Casually Observant

SHEESH. OK. That was it for me guys. My husband and I watched episode 5 and were so ticked off by the even more ridiculous writing that we shut it off and agreed we were done. Things that irked: Finding the ideal Earth-like planet/moon. Amazing, impossible, unfathomable. Not sending ahead drones, robots or other things to sample air, temperature, etc., before setting foot. Walking out on this 'moon' without completely secure suits, piped in oxygen, safety gear and other protective devices. Convincing Hurley to take off his protective gear, when his instincts were to be safe. Hurley getting hurt. He should have kept the damn protective suit on y'all! Making a broad assumption that the water will be safe to drink and filling up all the tanks (and contaminating them) before first clearly confirming the water is drinkable, safe and free of bacteria, viruses, unknown ingredients, etc. Strolling while conducting casual conversations and banter rather than walking silently, listening and having their senses on high alert with weapons drawn and defensive posture until proven otherwise. How else could they fail to notice the creatures sliding under the sand right behind them! Them splitting up and wandering around and leaving the most inexperienced guy by himself. Never! Picking up a broken piece of the artifact with their hands instead of with a robot that would place it in a secure, sealed container. The two women (Commander and 2nd in Command) both getting stoned and sharing jokes while reclining under the trees doing nothing and being useless and unprotected. Who would fly the ship if they both got sick or killed? Ugh. Come on! That is why the President and VP never fly on the same plane. The 2nd in command with the bleached Afro - I get that her extremely muscular & fit body looks good in the tight spandex attire and that she looks like a Wakanda warrior movie extra. But, she is so masculine and severe looking in the face that I cannot buy that she is a heterosexual and was in a relationship with the handsome, masculine former 2nd in command. Her facial expressions are so intense and predatory that they are uncomfortable to watch. (In my opinion, bad casting for diversity sake). The trans doctor who always wears something to show off his soft, unmuscular upper arms while he/she wanders around timidly with no command or confidence in his/her expertise. That and the fact that he/she is the only female (?) that wears face makeup, eyeliner and glossy lipstick on this mission, but only enough TO NOT cover his five-o'clock-shadow. Just why? No one noticing that something was wrong with Sasha when he said he felt weird and was trailing behind. Latina Charlie's Angel being willing to have impromptu sex with Sasha again even though he was demonstrating very peculiar activity immediately following his return from the alien moon. Make him take a shower first at least, Latina! Sigh. And last but not least - the ridiculous girl and two guys scrubbing the floor with a bucket and scrub brushes. Their love triangle and soapy fight was just so poorly thought out. This must be written for middle/high school age watchers. IN CONCLUSION: They missed a good opportunity to grab up some viewers who are looking for a good summer mystery following the deficit after Stranger Things aired. But no - they had to ruin it with childish writing. Sorry Katee. We tried.

Yes to everything you just said. My two cents: I simply do not understand the casting decisions on this show. The Asian crewmate that Niko had an affair with on The Pilgrim spaceship who died due to her decision to split the ship in half, just didn't work for me. He (the actor) was doing a fair job on looking interested, but they were a mismatch (in my opinion) and the actress could not generate any chemistry with him. It was actually painful to watch. The same thing with her husband back home - she struggles to show any feeling for him while manically obsessing over the daughter. I keep wondering if that is a plot point yet to be revealed or just bad writing. A thought I had - they mentioned that The Pilgrim disaster was 9 years ago, and that Niko's daughter just celebrated her 8th birthday. Does this mean Asian Love Interest was the father? Was she married back then to Erik or no? Is Niko's current husband (Erik) aware of her affair with Asian Love Interest? If they were not already married, did he agree to marry her after The Pilgrim disaster as an act of compassion and friendship to help her raise her daughter? Is that why he is OK with her lack of interest in him and why they show her constantly asking her husband about the daughter rather than asking him how he is? So much Jana? Jana? Jana? It actually bothers me how much disinterest she shows towards her husband thus far. In the dream scene where she is at her daughter's birthday party - whose decision was it to put Niko in that dry, garish red lipstick with the pastel dress? No one else was wearing that color. Was there some significance to it? It appeared that it was a 50's theme based on the women's clothing, but if so, all of them would be wearing red lipstick, not just Niko. Katee the actress looked gaunt, manic and macabre in that scene. I think the actress has lost too much weight in her face and looks almost as if she is grimacing most of the time. Her body looks terrifically fit, though. I'll keep watching if only to find out if these incongruities mean anything in the end or if they are just poor writing.

