vibeology

This is where the whole plot is a problem. I am not a prosecutor, but I can think of ten ways to prove Mike isn't an actual lawyer. I get his name shows on the New York Bar list, but don't you have to write a paper test? Wasn't that what he was doing illegally for all his customers for years? Where's the one with his name on it? If you actually go to Harvard, don't you need to live somewhere? Where are housing records showing he was in Boston at the right time? How about banking records showing he took cash out of Boston ATMs? School isn't cheap and Mike isn't rich. How did he pay for Harvard? Show that money trail. That it doesn't exist is a huge red flag. If you go to class, eventually you hand work in. If one prof on his fake transcript still has assignments/exams/etc and his work isn't there, why not? How many times can something not be there before its not just an issue of something getting lost? Tracking down the Dean who expelled Mike all those years ago shouldn't be all that hard. How do you get into Harvard without an undergrad? Why doesn't Sheila know who this guy is? She meets with and places every graduating lawyer and keeps meticulous records. Where are the ones about Mike? What about his real employment records during those years he was a bike messenger? That was a legit company dealing with law firms and their documents. They'd keep records of who worked for them and issue tax slips. If Mike's tax history shows work in New York, how does that line up? This is so ridiculous and I was willing to go with it last week when Mike was at least feeling guilty, but now that he's got his smarm back I'm less forgiving. I find it hard to imagine the Prosecutor can lose. If she does, she'll be the most useless lawyer ever on this show. If the judge was willing to take Sheila suspicion as enough proof to issue a subpoena for every PSL document ever (seems like a huge overreach to me, but I, like Mike, am not a lawyer), surely its enough to go though Mike's personal records. The very best thing Mike could do is confess, admit he lied to everyone he knows; Harvey, Mike, Jessica etc and take the fall on his own. They can prove Mike is a fraud, but without something more it gets so much harder to prove anyone but him knew.

I didn't mind either mention. The first at the funeral was clearly about establishing to the audience who Selma Blair was in as quick a manner as possible. I don't think it was the most believable moment (those girls were friendly with the Simpson kids and I don't think at their age they'd been running around wildly while their friends mom was in a casket a few feet away) but it quickly established Kris. The second mention above was far more realistic for me. Bob was trying to stop his friend from committing suicide. That her tried to personalize the moment to snap OJ out of shooting himself was something I could easily see a person do. Reminding OJ that the room he was in belonged to a real young person who OJ cared about could have snapped him out of killing himself. I was 8-9 when all of this took place. I used to get home from school on the East Coast and watch the afternoon of the trial every single day. I admired Marsha Clarke as a woman who was in court against all those men. I also remember thinking Johnnie Cochrane was my favourite defense lawyer because he seemed to be the most interesting. I can imagine how a jury was swayed to listen to his points. I'm looking forward to this because at 8, I know some of this went right over my head, even though I do remember all the names, the timeline and some details. For example, how did Kato know OJ Simpson? Why was he living in his guest house? It never occurred to me to wonder at the time, but that dumb stoner kid was friends with the Simpsons? Why?

That was amazing. Nick and Schimdt's entire plot had me laughing from beginning to end. Nick's cousin and cousin in law were amazing. It ended pretty much exactly how I knew it would, but getting there was fab. The glass of milk, the yelling about the pants, Schimdt not having boundaries was all perfect. Also, I love that Nick seems ready to grow up. He's got his work life sorted out and now he wants to get serious about his personal life. I think the show has earned his growth and I'm really rooting for Nick now, after I grew pretty frustrated with him while he was dating Jess. Winston is the MVP of this show and his classic mess around with Cece this week was wonderful. Cece is so beautiful that even the ugly dress looked pretty good on her. I'm still hoping she patches things up with Mama P and gets the dress of her dreams because I selfishly want to see Hannah Simone show off a beautiful wedding dress. Or Jess can work her magic or whatever. I just want to look at the pretty.

And of course Jake would eagerly want to use a hoverboard. I loved how that moment suited both of their personalities while still being topical and fun. Nice to have Jake and Amy together in another plot. It really felt like the show was keeping them apart for a while to avoid going overboard on the relationship, but the reason the relationship works is because they bounce off each other so well.

