Bill1978

I'm currently watching the TV version of Scream on Netflix, but my god the tense scenes on that show was nothing compared to the tension and concern I felt during the duel. I was like, no one can die surely but how can the issue be solved (especially since I am viewing this show as an extended rom-com). I was on the edge of my seat and then Daphne looks like she gets shot. A fantastic piece of television. In fact this whole episode was great in terms of dropping all these threads of story. I was hooked before this episode, but this episode just solidified it. So many side plots that I am now generally attached to, which is good because while it's entertaining to watch I knew Simon and Daphne were destined to be married so a whole 8 episodes of that would get tiring. Although when they both caved and kissed one another in the garden I was did let out a woo!!! Speaking of Simon, I watch Netflix shows with closed captions on. And I may have told the captions to show some respect when mentioning Simon, as the captions say Simon instead of Duke of Hastings. But this could have been cause by my viewing of The Madness of King George last night and it kept talking about 'Show some respect' haha. I am a bit disappointed that Colin is showing a genuine interest in Marina, as I think him and Penelope are 'totes cute' together and I felt Pen's heartbreak. Quick question: According to protocol do Benedict and Colin have to wait for Anthony to marry before they can propose? Cause I don't really see Violet introducing potential brides to any of her sons, but Anthony. I'm glad others are saying this because I thought maybe it was just me wanting there to be a gay brother and twisting moments to pretend there was one. The way Benedict responded in the last episode to be caught out criticising the work, felt more like embarassment for talking bad about a guy he was into then being caught out criticising the artist. He also appeared to be really not looking forward to be Lord Bridgerton if Anthony died and doing all that is required. He seemed to like the idea presented by Granville of being allowed to be your true self when you aren't the eldest. I'll be interested to see where this goes, IF it goes any where. I also find it interesting that they haven't really showed Benedict with any of the girls at the balls, like they have with Colin.

He played the main male student role in Rise and I think that is his natural voice. It didn't jump out at me as being different to his acting on that show. I decided to check out the first episode cause, well I'm on holidays and need to slowly spread out other shows I'm watching. And I think I'm in for the duration of the show. Damn YA shows needing a mystery to be solved to keep me hooked. Plus I do enjoy watching dancing eve if I don't really understand ballet. I will definitely check out episode 2 just to see if it has enough to keep me going, frist episodes are trying so hard to introduce everyone it's a bit unfair to abort after the first episode

So I came to this series based upon a recommendation of a friend who enjoyed the first 10 minutes and then had to stop watching as her boyfriend returned home (he apparently isn't a fan of costume dramas). I had no expectations going in except to kill time. And I confess I have never read or watched a Jane Austen adaptation so wasn't really sure what to expect. Within 5 minutes, I was hooked. I absolutely love the humour on display If this was a serious drama, I think I would have checked out but I think I'm here for the long term, It's definitely a light hearted version of Downton Abbey.Assuming this follows the standard tropes of romance, it's obvious where certain couples are going to end up but if its as enjoyable and soapy as the first episode I won't care. So glad Lady Whistledown pointed out that the Bridgerton kids were named alphabetically. It really does help me keep me track of who is who and where their social standing currently lies. At the moment this is a very pleasant surprise, something I wouldn't normally gravitate to but happy I did.

Even though important stuff happened in this episode, mainly Boreal's death, I felt this episode was just spinning wheels waiting for the season finale to arrive. Not that I found it boring, but looking back not a lot actually happened. The main question I have is I don't understand how Spectres work. I mean Coulter and Boreal were wandering around for a while before they became an issue. I got the impression that Spectres pretty much pounce as soon as an adult appears in the market. I initially thought maybe they were nocturnal but that clearly isn't the case. And even though I know the angel's voice in a previous episode told Mary she would be protected heading to Citigazze but it was nice to see that shimmering light to confirm her protection. I admit I am getting a little annoyed that Ms Coulter has all these talents to help her continue to be the antagonist of the story. It's getting to the point where I am actively hoping for her death. And I will be satisfied if that happens. I was also a little bit bored with the Scoresby and Will's dad scenes. Not sure why but it wasn't exciting,, even them being shot down at the end didn't leave me on the edge of the seat like they thought I would. And I think I've aid this before, but I really feel for Ms Coulter's daemon. He must wonder every day why did he get saddled with such an uncaring person while every other daemon gets to have a BFF.