So many good comments from you guys! You've covered much of what I was going to say. Now, I've gone ahead and watched a few more episodes, but I won't spoil anything. A few more observations from me - Niko is extremely fit and so low in body fat that she has lost all feminizing fat from her face, leaving her all sinew, square jaw and bulging eyes. Her extreme fitness and yoga attire allows many gratuitous ab shots and sports bra moments. Niko's husband is a smart, kind, but almost femininely featured man for whom she struggles to pretend some attraction to. In fact, she seems to fight against the urge to ignore him completely as she bestows almost obsessive attention on her little daughter. Was this pairing a poor casting decision or a plot point that will be revealed? I don't know. The constant up close shots of Katee Sackhoff's face makes me wonder why she didn't have those two protruding moles removed from her lovely face before now. I also wonder why they make her have such a greasy, jagged hair cut. Is this supposed to be a fashion statement or confirmation of her no-nonsense command? I don't understand the casting of the very young trans actor who is reprising John Leguizamo's role of Chi Chi Rodriguez, (but is less convincing) in the role as ship doctor. Another puzzling decision: The 'Latina Charlie's Angel wannabe' character with the ridiculously high maintenance hair who wears plenty of tight, revealing clothing, and high heeled boots (did she sleep in those while in soma?) I'm yet to see how her character makes sense in any kind of way. Add in her constant antagonizing and refusal to obey commands. Does this best demonstrate an example of nepotism of the highest order or why she was picked to join this team to save earth? Will we learn she is the illegitimate daughter of General Dubois or something?? I do like 'William the Hologram'. He seems kind, handsome and loyal to Niko. I thought it was interesting in that he said he was designed to appear in a manner that would suit her based on her past 'preferences'. So, she prefers tall, kind, black men? Why the milktoast husband then? The casting of another 'Hurley' seems fun, but unoriginal. But, I don't get why anyone green-lit the choice to have most of the members on the ship be so young, inexperienced, demanding and unprofessional. Unless of course, the Creator and writers hired to make the show are Millennials, which would explain a lot. Are they?

Well, Snark. I disagree on several points. As a woman who was kind to everyone and treated everyone with the same respect, whether they were the geek, the tubby asthmatic, the shunned kid or the school quarterback, I became the object of affection for many young men who interpreted my kindness as an invitation I was interested in dating them. It made for some awkward situations. Lea's biggest mistake was having Shaun kiss her. I would never have done that. That was stupid, misleading and later, cruel. But in real life, guys strike out all the time and so do girls, but I had to give those bold young men credit for having the courage to ask me, even though the answer was going to be, "No." Now in the Shaun/Lea flower and chocolate scene, I think Lea was just surprised at the turn of events, especially after Glassy had told her again how much Shaun liked/loved her. I think she'll be relieved and not jealous that Shaun has found a better place to put his affection. Second, Melendez and Lim actually worked for me. I found their relationship much more warm and affectionate and sexy than the previous one with the hospital attorney. That previous pairing just felt cold and institutional and unhappy. Re Dr. Glassman; I think he is a terrific actor and a very sympathetic character. There is so much unresolved pain and sadness in his eyes. A lifetime of it. I totally get his feelings and why he pushes people away who care for him because he is afraid to allow himself to love again because of the potential loss that may follow. He is a very smart and deep-thinking man and with his recent cancer experiences, has learned to let down his guard and embrace people and life. I understand his reasons for deciding to stop wasting time and to go after some happiness with whatever time he has left. I can say that I have liked every scene he has been in and he is one of my favorite characters.

Well now, I didn't get that take from that scene at all. One boy was taller and had straight, close-cropped golden brown hair (Demelza's) while the other was smaller and younger perhaps with dark curly hair like his mother (Elizabeth). They two boys were near in age and seemed to like each other as playmates, but nothing more. I went back and watched the scene over and over, but I saw no obvious resemblance or inference that this was being implied at all. I think the awkward glances between their mothers was that the two families bore such animosity between them that the thought of their boys being together as playmates was just too uncomfortable and not going to be allowed.

This season's Teddy looks different from last year's. Last year he looked youthful, fit and fresh. This year, starting from the first episode he has looked a little bloated, tired and sad. Is it due to the hopeless storyline or has James Marsden changed something in his fitness routine (or dropped it altogether)?

Speaking of your TV picture seemingly turning dark, it may be as simple as needing a new bulb in your TV. We had a 56" DLP TV and when the bulb began to fade, it did so very slowly over months. We realized many scenes were too dark and thought the same thing - getting old/eyes failing/TV wearing out. After doing a little reading about the situation, we decided to order a new replacement bulb for about $80.00. We installed it ourselves (easy) and the TV picture was 100% improved, like a brand new set with every scene bright and discernable. Perhaps that is all you need.

