Kate the Great

I feel sorry for Hassan, Chad, and others who went home before Jackie, who were more talented chefs than she was. I'm torn, though. For those of you who watched this last (boring boring boring) Bachelor, Jackie was the Olivia of the season, and I feel like the show will be less hate-watchable now (as formulaic as it is, her act was kind of a new one, if an amped-up Robyn from sous-chef Christina's season). No, Frank, they didn't vote you last episode because they see you as a threat. They voted you because you're an unpleasant, dour misogynist. Lighten up, Francis. (And how apt is that?)

Wasn't feeling it. Thoughts: I think a lot of mistakes came about in casting -- Jancarlos Canela seems to be charisma-free, and none of the other disciples except for Judas (Chris Daughtry and the Bald of Evil TVTrope) stood out. I thought it was striking how none of the non-Hispanic minority disciples had lines; they were just kind of... there, and I thought them backing down when the police officers (latter-day Roman soldiers) did "stand back, guys" hands was a disservice to Christianity and the very real trials that early Christians went through in the pre-Constantine Roman world. If you're going to tell a story about redemption in the face of brutality, there have to be stakes. There were none here. Canela and Prince Royce looked too similar in hairstyles for me to tell them apart. They really rushed through a lot of the Passion to get to the singing of bad songs. Agree with previous posters about Trisha Yearwood's terrible dress. Seal was the only fully positive aspect of the production as far as I was concerned; his singing was effortless, and I thought the gospel choir (in full, blinding, ridiculous white garb and overkill backlighting) was more, well, tortured than passionate. I felt sorry for the son of the multiracial couple who clearly didn't want to be on camera. Tyler Perry's postulating was so egocentric, xenophobic ("what you believe is fine, but what we believe..."), and megachurchy that it lost me pretty much from jump, though granted the whole megachurch movement leaves me cold, so I wasn't predisposed to liking it. I agree that the cross moving through the streets was an effective visual, but I thought it was pretty much the only one. You're in one of the most picturesque cities in the US and you can't do more than that? All the commercialization of it -- really, "The Passion" with its own logo? -- also rubbed me the wrong way. It felt way too calculated to be effective. If you want a good film about the Stations of the Cross, please let me recommend Jesus of Montreal, with Lothaire Bluteau. It's humble, spiritual, and affecting in a way The Passion wanted really hard to be, but wasn't at all. Brief note: I'm not religious, but I team-watched it with a Christian friend of mine who shared many of my opinions, if not felt more strongly against this production than I did.

It's up on Google Play as well!

All right, that hint is at http://finalproblem.tumblr.com/post/136467917360/its-not-611174-in-mycrofts-notebook-its

Vernet is also from Greek Interpreter: Between that and "Melas," I feel pretty sure they're going to actually use portions of the case next season. If you Google, someone has (possibly!) figured out the number beginning with 6, but as it's more of a spoiler (for a different ACD story), I don't want to post it here. PS: Good to see you, Jack! Hahaha.

I also thought Lady Carmichael was Irene, and actually commented to a friend that Lara Pulver was looking considerably older all of a sudden, surprisingly for someone who's my age and who looked my age in 2012. She's Catherine McCormack, who was born in 1972, so that explains the age difference -- but she really does look like Lara Pulver plus a few years. Mr. Melas is the guy who comes seeking help in the Greek (or Geek, in BBC Sherlock) Interpreter: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adventure_of_the_Greek_Interpreter-- so since the Geek Interpreter was already a case (I think Sherlock was dissing the name alongside the Speckled Blonde in a prior episode) he'd recognize Mr. Melas. Also, while I'm tossing out links and connections, Emilia Ricoletti (or more likely her husband) is doubtless an ancestor of http://sherlocked.wikia.com/wiki/Peter_Ricoletti, who was mentioned captured in the solved-cases montage at the start of Reichenbach, though we haven't seen him in person (yet).

Tiny addition: the pips are also canonical in BBC Sherlock too. Moriarty uses cellphone pips in "The Great Game," to signal Sherlock's next case in line. I'm in the 'more Andrew Scott is always a good thing' camp, so I liked that he had a solid presence in the special -- it gives me hope that they're not done using him for Moriarty in the show. I liked the mindscrew aspects too, which for me is what the show excels at. YMMV, but for me S3 was a dud compared to the first two, and this felt like it was closer to form. Cinematography: I liked the meditating/grasping at notes sequence. Nothing groundbreaking for the show, but it was elegantly shot. Also giggled at Lestrade's muttonchops for a solid ten seconds. And Mrs. Hudson's "I'm your landlady, not a plot device!" was a nice meta bit that I only remembered now. This relates to Arthur Conan Doyle canon, but I'm spoilering it just in case, since it has to do with potential future Moriarty back-from-the-dead problems, seeing as they haven't written off Andrew Scott:

Given some of the police issues in Albany (nothing that made the national news, still sketchy), this bit of insanity may be the one truthful point in the episode! And this would be the point where I point out that I am a short brunette in Albany, but given that this is The Internet (as Told by CSI: Cyber), you're probably a serial killer just lying in wait. Clearly the solution is to never post on Internet forums ever again, complete with the worst Aesop speech in the world.

