tallykat

After watching the recent limited series, I purchased the audio books--yes, Part I and Part II, took two Audible credits, but it's been worth it. I've just started Part II. Audio books can be iffy and this one is read by a British male. He does okay with changing up the male voices and I can almost follow who is talking, but boy does he need help with the women! But who am I to say? I've never been asked to narrate a book with so many different characters. I knew I would like having all the details filled in for me. However, I never knew how much it would change the story for me. The event where Blackthorne attempts seppuku was so pivotal! I can't believe that they chose to leave it to almost the end of this limited series. And the whole rationale for doing it--because Torranaga was trying to find spies--was much weaker that the real reason: that Yabu had threatened to wipe out the entire village if the Anjin didn't learn Japanese. To me, the stakes were much higher. But that whole passage, having the inner thoughts of Blackthorne as he understands what Mariko has been saying about life and death being the same and then the tremendous change that happens when he is "reborn" (survives the attempt). It is so incredibly essential to understanding the change in his attitude and acceptance of where he is. I suppose TPTB wanted to keep Blackthorne as more of a fish out of water for the entirety of the series rather than show how he has his revelation about life and death and that as hatamoto he may also be considered samurai. I think it would have been so much better if they could have honored how Clavell developed Blackthorne. I will admit that I like Yabu from the limited series. They added just enough comedy to make a very unlikeable character sympathetic. Not in a major way, but in the book, boy, I can't wait for him to get his just desserts.

I didn't see this as an "If/Then." Toranaga told Blackthorne what he wanted to tell Blackthorne. Mostly to deflect that he ordered the burning of the ship. But I don't think he was necessarily also killing villagers to drive home that point. I'm not sure if we were supposed to recognize any of the heads on the posts when Anjin returned to Anjiro. I got that sense that it was more because of Yabushige and his deceitfulness and the Christian lords who were aligned against him that he was cleaning out people that were traitors. I didn't get that it was willy nilly slaughter of innocent villagers. Mariko was the servant of Toranaga. His goal was not to overthrow the heir, but to overthrow the regents. I very much think her goal was to die if it came to that, and it would very likely come to that. Her death at the gates would have been just as effective and she probably would have preferred that. I think that she believed her (and possibly her family's) redemption would come by her sacrificing her life for her lord. I think there's more to this than we see on the screen. She came back from Edo declaring that things were not happening fast enough and now the council would answer to her. It does seem that she had a lot of influence as the heir's mother (and the daughter of the previous ruler, let's not forget). Seeing how Ishido operated, maybe she did flip and decided to dump Ishido for Toranaga. Toranaga did say that it would be Ishido who showed up on the battlefield with no banner. She had the banner, but he had the army. It is confusing, however, what exactly will happen once Toranaga becomes Shogun. Does that leave room for the heir to become some sort of defacto ruler, like the Parliment and the Crown in England?

First, to settle whether Blackthorne returned to England or not, in his dream--yes it was a dream--he is holding Mariko's necklace in his hand as he lays dying. I doubt he dove into the bay to retrieve it after tossing it with Lady Fuji's family's ashes. Now if you want to argue that he was dreaming as he lay dying in England that he had Mariko's necklace in his hand...sorry, not buying it. Put me in the "I like Cosmo" camp. Let's not forget that John Blackthorne was a barbarian. He wasn't high-born English. Although well-educated in his field, he still was just a cut above the other sailors that he eventually rejected. I think Jarvis played him as we saw him. Crude, quick-tempered, even oafish. He was such a contrast to the subdued Japanese that I wonder if he isn't getting a bad (acting) rap just for being a loud, obnoxious Englishman who wore his plans on his sleeves. Sorry, Anjin, you weren't fooling anybody. Toranaga used the fact that you were using him. The blast in the storeroom really knocked something out of him. Maybe not the last vestiges of Western culture, but whatever he was or wanted before, he seemed to be accepting his fate. I really loved his scene with Father Alvito where he said: "I didn't pray to your God or my God, just God..." Every scene with Lady Fuji was so perfect. His crude Japanese, his demanding that she stay as his consort in the weakest way. The boat. And her walking with him to meet Omi who took him to see Toranaga. Loved that replay of the earlier meeting where he refused to turn over his pistols. Yes, Cosmo Jarvis is no suave Richard Chamberlain, and I liked him for it. I didn't get that sense at all. One samurai as they were leaving Osaka told him in Portuguese that they were taking him to the dock. And then the samurai spy also spoke Portuguese, which I suppose he kept a secret because he was a spy. However, when Toranaga asked him to translate, he was way in over his head and said as much. I thought they did a good job of showing that Blackthorne was picking up the language--even in the earliest episodes where he learned words like "pull" and "row." And other small scenes, like riding with Mariko back to the village after cannon practice where he is asking her how to say certain things. His Japanese was still broken and basic at the end. I enjoyed the final scene with Yabushige. In the first miniseries, I remember it was an elaborate affair when he committed seppuku, but a nice long expository talk with Toranaga worked for me. "Why tell a dead man the future?" Because *we* need to know! Oh, and I also liked him pleaded to be killed another way. Did he get "fed to the fishes" in the end. It looked like his head definitely rolled off the cliff. I look forward to listening to the audio book and figuring out all those little nuances--like tea ceremonies.