I have noticed that many women after they reach menopause develop a receding hairline and thinning hair. Not all of course, but many. She may have that and that may be why she is wearing a wig in the first place.

'A CAUTIONARY TALE' . At the end when the two are sitting in the coffee shop with live people and a real waitress serving them, we notice that the normally stingy Mulder has left a hefty tip. 'We learn from you!' works both ways, it seems. He then mentions to Scully that he was glad she got back all of her electronic devices. "Well, not all of them," she replies, and we know immediately that she did not get her vibrator back. Scully sees the generous tip and notices they are both using their electronic devices rather than interacting with each other. She sets her phone down, and puts her hand on Mulder's hand. They look at each other. He puts his phone down, too. Mulder's generosity has stirred something within Scully and Mulder is happy to cooperate. Abstaining from our electronic crutches, will force us to interact with each other like we used to and that can be a very good thing. And, as you delegate more and more human tasks to AI, you may find that can be a very bad thing.

I didn't like the short wig. It looked too wiggy. I feel like they put her in it to make this episode be a stand-alone, sometime-in-the-future episode.

Yes! I kept saying to the TV screen, "Mulder, Scully, where are your GD guns? Shoot them!" I also realized the value of a tennis racket or a lacrosse stick. Maybe I'll buy one of each and have them by the front door, just in case...

Chemtrails you say? Why yes, if you don't mind! I hate to tell you guys but chemtrails are real. Edward Snowden talked about them. I've seen them. Thousands of people see them daily, and some actual scientists are fearless enough to talk about them. The hole in the ozone layer has grown to the size of North America. The chemtrailing is designed to affect a reflective micro-particulate barrier in the sky to prevent a percentage of the sun's rays from coming through and burning up the ozone-free earth. There was a documentary I watched a few years ago featuring a woman who was a government employee who was in charge of checking the natural rivers and lakes in her state for pollution. She had to travel all over the state to do water testing and she noticed a pattern of contamination in the water that corresponded with an unusual amount of tree deaths in the area. In pursuit of what was causing the contamination of heavy metals in the water, she came to notice the heavy jet trailing in the skies that preceded it. I tried to find the exact documentary video to link here and was unable to find that one, but here is a different one that is quite interesting. Give it a listen. Watch this video titled: "What the Hell Are They Spraying? Lionel Interviews Dane Wigington of GeoEngineering Watch" on YouTube.

Hey, you may need a new bulb for your TV. I had the same problem a few years ago. It had happened so gradually I hadn't noticed until I just couldn't see stuff in a lot of the darker scenes. I was surprised to find I could replace the bulb in my 56" TV for about $80 and I did it myself. The difference in the picture was shocking. Now it is so bright and sharp. I can see all the scenes. You should see if that is your issue.

Yeah, no kidding. We watched the film over and over. He got in the car and it blew up with no time to do anything but die. Doesn't seem like he could have survived at all. Theories anyone?

I too, noticed her bemused smile as the compound went down. I hope the show gets renewed. If it does, would Verina be brought in as a specialist? Seems like she has a special talent that they could use. Poor Preach. I would think that either he or Patricia would have suffered some sort of visible injury, skull damage, burns, hearing loss or other physical damage. But, alas on TV no one wants to show what really happens when a bomb goes off only feet from you. Well, we're pulling for you show! (Crosses fingers).

Question for you all: When the two brothers were found in their boat smoking from electrocution and both Rachel and Marty (with tailing cartel guy) ran over there to see what the smoke coming from the water was, the cartel guy asked who the dead boat inhabitants were. Marty says he recognizes them and that they were the Langmore brothers. They notice the rifles and other items in the boat. Rachel then looks at the pried open electric box and wires dangling in the water and states that the electrocution was due to the wiring being 'rigged'. She then asks Marty if he did it. He looks at her with surprise and before he answers she says something to the effect of, "You knew they wanted to kill you!" How did she know the Langmore brothers wanted to kill Marty? Did Marty even know they wanted to kill him? He didn't even know that Ruth had attempted his electrocution earlier. So, did I miss something here? I don't believe there was anything Rachel knew about the Langmore family other than the common knowledge of their reputation for being involved in a number of local crimes of robbery, theft, etc., and she didn't trust them and didn't want Ruth to be working at the Blue Cat. Does anyone know why she would say this or have knowledge of this? Or... was she assuming that the cartel who Marty had said would kill him and his family if he didn't finish the job would enlist the local thugs to do it and Marty had foreknowledge of this potentiality? Thoughts anyone?

I'm not sure if you are being cheeky or not regarding the pronunciation. The correct way is Vehr saw chay.