Just caught up on this film and I have to say if death isn't an option I would choose The Christmas Setup as my annual viewing of a gay themed movie out of the two. Wyatt was very, very hard to like especially at the start and honestly I'm not sure I even liked him at the end. Heath was easier to sympathise with and hope that he got his happy ending. And speaking of the ending, I am still totally confused with just exactly how Wyatt saved the ranch from being closed. I get it has something to do with his company but I don't fully understand what his brilliant idea was except for the fact they now sell coffee with oat milk as an option. I did like the talk about growing up gay in a country town, something I connected with. And even now, how it can be difficult to be your true self in certain situations in the town, even if everyone is accepting. The Christmas Setup was definitely more rom-com while Dashing in December was more romantic drama. The one thing Dashing in December has over The Christmas Setup is the accidental bathroom run-in scene. Totally gratuitous to the overall plot but I'm not complaining at it's existence at all.

Finally found a way to watch this movie here in Australia, and as a gay man I must confess that I had no idea how much I needed a movie like this to be made. Sure I've watched a bajillion Christmas movies like this before but seeing the same cliched plot applied to two men just warmed by Grinchian heart (or maybe it was Patrick). Can't really explain it, but there were lots of little subtle things that I connected with that I'm sure if one of the leads were a female I wouldn't have even noticed. Strange I know. So happy they made this, and I hope more get made. Because surely I deserve eye-rolling, cheesy predictability every Christmas. The movie really has re-ignited the Christmas spirit in me.

Ok, I confessed I caved last week and spoiled myself for who got booted in this episode but even knowing that D&G got booted didn't help make that ending more bearable. Firstly, I do love the concept of the city sprint. It's one of the few changes created that I would happily have occur during every season. I could see it working rally well say in the middle of the race. It also allows for a 'smaller' country to be experienced by the viewer better as they don't need to find something crazy for Detours and Roadblocks. It's pretty much just run around and visit places. I even enjoyed the concept of the last task, it wasn't until Phil was explaining the task that I noticed how much music was played during tasks. I do remember being curious about the music in France and thought it was a bit of an overkill but now it all makes sense. What I didn't like was the whole 'We don't want to work with anyone attitude' the Unholy 3 gave G&D and then they didn't even try to be subtle about alliance working together. I totally understand DeAngelo get so deflated about the race. As much as I would love to be on the race, I feel as soon as Hung & Chee let I too would have taken the 2 hour penalty. I really think the show needs to regroup and look at how to deal with sharing information to COMPLETE tasks. From memory most alliances in the past has been about assisting getting from one place to another etc but not actually solving puzzles together. I really felt DeAngelo's pain when he told Phil he didn't enjoy the race. Will has annoyed me since the first episode but this episode really cemented by dislike for him. Firstly with him berating his driver for missing the policeman and secondly the rudeness of saying 'Good!' when Phil said one team was still to arrive. And OMG to the way the 3 teams were gushing and crying and hugging each other about making the Top 3. I so hope the finale shows them all backstabbing and throwing shade and being bitchy to each other. Cause I like to watch a race not an arrogant kumbaya circle. I guess I want Hung & Chee to win, they haven't really annoyed me that much compared to the other 2 teams in the Unholy 3. But really I'm on the board the Anyone But The Boyfriends train. Time to watch the finale, which I am dreading more than the finales involving The Hippies & FloZach combined.

