but so far no one has leapt out to make me truly care. The closest is Tori, who mainly I care that I want her to lose, but it's been a while since we had a good villain (as opposed to a bad person.)

Except the people producing this show and making bank from the advert dollars. Which isn't disagreeing with you at all--this show has long suffered from the split between what their audience wants to watch and what the general public will buy.

Solid if unexceptional early boot episode. Although "Gotta protect the balls" (or however Daniel said it) should have been the ep title.

Can I change my mind and get Zach back?

In the boat/canoe during the challenge, it looked like Daniel was holding his injured shoulder. I wonder if we'll see that come back up again. I liked his LaGrossa callback, as a nerd that was remembering the same first challenge injury. Tori...is she really that delusionally confident or has the downtime on the island already started her believing her own story about innocently seeking taro? Not a good sign if the latter for her gameplay. Overall I didn't loathe anyone in an "off my screen" sort of way. I'm still over all the twists and turns from last season's "reboot" but I'm willing to give this a shot for an hour a week.

I'm good with the ending. It was a very odd season and seeing the limited number of teams at the finish mat really brought that home after the final few episodes had felt familiarly "TAR-ish" to me.

That was unfair of the Race to make me hungry for souvlaki right before my bedtime. Even if I usually order without onions, which I'd recommend to that twin... Kim and Penn are winning me over. I knew very little of them other than "make videos" but they have been calm with each other and clever in their asides to the camera. My declaration of support for them probably means they're next to go. I don't have a good track record.

It's still a work in progress for me to adjust to a Challenge where I don't have strong feelings about who I want to win (or usually, who I want to lose) in no small part because there's so little interpersonal drama on these seasons. Which I'm okay with...I like the fun vibe and the reunion feel of these things so far. I'm good with the winners. Jonna really is compelling for me as someone who seems to have really matured into her role as a former RW/Challenge person. I do reserve the right to randomly sing "Safety Palace" when that stupid earworm hits me, though.

"I hit my head back there" "I don't care." "I know." I only wish I could recreate the tones of Chet's voice in print.

Usually I can't get past my own legal nitpicking of law-based plot points, so I'd like to thank the people that set this in Louisiana, because I'll believe anything about how their legal system might work.