Yes to all of this. Re: Marilyn - Marilyn is a strange one. Walt gave her his whole stash from his closed bank account which was probably thousands of dollars, in order to have her 'help him find Henry'. Well, she did help him find him and nothing more. How she managed to disappear makes no sense either unless she, herself is a spirit person. Re: Half-dead Henry and the other dead men in the desert - Yes, perhaps they wanted to spare us the sight of feasting vultures and/or didn't want to spend on the CGI. Re: Bank Guard's wife - I had the same impression, that she was behaving overly emotional as in over acting. Add the guy filming, the guy causing a scene with the ATM and the female bank teller. All seemed too happy and not scared or upset about the graveness of the situation. They all seemed to be acting suspiciously as though they were involved in some way.

I think Blake is excellent at his job, but could do so much more. I think Elizabeth feels like he is family now and wants the best for him. It was very unselfish of her to say that she thought he could do better. I think he is somewhat timid about himself and has perhaps 'settled' for a job that is exciting and prestigious, but below his capabilities. He may really need a kick in the butt to get moving on to something more demanding and aligned with his talents. Her 'one year deadline' is forcing him to have to do some introspection and make a bold career move or realize he is happy where he is. Re: Stevie + Dmitri - What? I love Dmitri. He is smokin' hot and Stevie knows it. She is moving on him like a freight train. He is finding it hard to resist a woman who is so 'willing'. Too bad she doesn't know this attraction will end up being more than she has bargained for. Re: Senator Asshole - I wondered that same thing. Is he the mole? I also still wonder about Dmitri being a double agent.

I actually did watch that. The scene he is enacting is from another movie, Stand By Me. He is portraying the Kiefer Sutherland bully role as seen below, not Stranger Things. So, we don't know yet what Billy's backstory is. Hope we find out soon.

I am really liking the current writing of Joyce, Bob and Chief Hopper and the Doctor at the Facility. They are written as strong, kind and NOT stupid, which is a departure from the way most parents and people of authority are depicted in so many shows over the years. I also really like that the kids are telling each other everything instead of the usual trope of sharing the least possible or keeping everything to themselves. I'm glad that Lucas shared with Max and that Max is now part of the secret club for real and is willing and able to help. I am hoping that they can bring Billy in and employ him as additional defense, which I think could bring him into the fold and give him a place to put his anger and allow him to be a hero rather than a menace. Will's dual personality battle of himself vs. Himself+HE. The young actor does a good job of showing subtlety in his changing back and forth between the two personalities. How will Chief Hopper and those in the facility defend themselves against the approaching Demogorgons?? Oh no!

Yes. I believe she dumped out her Aunt's purse, took some cash and the purse itself and left the rest spread out on the counter. When she was walking from the bus she had an over-the-shoulder satchel that looked too big for her, so I am assuming it was the Aunt's purse. When the Aunt hangs up the phone, she walks into the kitchen and sees the contents of her purse dumped on the counter. She calls for El and realized she has run off. BILLY: Speaking of Billy, that boy sure lifts an awful lot of weight for being a high schooler. I mean it looked like his bar held about 150 lbs. which is quite heavy for a 2-arm bicep curl, I think. Could he really be older but is forced to pretend to be HS age to protect his step-sister? His anger problems are just seething below the surface. I'm glad we learned about the divorce and subsequent move, but there has to be more to Billy's almost sociopathic behavior. There have been a few small hints of decency shown, which makes him look like he was a good person that has been damaged. His backstory will be interesting if they ever tell it. STEVE: He was a self-obsessed narcissist with a touch of cruelty at the first half of last season who was unlikeable. But, he had an epiphany with Nancy and ultimately proved himself by scrubbing off the graffiti at the theater and then jumping in at the end to help Nancy and Jonathan against the Demogorgon. His underlying decency has developed and for the second season, wow! He is a changed man. So kind and caring with Nancy, vulnerable, sensitive and heroic. His willingness to just jump right in there to help Dustin and go down those steps of the cellar with God knows what at the bottom! Then, him joining the other kids to lure the Demogorgon and then walking right out there unprotected (bat with nails notwithstanding) in the spooky mist with the chittering of the lurking panther-like reptilian creature(s) just out of sight! Heroic, selfless and yes, also dangerous and stupid. But he is so much more, now.