I am really loving this season. I don't know if that's because there are a variety of different stories being told compared to Season One or just because I don't know the general plot thanks to a pre-existing movie. The cold open explanation of the knife reminded me of all those flashback narrations that The Lord of The Rings movies had to help explain events. Not complaining as I actually enjoyed being told who made the knife, how it works and why it is being guarded. I love that Terence Stamp's character knew Will was the new bearer because the knife chopped off the same fingers, which I think was also shown in the opening narration which I thought was cool. I also liked that Will had to practice using the knife instead of just being gifted with the talent. I am really enjoying Mary Malone, probably because she can act as an exposition dump without it feeling like an expedition dump. I'm intrigued about these vengeful angels. And I loved how Mary knew straight away Boreal wasn't being as kind as Mary's work partner thought he was. Another question about the Spectres - can they only take adult souls (or whatever) when the adult is outside? Or there is an open door, broken window to get through? If that boy had stayed in a closed room in the tower he would have been safe? I'm looking forward to seeing how Ms Coulter reacts to Will's world. Great to finally meet Will's dad that was more than just a soundbite or video clip. I'm really intrigued with how he got his daemon, like if Will pops into Lyra's World does his daemon magically pop out? And on a totally random note, due to being exposed to constant misspelling by students, I am always reading the title of this episode of The Tower of Angles.

Well that was a tense episode, something that has been lacking a lot this season. Now that the Mine Five have to turn on each other we finally have a race and strategy. I admit I was disspointed that G&D decided to U Turn E&A I was more annoyed that The Beards burnt their U Turn which I think contributed to Aparna's frustration. And I didn't mind her badmouthing G&D. What was she supposed to do just smile and be happy about it? Does it paint her in a good light? No but she is human after all and really it only one terrible moment for her on the race. I;m sure she would be watching herslf and thinking wow I was a douche. You know who isn't sitting back thinking they look like a douche? Will & James. They are gonna win this thing aren't they? It's amazing how in 3 episodes they've fallen right off my 'I don't care if then win' list. And The Beards are on the edge falling off the list, only because whenever they talk about the alliance they annoy me. Everything else I am fine with. Actually even G&D began to annoy me this episode with their cocky attitude towards some stuff. I guess than means the only team I would be happy 100% with at the moment with is Hung & Chee. But I am definitely on the board the Anyone but W&J train at this stage. I loved travelling around the floating city in Cambodia and see the put stop temple. If anyone wants to see more of Cambodia and the places they visited I highly recommend the Netflix series Travel With My Fathers featuring Jack Whitehall. I was kinda hoping they were going to have to play football (soccer) on a floating field because of that show.

Gregory wrote a book of their reign through the eyes of the court fool in the book called 'The Queen's Fool. Adapt that into a series called The Forgotten Tudors focusing on Eddie, Janey and Mary. And then move onto Elizabeth - who while exciting in historial terms has become quite boring in terms of Hollywood.

Man, it was tough avoiding this thread. Here in Australia the mega leg was split over 2 weeks. Most of my thoughts have already been discussed but I agree with everybody who thought it was a but silly to have 2 Yields in the megaleg. I get the whole double the tasks mumbo jumbo, but I feel each leg should only have one yield. A yield is not a task and doesn't need to be replicated. I will miss The Blondes. I don't think I have seen a team that was consistently at the back of the pack and made it this far in the race being any more positive or pleasant to watch. It was abundantly clear they were never gonna win, but it was so nice not to see bickering or whining occurring from those two. Such great positive spirits. Unlike the Mine Five alliance which has crumbled. Will & James have officially tumbled to the bottom of who I want to win after India (especially after the firt half of the megaleg). Their smugness with how clever they are at 'manipulating' the other Racers has officially gone from ignorable to annoying. Also getting very tired of James scheming to not reveal answers to others but then leeching answers off his alliance. If I wanted to watch scheming on my reality shows I would still be watching Survivor. Part of the appeal of The Race for me, is that in general people get eliminated because of their own skills or genuine bad luck, not becuase some alliance was formed. The Beards I am conflicted with, they have moments where I'm thinking they are like W&J but then they stop and show genuine appreciation for what they are seeing. I'll probably put them in 4th Place for who I want to win. Not sure I could have done the denture choice, but I think it looked like the quicker of the two options. I always forget how noisy the streets of India are, as I type this I can still hear the beeping. If you asked me at the start of the race if I would be hoping for the Football Team to be successful on this race I would have laughed at your face. But they have really grown on me over the season and I would not be disappointed if they win.