I hate Alicia Florrick. I just despise her. She sued a judge and thought that would go okay? She's not only a hateful person, but she's dumb as a box of rocks. She acted like she had no idea about the voicemail, expect she found out about it back in season two and just never bothered to find out the exact words, even when she was together with Will. I know the writers don't care about continuity, but you can't take that attitude and then make a continuity issue a major plot point. Eli erase a voicemail and Alicia found out about it six months later, not six years later. And I'm not saying that every woman has to love motherhood, but when she was crying to Luca that she doesn't even like her kids, I really wanted her to stick her head in her oven. Grace has been nothing but helpful and resourceful all year. What could she possibly have done to end up on Alicia's shit list? I do like that Eli stood up for himself at the end. Despite her words, I'm certain that Alicia will continue to be a bitch to him. The only liar she ever forgives is Peter, after all. Even Zach, who lied to protect Nissa's privacy got less understanding than her cheating husband. Maybe because the writers just don't care anymore, but what exactly was the resolution to Diane's case? Was I just too blind with rage to follow that, or was it not clear?

I'm kind of loving it. Aaron looks ancient and Julianne isn't a very strong vocalist but it's a fun event, is full of energy and Carly Rae and Kekr Palmer are both surprisingly wonderful. Plus, if I hang on long enough, Boyz II Men are coming.

So I was really down on this show when we reached the end of 5A, but somehow I've just decided to not worry or stress about it anymore. I've been watching The Grinder, and I think the silly approach to these sorts of stories there is really helping me enjoy Suits as a silly bit of entertainment. There's no real tension. If the show was about to end, there'd be talk about it in the media. Mike can't go to jail, so all of this drama is really just about how Harvey is going to get Mike out of trouble. That's cool, because I've just settled into enjoying the characters and their relationships rather than worry about the plot. One thing I do wish hadn't been abandoned so quickly was Louis taking over as managing partner. I thought that was a wonderful solution to their problem and I was sad that Louis isn't going to get the chance to run the firm. I think that would make for a pretty good plot.

Has there been a groundswell of athletes coming out? For Eric, who wants a future in basketball, being gay is a huge deal because it will be an issue for some people in sports. Not everyone, but enough people that its better for him to stay quiet until he finishes his college career. Taylor lives in the same environment, the same school where these basketball players are worshipped, so even if he's not an athlete himself, I can understand why he also sees people knowing he's gay as a huge issue. The truth is coming out is still a huge deal for so many gay people not just because of the society around them but because of how sexual orientation helps someone define who they are internally.

If they were renting out all of the rooms, where were Nick, Schmidt and Winston sleeping? The whole episode that drove me crazy.

One thing I really loved was that Rozz Landry did find a real way to let Dean talk in court. I was sure they had lied so I was happy that he didn't get in trouble for it. Also really enjoyed seeing how Dean being gone messed up the balance in the family. The moment Deb is talking about Lizzie's prose was amazing.

I would have preferred more space between (season 5 spoilers ahead)

I think the bad with numbers thing mostly explains it. I do think its very easy to believe that Catelyn would have gone south alone (obviously not actually alone, but without Ned or the kids) to be with Lysa for a birth or because she lost a child in birth. That's the Tully way, but its hard to reconcile the other issues. Either Cersei was breastfeeding Joffrey for a very long time or Martin just goofed in getting the pre-story timeline all squared up. I'm going to assume the latter. The big points are its been nearly 10 years since Ned saw Robert and 5 since Cat saw Lysa so Cat must have travelled alone and at that time met some of these people she's supposed to know. (but somehow didn't run into Littlefinger or the Blackfish while she was there)

The only way Catelyn's history makes sense to me is if she went south without Ned at some point. Besides her knowing Renly, she also talks about seeing Lysa less that 14 years ago at one point in the first book. I can imagine that Cat took a boat from White Harbour around when Sweetrobin was born to see her sister for a few weeks. It would account for her not knowing how Lysa looked now, give her a chance to meet a few of these key people but keep her isolated enough that she doesn't really know the players as well as she needs to. Still, its an issue with the timeline for sure.

The amazing thing about the SNL skit is I was actually getting into the Thurgood Marshall. Someone needs to make that movie (so it can be ignored by the academy.) Red Line, too, sounds like a great idea. I'm sure it'd star Emma Stone as the plucky paralegal who saves the day or something. Like many have been saying, making changes to the Academy is a great first start but it won't make much difference until there is more diversity in film and filmmaking. How many women are in film school learning about sound editing or cinematography? How many people of colour? Who develops projects? Who greenlights them? Until there are vast changes, the progress every awards season will still seem slow. And SNL is actually a pretty good model. A few years ago they had a white guy playing Obama. People complained and the complaints forced Lorne to hire a couple of on air poc and a few other minority writers. Then Leslie, a writer, worked her way into the cast. Now a third of their on-air talent is black. (Could they still use more diversity, yes. No Latino representation really stands out with the election coming up for example, and SNL has only ever had two cast members of Asian decent so its not like there still isn't room to grow.) Changes can be made and can be made quickly when someone wants to make a change. If one studio made a point of greenlighting and properly backing/promoting just a few more movies that feature stories told by and told about minorities it would make a huge difference in terms of awards representation.