Questions for the viewers: 1. Is is everyone in agreement that Elizabeth is keeping herself in a drugged state because she hates both her baby and her new husband? Because it seems she is all on board with her husband's behavior and actions for the most part. The poor baby, though is so neglected. 2. Has she decided the child is definitely Ross's? If so, is that why she is neglecting him? Or, is it postpartum depression? 3. Does Ross realize he may be the father? I don't think he does. But I think both Aunt Agatha and Demelza think so. 4. If Ross is the father, how would anyone ever find out? 5. Why was Elizabeth so surprised and dismayed when she heard that Demelza had also just birthed another daughter? Was she surprised that Ross was still having sex with Demelza when he took her in a wild fit of passion the night he raped her (with partial compliance by Elizabeth)? 6. Does anyone see potential friendship or romance between the children of Elizabeth and Demelza - i.e., kissing cousins? Would they eventually realize they are siblings? Will they look quite a bit alike? Just speculating...feel free to chime in. NO spoilers, though!

>>No matter how politically correct you might wish to be, the fact is that Randall is not their natural child and is 'an addition' to the original family. He looks different, was named differently, has different interests, attends a different school, has a different personality and receives different attention from the parents than Kevin does. Since they share very little (other than household and parental units) in common, they are having trouble finding commonalities. I think it is realistic that Kevin is feeling slighted and neglected and less important, when in his mind, he should be higher in the pecking order, not lower. Point of interest: In my past, when I was 18 and a freshman in college and working full-time, my 18-year-old female cousin whom I'd only met once, came to visit my family right after she finished high school from a small town across the country. She was the opposite of me. I was the 'good kid' she was the 'bad kid'. Her two-week visit turned into a permanent move into our home which had not been expected nor even discussed beforehand. She was a very wild and disobedient person and constantly broke the house rules. She under-age drank, smoked in the house, lied, 'borrowed without permission' my dad's car keys while drunk to go buy liquor, cigarettes and candy, and left empty beer cans and cigarette butts everywhere. She was unemployed and had boys over til 2:00 am. She'd rush to answer the door in her bikini underwear and t-shirt when I was expecting a date any minute, and then did her drunken best to see if he'd rather go out with her! I was the rule follower, was forbidden to (and did not) smoke, drink or have boys over past midnight, had a job, and was expected to pay my own bills and clean the house. I was also expected to drive her everywhere in my car (that I paid for) and to help her apply for jobs and drive her to job interviews on my days off. She sabotaged her interviews and could not get a job for months of effort, which I believe was on purpose. After a while, I was completely upset with my parents for allowing this situation to continue. They were both working and socializing a lot so they 'chose' to ignore her behavior since they were not around to have to endure it. After 6 months of this assault, I recounted her activity and disruptive behavior in detail to my parents and demanded they give her a deadline to move out and find other living arrangements, which they did. She told her family that we kicked her out and it caused a huge rift with the out-of-state relatives, primarily because my parents were too cowardly to tell them about her ridiculous behavior. So, my viewpoint on this may be skewed! >>Don't forget, they made a point of showing how when Kevin DID show his feelings when he was little, his dad told him to stop complaining and to be tough. So Kevin bottled up his feelings and tried not to feel them and now deals with his pain by ignoring it or taking pills. >>Well, I hate to be un-PC, but the truth of it is that very obese people usually CANNOT have normal sexual relations because it is difficult, if not impossible physically for them to 'match up' or 'reach' each other. So all of this 'sexy times' discussion from Toby is fairly annoying and presents a picture in my mind that I do not want to 'see'. Sorry.

^^This. KATE AND TOBY - Yes, I am really disliking Kate. She despises her mother even though she was extremely kind, loving and supportive of her. Kate returns the kindness by deeply hurting her mother and blaming her for Kate's own lack of discipline and control of her life. She assumes she is being judged solely for her weight and lashes out rudely to others due to her own self-hate. Toby tries to sabotage her by getting her to stop exercising and eat high calorie foods with him. He does not want the best for her, but wants her to be as much of a mess as he is so that she won't leave him. His obnoxious grandstanding behavior is just exhausting and selfish. And now, Kate's lack of discipline and irresponsible behavior resulted in this dangerously difficult pregnancy that will make losing weight all the more impossible considering her morbid obesity and age. RANDALL AND DEJA - Randall's over-reaction to Deja's shrimp cocktail tasting was stupid. His going in the restroom was stupid. Deja cutting off all of her nice hair because Randall said he liked it was stupid. Was that supposed to mean she was sexually abused by the men? So, if the 'dad' in the household says you are pretty, you better make yourself look ugly so he won't try anything, right? RANDALL AND KEVIN - Those notes to himself looked like they were instructions from talking to Jack about how to get along with Kevin. I am thinking Kevin hated Randall because they were so different and he felt Randall was an interloper who took away from his relationship with his own dad and mom. I am glad he realized during that camping trip that Randall was not his enemy.