I am convinced the only reason why production decided to replicate Arthur's original hair cut was to make Henry more appealing to the audience..er I mean Catherine. It was ridiculous the way those episodes presented Arthur as a nerdy, unattractive drip while Henry was paraded around as the most handsomest man in Christendom. I'm surprised the show didn't attach a neon sign to Henry say 'I'm so hot, I'm the only man for Catherine' But maybe I'm bitter cause I was hoping for more of Arthur's story than 2 episodes.

This is probably the only bit of the plot that I'm confused over. Will and Lyra are using the same park that Boreal uses to cross worlds right? So shouldn't Boreal be entering Cittigaze every time he travels?? Or are the Spectres a new thing caused by the Asriel's activity and therefore the Spectres didn't exist in Cittigaze while Boreal was travelling in Season One? But for this to be true Boreal must have found another way through as he has done some world travelling. And another question, is it jut Cittigaze with the Spectres, or are they al over the world? I really enjoyed this episode, in fact I am really loving this season. There doesn't seem to be as many slow scenes like in Season One. And this isn't meant to sound like a criticism cause it isn't, but with the introduction of Mary Malone and her computer, the show now feels like many of the children tv fantasy/sci fi shows I watched in the 80s/90s. The kids are the clued in ones educating adults. I hope Mary becomes a major player in the series, I am really enjoying the character. Absolutely loved the interrogation scene with Coulter and Scoresby. What a great bit of cinema. This episode really highlighted the fact that Coulter's daemon doesn't speak. Can it speak? Or has Coulter been so guarded her whole life with her emotions it never learnt how to speak? It is very clear that the two tolerate each other because they have to, but that little moment of them touching after the interrogation was quite heartbreaking. I feel Coulter isn't 100% bad like she would be in standard children's/YA novels. This, at the moment, is my favourite episode of the season due to the minimal influence of the magisterium in the overall plot movement.

I cannot think of a season where I am content with any of the Final 6 teams winning this competition. Of course they are some teams that are working towards making me want them to lose more than others, but honestly any of the Top 6 teams will make me happy. I was over Alana 2 episodes ago so I squealed when they arrived last. If I was Eswar and Aparna watching, I'd be so disappointed in the air time. Some times I forget that they haven't finished a task and I think the editing team forget they exist as well. I am still unspoiled with episodes, but my god it is getting tough to not look. I forgot how tense the end of every epiosde can be when you have no idea who is getting eliminated. Although I agree with those who feel the editing has been quite sloppy, and dare I say obvious, this season.

Did I miss something? Didn't the precious episode end on the 'cliffhanger' of a Spectre hovering behind Will when he decided to go for a walk at night? This episode just started like that scene didn't exist, I understand that the Spectre wasn;t going to attack Will but this episode played out like that scene just didn't exist for the audience. During Season 1, I wasn't totally thrilled that we were following Will's story (mainly cause I knew it wasn't in the first book) but I must confess it was a good move by the show to do that, as the transition into our world felt smooth and natural. I really appreciated the explanation of Dust and linking it to our world, I have a much better understanding of what it is. Not a complete understanding but a better understanding. Still not caring that much about the Magisterium and Coulter, but I am tolerating them because I know they are important to the bigger story. I would much prefer to just follow Lyra and Will around. I find it interesting looking at everybody's daemons. The settled daemon acts as a kind of spoiler alert for the job they are going to have as adults it seems. And I am glad we got to see lots of daemons this episode to help show how unique they are to Lyra's world since we were running around a lot on Will's world without daemons this episode. And I agree with other posters, I definitely want more Mary Malone. I hope she gets to go world hopping.