Oh, that makes me very happy! Thinking of them speaking Latin and not a common language. By 1600, Latin was not spoken by the common folk. I don't know anything about Japanese grammar, but I do know Latin and we would consider it "stilted" which is how we would probably view Japanese as well. It just fits in my brain. I also considered that he had written the rutter in Latin, but I also don't think of the rutter as being prose-y, but more like a list of notations of latitude and longitude and brief weather notations and then maybe "Sacked that Portuguese village. Here's what we collected:" It seems it would be easy to translate a list like that, especially considering how close Portuguese, Spanish and Latin would be.

I am already rewatching the series although the finale is tomorrow. As I have been thinking about things, I am confused on one point. I have gotten the Audible book and have started listening, so maybe it's clearer in the book. We of course hear Mariko and Anjin speaking English, but what they are truly conversing in is Portuguese. So how can Mariko translate Anjin's rutter? And if I remember, the second rutter is from a Spanish pilot, who maybe wrote in Portuguese, but surely Blackthorne didn't, so how can she translate the English?

OMG! I completely forgot that Mariko sacrificed herself. I watched the original miniseries (OM), but honestly now can't remember a thing about it, except the scene where Blackthorne tosses his kimono because the nasty sailor touched it. Also, as so many have pointed out, it was all from Anjin's perspective. I always felt that Toronaga did protest too much about being Shogun in the OM, that he was always doing exactly what he needed to be Shogun. But in this one, he has gotten so much more character development. Shrewd, yes, but I still get the feeling that he wants what is best for Japan and the heir. Otherwise, why wouldn't he have accepted sole regency? But then, his rationale at that time made sense as well--he and the heir would have had too many enemies. It all just makes me want to read the book. My husband keeps asking why they did this or that...like the tea ceremony or the difference between a wife and a concubine--for the Japanese. I mean, would the son/daughter of your wife have a higher standing that the son/daughter of a concubine? Except the heir is the son of a concubine and sure, there's no other heir, but in England, they would skip to the brother of the king and his kids before they would put an illegitimate heir on the throne. And the wife of the Lord would not be so kindly towards a concubine in Western culture. It really has made me want to read to book to have all these details fleshed out. I think that women who committed seppuku stabbed themselves in the heart rather than disemboweled themselves. I remember that from the OM. As for Mariko being condemned to hell for suicide and maybe not if she had a second kill her instead, being Catholic, I know we have some crazy loop holes for that kind of stuff so I wouldn't doubt that the offense of attempting suicide may not be a serious as actually doing it, because if you were only attempting to kill yourself, you could fail or change your mind. But at least you could have a moment where you could repent of the sin. While Blackthorne may have dispatched a man or two in his life, has he really killed anyone in cold blood? Would he claim past deaths as self-defense? Or justifiable war? Would this be a cold-blooded murder? If nothing else, I guess we would call it euthanasia. Still frowned on by the church. Sorry for going on. It's my first post. Don't know why I didn't think of coming here 9 weeks ago. I can't wait for the finale, although I suppose I will have to do just that. We will miss you, Mariko! You did your family and your lord proud!