I recognize that when adapting a story from one medium to another, you have to make changes because some things cannot work and other things will not work to their full effect. I want the show to change things to take advantage of the visuals or to use the episodic element of TV to build tension. I don't mind things being changed or shifted around to better tell whole one hour stories, for example. I think, for one point, the first two Harry Potter movies were weak because they tried too hard to be faithful to the books while ignoring what makes a movie and book different. Breaking from that made for more exciting movies. That being said, the show doesn't just adapt things; it has been eliminating them, ignoring theme and mood and making choices that have left people disappointed. That's why I've grown weary of the TV adaptation. I am always hopeful that with a new season, the show could right itself and start to focus on the themes that attracted me to the story, but it is disappointing. The show did change some things for the better. Tyrion moped far less on screen. Huge improvement just with that but not enough to make right the places where they really dropped the ball.

Nicole got lucky that she didn't have to move around too much in those shoes and that outfit. She may have been strong in How do you Doo-et but Miranda dressed for the venue. I'd much rather see a female celebrity show up in something more practical than sexy since you never know when you're going to have to roll on the floor in charades or Smash the Buzzer. I actually don't think the celebrity lineups were that bad. Bill and Kevin both could have been stronger, but Nicole, Mario and Marlon all seemed to know their stuff and Miranda wasn't half bad. People certainly kept picking on her in the musical chairs game which overshadowed the fact that she kept getting right answers. Celebrity Name Game was also really good so I think the lineups were alright.

I love John Cho, but I'm guessing since this is how Jess is getting a break, we won't get to see much more of him. That's a totally waste of his talents. Also, for a lawyer who is all about service/democracy/following the rules, I'm bothered by the fact that he actively hit on someone waiting for jury duty knowing he was going into voir dire. Obviously that could create a conflict, did create a conflict and he didn't report it to the judge. That makes his character a little messy for me. Which sucks, because I do really love John Cho. I loved all the stuff in the apartment. Winston destroying that wall, Cece and Nick basically being each other and Schmidt really not handling the conflict well at all. Cece is a hot slob and that is not cool. I laughed most of the way through it even if it was just silly fun. I do love that Winston got one over on the rest of the group at the end when they were reading Jessica's advice bowl. That was a nice smart joke for him after an episode of silly.

Not only that, but cheques actually do stale date at a certain point. Where I live you get 6 months unless its a government cheque or certified funds. I've seen US cheques with a 90 day stale date printed on them though I don't know if that holds up legally. It'd be one thing if Sheldon cashed his cheques and had envelopes full of cash earmarked for future purchases or something, but those cheques should be pieces of paper at this point. His bank might not even take them anymore.

I'm not going to pin that on the writers so much as the network and the production company. Networks/Production companies like for every character to have a set look so someone who doesn't watch every week, or who picks up a rerun here or there, or who watches out of order in syndication know who everyone is. Howard wears turtlenecks, Sheldon a tshirt over a long sleeve shirt, Leonard a shirt and a hoodie under a jacket because its easier visually for people to keep up with the story. Raj wears that blue jacket often. That's just how the show works visually to make things easier for a casual viewer.

And it could be that's the timeline going North and back, but then what is everyone doing between the wedding and the Battle of the Bells and the Battle of the Bells and the Battle of the Trident? The timeline is messed up is my point. Because if Ned goes North first, then marries Cat, we've got 9 months before Robb can be born and Robb was born while Cat was still at Riverrun waiting out the war. What was everyone doing all that time? How in a kingdom wide civil war was there only one battle in nine months? Where was everyone holed up? All of that was to say that I don't personally jump to Lady Dustin is lying because her husband didn't go off to battle for six months. Robert's Rebellion is confusing and that could be perfectly true (or not) and I cannot know because none of it makes any sense to me.