I agree. Out of all his changes that's the one I wish would be removed. And look I admit that back in 1997 when the Special Edition was released, I was excited to see the scene and in fact I think I actually thought it was cool. But the effect has not held up well over the years and I now cringe when I watch it, especially when Han has to walk on top of Jabba's 'tail'.

I usually suck at working out words from jumbled up letters, but for some reason as soon as they showed as the letters I thought Sauerkraut. So it was very satisfying to learn that was the word. This is the first episode where the alliance has annoyed me, only because it helped so many teams complete a task without any effort. I may have cheered out loud when The Blondes were saved by the NEL. Initially I had no opinion on them, but they have really grown on me in the way they have approached being last so often. They aren't attacking one another, or blaming each other. They are supportive and enjoying the fact they are on The Race. Will they win, most likely not but its just so nice seeing people having fun as they lose haha. Out of the 7 teams remaining, I probably don't want Leo and Alana to win the whole Race. They are really rubbing me the wrong way. They seem to want to be the adorkable team but when in fact they are more scheming. And since Australia is about 3 episodes behind, I am trying very very hard not to spoil myself to see if Leo and Alana are still in The Race. First time in ages I have not been spoiled, which is making the episodes a bit more exciting for me than usual, even if the show has lost some of the spark in hard in the earlier seasons.

So great to have the show back. I like how the show is happy to just plod along and tell the story at it's own speed. I can't help when watching the show, what would the movie had been like if it continued as a franchise. I know we wouldn't have spent an hour exploring Cittigaze that's for show. I know I can read the book (and I will one day) but I have been waiting for Lyra and Will to meet since watching The Golden Compass, so this episode was great. And I loved how the discussions comparing their words. Really helped me process this universe I'm travelling in. I also liked that Will & Lyra met on neutral grounds so everything was weird for them which probably helped them accept each other's little oddities. I know the Magisterium plays a big part in this series, but man do my eyes glaze over whenever we hit their scenes.

I never felt NY had any flow from the beginning. It was stagnant the moment they got there and the final episodes in S5 really highlighted that for me. Maybe if they didn't have to have songs NY may have worked but it felt forced them singing all the time in NY, even at a performing school.

So the message I took from this episode is that from now on I'm not meant to like The Royal Family at all. I know for 3 seasons we've trod the line carefully but there was always that balance of out of touch and just being mean. And this episode was just mean people on display which is a shame, as I have been enjoying getting to know the person behind the personality. That pre-dinner drink scene was just brutal in the presentation of The Royal Family. Big picture I can see what they are doing cause really this season needs to really show how The Royal Family is stuck in the past and resisting to adjust to the new society forming and they need to move all those pieces into place for it to make sense, but did it have to be so heavy handed. I am concerned this is going to turn into the Charles & Diana show and ignore the other members of the family. I mean it was nice to see Anne's husband this episode, but would it have been too much to ask for a reference to the fact she is now a mother. They are so caught up with Charles' relationships that they seem to have forgotten what is happening with everyone else. That's one of the things I loved about the first 2 seasons, they showed the behind the scenes relationships of the family and I was so looking forward at the time to learning more about how The Queen's children interacted as they grew up. It's why I liked that little scene at the end with Anne and Charles being all sibling like. Although I always feel that Anne is the eldest and I know she isn't. And speaking of Charles, wow it's amazing how personal opinion is clouding my opinion of the character on the show. Pre-Camilla I was sympathetic to him, but post-Camilla appearance I just find him as a big sook. I am not looking forward to a whole season of him moping after Camilla. Mainly cause I'm not a fan of real life Camilla. I also feel the show is relying too much on our knowledge of where the whole triangle is heading to push it forward instead of just telling the story without hindsight. Even with these critiques, 2 episodes in this season is better than all of 3. Maybe cause they've remembered to include splashes of humour.