I admit it, I’m a Hurricane fan. But I didn’t think the act had a chance. Murmuration, ok, yes, very cool to watch and a lot of choreography and practice went into pulling that off, but when you can incorporate the untrained audience into the performance, is it the same as Avant Gardi? Even they picked up on the hand motions. I told my husband that Lavender and Putri would be just fine. I’m sure the ink is drying on their record deals right now. And the South African choir already has an offer to perform with Cold Play. No, it’s not just about who needs to win, but most everyone in the finals will be just fine thank you very much. The comic, the magician as long as they keep improving, they will get gigs, or a Netflix special. Hurricane made me laugh and made me cry and I would pay to see them perform live. Congratulations!

I am relatively new to AGT, season 17 being the first I had ever seen. I have certainly gotten caught up in the wildness that is the show--the crazy acts as well as the amazing acts. It seems like these second rounds of auditions are meant for us to reconnect to the acts and see how they are doing as well as determine the ultimate winner for the season. I remember last year that there were two brothers that did hockey stick tricks. It was nice to see that they had become semi-celebrities and got gigs doing halftime shows at hockey games. Was there ever a chance they would win the Big Prize? No. But a nice story. I feel the same way about John Wines and, as it turns out, Brynn Cummings. I mean, did anyone expect that John would take it to the finals and beat out all the other contestants? Not really. But was it fun to watch him come back and and go all Jimi Hendrix on stage? Oh yeah it was! Brynn just isn't quite there yet when it comes to being top shelf, but she has recognition now and certainly has time to hone her craft. True Villains and Maureen Langan got career boosts and I'm sure will do just fine outside of Las Vegas. But that's the ultimate question, isn't it? Is this act worthy to be a headliner in Las Vegas? Of the performers from this qualifier, certainly Lavender Darcangelo cannot be denied. Don't hate me, but sentimental background stories don't usually get to me, but hers has. I mean, I don't root for a contestant just because they have the inspirational, up from the ashes, I was bullied in school story. I almost didn't listen to the song because I reckoned she would be a shoo-in just because she was a Golden Buzzer. But wow, was I reminded of what an amazing voice she has! I totally agreed with Simon that this song is completely different for me now. Second spot? Adrian Stoica and Hurricane. If that isn't a Vegas act, I don't know what is. I loved the country singer, although the live shows always seem to have problems with the sound and it was hard to hear the lyrics. But I can download his music, I don't need to see him in concert. And he can write his own future I'm sure with what we know about the popularity the show has given him. The world needs more smart dogs! Go Hurricane!

I recently watched the S1 episode with the Gorn. One of the things that bothers me about the species, which keeps me from caring about this conflict is the disregard for physical science with regard to the Gorn. How can a creature that lays eggs that hatch within days and then grow to full-size versions exist without consuming huge quantities of energy/calories to achieve that goal? Maybe if the eggs completely consume the host before hatching, and almost immediately render the host incapacitated... And then, unless they are going to mess with the timeline, we know the stakes going in...Nurse Chapel will be found. M'Benga and Sam Kirk are most likely survivors. I'm sure the writers feel like their hands are tied knowing who must survive because their future is known. Until the reveal that Pike's girlfriend is now a hatchery, I was wondering if he would perhaps try to find a way to communicate with the Gorn and work out a solution. Maybe he'll trade the hatchery for the hostages. We'll have to wait and see. Speaking of waiting and seeing, yes, I am that gullible that until there was only 5 minutes left in the episode, I thought (most) things would be resolved by the end. And it wouldn't be so bad if it were a regular "back-in-the-day" To be continued... where we only had to wait from May to September to find out who makes it and who doesn't. But instead, it will likely be over a year and we will have to watch this episode all over again because we will have forgotten all the little details. Montgomery Scott to the rescue! Saved the captains and saved the episode from complete disaster.

I have a question. Maybe more than one, but only one that I can think of right now. The Ed Asner fake doctor character—what was the deal with that? He really didn’t scam The Carter Foundation, did he? I mean, he would have done better to take Carter’s first check. John would have had no reason to go back to the clinic to check on him. TCF had plenty of time to put a stop payment on the check or definitely track the guy down for fraud. Was it to show us how naive and incompetent John would be as the president of Gamma’s foundation? Also, as the manager of a (very small) foundation, we can only give money to a 501(c)(3) organization. TCF can’t just be writing checks to Doc Ed at the clinic. Ok, so that wouldn’t work for the show, too boringly real, but are we supposed to believe that Doc Ed is sitting on a beach in Florida with his nurse/assistant?