I was cheering for Grace on one level because I do like her and like to see that she's growing. But Alicia is running a business out of her home and that goes against the Condo bylaws. Just because other people do it too doesn't mean Alicia is right. Her business is actively disturbing her neighbor. Its bringing strangers into this oddly buzzerless building, some of whom are actual criminals on DUI two or three. Her neighbours are right to be upset and should still demand that Alicia finds new office space. And then, after Grace actually saves the firm again, Alicia fires her because Grace deserves better or something. Whatever. Grace enjoyed the work and it was helping her develop her life skills. She was making money and liked the work. Obviously you can fire anyone for any reason, but I was upset on her behalf. I hate seeing Eli moon over Alicia, even if its platonic mooning. I loved their strange friendship, but she's just awful and not worth this much angst. The truth is Eli did an awful thing. I hated him at the time, but it was six years ago, Alicia and Will still got together and she still chose to end things. I can't even with her pain. She has done this to herself with every choice she has made to push people away. She pushed Will away to stay with Peter when they were young and then did it again a few times as adults, pushed Kalinda away to punish her for the Peter sex while quickly forgiving him, she pushed Cary and Diane away because she had ambitions that failed, pushed Zack away because his girlfriend's choice was kept a secret from her, pushed her mother away for being her mother, pushed Jackie away for being Jackie, pushed all her other male suitors away for Peter or her career and now Eli because she hurts or whatever. Then she was a bitch to Marissa who has been nothing but kind to her and I don't understand how the writers think the audience still cares about her. If Eli leaves, I'm done. As it is, I use the fast forward button quite a bit.

The whole timeline of Robert's Rebellion is very messed up. I think Martin, trying to make the babies all work out, really didn't think through what would actually happen in an active rebellion/civil war situation. Lyanna gets kidnapped, Brandon Stark goes to Kings Landing, Aerys arrests him and all his companions. The fathers come to ransom their sons and the sons and fathers all get killed. Right away Jon Arryn revolts and calls his banners and Robert goes to Storm's End to call his banners. There are a couple of battles right away and Storm's End is sieged for nearly a year. Meanwhile, Ned marries Catelyn and Jon marries Lysa. Ned has to then go North, call his banners and ride back south to join the rebellion. (I assume that's where the delay in Lady Dustin's story falls; Ned gets married but somehow it takes him 6 months to ride North and collect her husband to go to war even though six months still seems too long.) Then the Battle of the Bells happens and Ned is there with his forces. Robb is born after this battle but before the battle of the Trident. So nearly over nine months go by with only one real fight in an epic civil war. Where are the rebels hiding? Then you have the Battle of the Trident and the Sack of Kings Landing happening very close together. Ned's at both of those and then Ned has to ride to Storm's End to lift the siege and then go to the Tower of Joy and then go to the Danyes to return the sword and then ride home with baby Jon who is younger than Robb but not by much. The entire timeline is so messy that I can't take Lady Dustin's timeline oddness as a bad sign. I think Martin just got into a mini-knot making all the weddings/births/battles/travel time line up and figured since its just backstory it didn't matter enough to fix it.

Even so, condos have rules and if you breech the rules you could be forced out of your condo. If Alicia has been violating her condo board rules, that could be a consequence, though it would be more likely she'd be forced to shut down her at home business in x number of days for a first offence. But I can only assume it'll be the most over the top reaction since TV and that'll give Alicia a chance to win against someone who isn't LAL for once.

I think the other frustration is the show barreling down on him. People who started reading the books years ago may have been content to wait for the eventual last books, but with the show now on top of the narrative, the ending of this story is far more likely to be revealed on screen than off. Many people who enjoy reading the stories preferred to get their ending that way, with the detailed and the nuanced characterization you just don't get from a TV show. (Any TV show, I'm not even going to comment on the quality of the show as it is.) There's no POVs, no internal monologues, foreshadowing is a very different thing in print and on film etc. And, lets not pretend it'll be easy to avoid spoilers. When season 5 ended, the internet was full of spoilers pretty much right away. I'm resigned to the fact that the show is going to be the first to end this story. I knew that when Martin didn't get a book out a few years ago there would be no time for him to write two books before the show ended its run, but I am disappointed in how this story is being told and would have vastly preferred a world where there was no show and I could wait for the books.

Wow. I wasn't in any rush to watch this episode and now that I did, I wish I hadn't bothered. How dare Alicia throw things at Eli? How on Earth is that okay? Also, while Alicia was destroying the house, where was Grace? Was she already on the bus? I also hated both LAL plots. My one hope is that Howard, being pushed out of the firm, takes all the money and goes off with Jackie to be happy until the end of their days. David Lee committed fraud and no one seems to think its a big deal? The firm is being seriously investigated and it all goes away because someone at the top promises to fire someone beneath them? Awful. I don't understand why Eli is so devoted to Alicia still. She's horrible and bad at being a politician. We've seen her suck at it when she was running on a small scale and we've seen her suck at it on a larger stage as the wife. Why would Eli think she'd do any better as the candidate on a big stage? I do think Eli is a lonely person and misses his strange friendship with Alicia, but she's awful. I like that Grace called out Zack's stupid comment and was useful at the caucus. I liked Jackie caring more about Howard's well-being than the money. I liked Luca besting David.