My problem with New York S4 was that it stopped the flow of what was happening in Lima and reminded us of who we had S1-3. I guess part of my problem was I was tuning in to watch a 'high school show' and even though it is ridiculous, I prefer when the kids of a high school show graduate, the whole cast graduates and they all miraculously end up at the same place except for those who want to leave the show. NY was also an issue for me because those who were featured I just didn't care that much about wanting to know what was happening in their life. And I hated when Lima and NY shared a song.

I'm not surprised they aren't tackling the Boleyns. The upside to this series is the focus on pre-Anne. Plus when this series finishes,, we can all just pull out our copy of The Other Boleyn Girl (if you are keen to keep following the Gregory view of history) OR rewatch the Tudors which helps cover all of these people you mentioned. As trashy as this series is (and the predecessor series), I have enjoyed learning (even if lots of it is fiction) about the Tudors era pre-Boleyn (I swear Hollywood only thinks Henry matters because of The Great Matter). I even enjoyed learning about The War of the Roses through the White Queen. I am honestly bored of Henry and his wives AND Elizabeth I. I would love a series covering Edward, Jane and Mary. And I personally think the Stuarts would make a great soap opera series.

I waited all Sunday Australian time for this season to drop. Had to wait until about 830pm for it to appear making me wish Netflix AUS just advertised it as dropping Monday. Anyways, what a great first episode. I found Season 3 very uneven and borderline boring at times but I feel they are back. Maybe the previous season just covered the boring forgettable parts of Elizabeth's reign?? But why they skipped Anne's attempted kidnapping I will never know. I am looking forward to the interactions between Thatcher and Elizabeth, I can already see they are not going to mesh very well. I do hope that they return to focusing on how events affect Elizabeth and how she responds. I felt that was missing in Season 3, too much focus on the supporting cast and not enough on the monarch. Although I feel this season will become the Charles & Diana show. Which I will find interesting as the show is finally hitting the period where I was alive and started to understand the news, so technically I am familiar with this part of Elizabeth's reign. I am so, so happy to see Phillip is still going to mope around and wonder why no one gives him the credit he thinks he deserves. I so love it when this show tries to make me care about hard done by Phillip. Please may his whinge to Charles be the last time the show has Phillip complaining about his lot in life. One thing I wish the show would do is have some kind of time stamp just so I know how long has passed. Especially at the start of the episode, just pop up at year. Yes I know technically, I should be able to work things out based upon conversations. But honestly this episode felt like maybe it covered a couple of months (even though it has to have been at least a year). One minute Charles is dating Sarah Spencer, the next minute he is letting Sarah know he can't make it to her wedding. I don't need actual date, I'd be happy with even a 2 months later. And last season, I think one minute Anne was single and the next they mentioned a husband. I hope the show remembers that Elizabeth has 4 children this season. I remember getting excited in the final episode of Season 3 to see that they had remembered The Other Two as Elizabeth walked out to her Jubilee. I know the children don't hang out with the parents much, but even in Season One we saw young Charles and Anne in the background of stuff. If I didn't know better I would have assumed Andrew and Edward died between Season 2 and 3. Speaking of dying, what a great piece of editing the sequence leading up to Mountbatten's death. I knew he died from an assassination but I honestly thought it was a plane. I had to pause my watch of the episode and check Wikipedia. Which to be honest, after learning it was a boat explosion just made the scene even more tense. I know it's only the first episode, but I think this series is back on form after the Season 3 slump.

Is it wrong reading this news that I hope the 5 minutes ends up being similar to all those cameos in the Arrowverse crossover even Crisis on Infinite Earths. In the end a lot of talk about characters 'returning' etc for such little screen time and general purpose.

Cannot believe I have to wait an extra week for episodes. Damn Australian television having the contract with the US distributor and the not the UK distributor. I am eager to see the story unfold since I'm too lazy, busy, unable to concentrate?? on reading the actual source material at the moment.