I have just started Season 10, binging on Hulu, and it really is different when there is no break between episodes. First of all, I have to say that I need a membership in the “I Cannot Stand Abby” club. I’ll buy the t-shirt, the hat, and the tote bag. I didn’t remember that it took quite a while for her to go back to med school. She’s still a nurse right now. I tried really hard to be sympathetic to her family problems but no way do I like any of my siblings so much! Geez, just marry Eric already! Of course, I never practically raised my brother. But leaving Carter to go get her brother after Gamma died—that was cold! She made her choice right then and there and John should have told her not to show up for the funeral. My heart ached for those not-really-real people having to experience a drunk manic showing up at their loved one’s funeral. But the kicker was John coming back from Africa and her attitude. Not so much for kicking him out of the apartment, but the break-up fight they had afterwards where she is all “you LEFT me, you left ME! Me! Me! Me!” And in the next breath said that it wasn’t all about her, he had problems too. Abby, if you truly were sorry about bringing your brother to Gamma’s funeral, you have to make amends. But all you did was pile up more on Carter and tell him he has put up a wall, when he just shared with you about his trip to Africa. She’s a flake and a half and I don’t know if I can finish the show knowing it becomes the Abby Hour. Someone complained about Mark taking his time to die (two seasons). But he did spend some of that time in remission. He went pretty quick it seemed from discovery of the tumor reappearance and his death. And Kerry and the Alderman. Yikes! I had forgotten about that.

I’ve just completed Season 3. I have to say that I feel it was better than the first two seasons. Maybe because Susan Lewis leaves. Okay, there, I’ve said it. I’m not a big Susan fan. Well, not a big fan of Susan, temp-mom of Baby Susie. And here’s another shocker: I like Chloe. I like that she got her life back together and found a guy and wants to be a family. Go, Susan, go to Phoenix and make sure Baby Susie will be okay. I liked Mark and Susan’s friendship and didn’t like how they turned it into this budding romance and Mark’s cliched running to the train just to have his hopes dashed-except wait-why in the world does Susan say “I love you, Mark” as the train pulls away from the station. Too bad they don’t live in 2018, where you could actually have a decent long-distance relationship via Skype and texting. You could get a non-stop ticket for $211. But you guys, you were better off as friends. Mark, Mark, Mark. Did you have some sort of Freaky Friday experience with Doug? Maybe it happened when that babe OD’ed in the ER. The spirit of love-em-and-leave-em jumps out of Doug and finds a new home in Mark. It’s really subtle. Doug is clearly shaken by what happens but you don’t notice so much right away that he isn’t boozing and banging like he used to. I’m not sure I wanted him to take an interest in Carol, I kinda liked the mom and son from last season (or season 1?) And all of a sudden, Mark is on a dating marathon. Clearly, marrying your high school sweetheart leaves you lacking in the skills needed for dating after a divorce. But then, *that* happens and we just wish he had taken the time to have a good relationship with just one person so there could be someone to give him a much needed hug. I didn’t remember how mean he got. Mad, you could expect. Or scared. But his overall personality changed and he wasn’t nice to be around at all and didn’t seem to care overly much about the people he worked with. Very well written and well acted. The Pediatric Surgery rotation. Another very well done storyline. Loved Peter’s comeuppance although it almost came at the cost of the newborn’s life. I really wasn’t sure why he wanted to go for a second round, except to get it perfect this time. Can you really not accept that you just aren’t good with children? I loved Dr. Abby. She was just so opposite of Peter. I wish she could have stayed. Then Carter maybe would have stayed with that specialty because I think it lends itself to a caring, involved surgeon. Abby seemed to be the type. General surgeons, thorasic surgeons, cardiac surgeons—they all seem to be the Benton type: driven and competitive. And Gant. Wow. And the aftermath of it all. I really can’t believe Peter missed the memorial. Sure he so out of touch with his feelings, but missing the memorial. And then missing the presentation with Carter? C’mon Peter! There is so much about this show that I don’t remember. Like Peter having a baby in Season 3! I liked Carla at the beginning of their relationship. She seemed very confident—wasn’t she the restaurant owner or manager? And even when she was first pregnant—maybe she should have told Peter sooner, but then he doesn’t talk to her for weeks? Yeah, she should plan to be on her own. Then she must have had a talk with Jackie (who also lets Peter in on this well-known fact) because all of a sudden she becomes a helpless needy pregnant woman who is afraid of needles. Which reminds me: show me any medical student who *doesn’t* know their blood type and I’ll eat my stethoscope. No way did Jeanie need to take some blood, just should’ve had to ask him his blood type. But really, Carla, you are refusing a needle stick right now? I did *not* like the circumstances that led to little Reese getting a circumcision, but I did like Carla’s argument: “You want him to look like you. You should say that. *That* I understand.” New secretary Cynthia. I completely have wiped any memory of her from my mind. She seems on the edge of crazy. I think I am misremembering her as the coke-head who carved up Dr. Caldwell (Mark Harmon) on St. Elsewhere. Keep those razor blades where you can see them, Mark! Oh, and Jeanie and Al Boulet. What a wonderfully written storyline that is! From her screaming at him that he has killed her to getting back together, somewhat. It’s just lovely and touching and was very real for the time. And would be very real for today. It’s amazing how well this show ages. I think I will have to comment more frequently than once a season. There is just too much going on. Too much to write about in a single post.

Canceled by ABC, but the show may find life elsewhere. Just when I was getting used to it being over. Realistically, a “designated survivor” would never win re-election. He’d be lucky to serve out his term. Keifer needs to find a better vehicle. Honestly, I liked Kirkman. Keifer would make an excellent president. The show just couldn’t find its footing. They tried to be too many things. I seem to be rambling. Just like the show...

When she dialed the number I knew she was going to say “I need a ticket to London.” But who did she call? The line was totally for dramatic effect but not real at all. We all know if you call Delta, American, British Airways, you will be greeted by a robot. Even if she still was an FBI agent, wouldn’t she have said: “Hi, Mary, this is Hannah. Got a minute?” I cannot imagine calling anyone, not identifying myself, and requesting anything. Of course, I’m not Hannah Wells, SAK (Swiss army knife)

Wow I didn’t see that coming—not! Okay, I didn’t see Kendra and Trey coming. It was nice, but I wish it hadn’t been the morning after. It would have been nice if this had been a secret for a while. I did like Trey’s confession to Tom that he had been pining for her. But using Alex’s charity as a way to meet-cute? Yikes. That didn’t sound so sweet. Sounded like he was calling excessive meetings just to be with Kendra. BTW, show, don’t say another staffer is at risk in the tease for the episode. Since Trey was not a staffer, I knew it wasn’t over and called it even before Emily volunteered to go over and get her jammies for the sleepover. And then I can’t decide if I’m getting used to the writers or exasperated with them. There is way too much exposition in these episodes. Kendra has a break-in and a mysterious phone call. All meet and Kendra dumps this story on us about the way long ago and a murder-or two, I think-and parents and brothers and deals and witness protection. I should have taken notes but I couldn’t tell you who the bad guy was or the vengeful family. And again, it just seemed way too simple for the guy to run at the farm. So it was the dad who shot Emily? And, hey, I like Mike and all, but could we maybe have him be knocked down by the dude and the warrior Secret Service babe defend him? It was just so false seeing a Secret Service agent lying on the ground cowering. It was just way too much “female in distress needs rescuing” for me. Hannah would have kicked his butt. And speaking of Hannah, you know she wasn’t looking for closure, right, Aaron? But let’s not forget this is a show about the President of the United States. The C Plot (or D Plot-there were so many) followed the all-too-recognizable formula of “something that could derail President Kirkman is happening, but don’t worry, he’ll confront the baddies and it will all be resolved in two minutes.” I really don’t understand why the “parties” caved to Kirkman. “You better do what I say or I’m telling Mommy on you” just doesn’t work for me. I love/hate Moss. Is he really announcing his candidacy in the midst of an investigation? He definitely has his answers down pat. Again, things are so complicated, it’s hard to follow them, with West’s rapid-fire questions and his equally rapid-fire answers. I did not have the closed captioning on and as much as I love MJF, it’s so hard to understand him. Overall, though, I do appreciate the show’s attempt to have a character with Parkinson’s who is a bad-ass lawyer. I would welcome him being a regular on the show. I know people with speech issues and you just learn to take the time to understand them. Season finale. Any doubts who will give a two minute speech at 9:48PM EDT to rally the people to support him? Wait—season finale? I predict a cliffhanger—dun dun DUN!