Albany again. Man, a crappy soundstage has doubled for my tiny city twice in the first six episodes. One of the writers has to be from here. "The whole world's on FriendAgenda!"

Also, staying up late on the Internet is apparently called vamping, because even the most mundane, boring behavior needs to have a terrifying name to frighten the old people. I think the most hamfisted part of the show (and it's a tight race) are the PSAs. Last night, we had two, one on social media and the other on teen bullying. Oof.

As someone who lives in Albany, it looked south of the Capital District, somewhere like Kingston, but that's still nowhere near NYC, let alone Baltimore (!). Not to mention that Upstate NY looked awfully like southern California, amazingly! Also: "It's an online baby auction!" "Put Natal-Cam back on, or Caleb dies!" Oh, the dialogue.

Don't forget about Misogynist, Dramatic Early Injury, and Eddie Haskell (either gender).

Re. incorrect: nope, Josie came back for a football showdown-type challenge and beat Jeff in that, leading to his elimination. I just remember him in that season being an always-the-bridesmaid also-ran, and people like Hosea and Leah winning...

Not to mention Josie beat out Hot Jeff in Stefan's season (Hosea won that year, rather inexplicably, if memory serves). No, I'm not stlll bitter that Hot Jeff never seemed to get the respect as a chef that he deserved... OK, maybe a little.

Re. pretzels: I like soft pretzels, but not hard pretzels -- they're too hard for me (I like a crispier crunch like potato chips) and I don't like the visible salt to such a degree (I'll brush it off soft pretzels too). I'm half-Pennsylvania Dutch no less, so I should like pretzels. I wanted Melissa to win the quickfire: I like Gregory, but I feel like we've seen a lot of him already, and I'd like to share the wealth. Waiting for the inevitable lobster roll and/or New England clam chowder challenge, as well as Boston baked beans (I also don't like baked beans). But, as an upstate New Yorker currently ensconced in maple syrup season (which I could drink by the gallon), I'm hoping for a maple syrup quickfire.

I hadn't seen Andrew Scott in anything that I remembered before his terrifically campy/psychopathic turn as Jim Moriarty in "Sherlock." Now, I found him fun enough to look up a few films, but I can't unsee him as Moriarty. It's all right if it's another unhinged character, but still!

I still kind of miss the Kinks' "Picture Book" commercial for HP. Beyond the song, there was a lot of clever photo/camera work, too:

The opening sequence to The Prisoner. Long, but effective as hell. (I put in the one to the second episode, as the one for "Arrival" is obviously different.) Little touches like the mostly-rotating Number Two add to this, but it's great and holds up well after fiftyish (!) years: Also, in a whole different sense, I love the credits for due South. There's nothing specifically brilliant about them, but the soft rock and the scenery just add up to the perfect aesthetic somehow to connote the feel of the show (and I always giggle when Fraser holds Ray back by the elevator). Hopefully a new link will autoplay! http s://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AJyb4lMXkg -- seasons 3 and 4 http s://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zgZulxezEw -- with closing credits

aradia22, aren't you part of the all-woman hivemind? It's what gave us wimminz our good President Palin... I'll shut up now; I'm scaring myself. But yeah, shades of 'I'm a woman so I have an edge in women's issues' from the mega-creepy Joni Ernst:.

It's not the watching vs listening thing that puzzles me, but the fact that it needs advertising dollars thrown at it at all.

I don't hate the commercial advertising medicine for totally blind people* to solve non-24 circadian rhythm disorder (although it's kind of grimly voiced and shot), but I am confused as to why it's on TV. It seems like a condition that would kind of self-select for medication, in that it wouldn't need to be advertised on TV, but would be something someone with it would probably mention to his or her doctor, and wouldn't need to convince people to buy it. Can anyone explain why it's so prevalent? I just don't get it. * Their description; not mine.

Because the Nancy Grace thread over on the other site warmed the cockles of my cold black heart (or, as Nancy would bowdlerize it, the '[bleep]les'.) Heaven help us all, the Jodi Arias trial is starting up again, and Nancy and the rest of the vultures are circling. Don't get me wrong; I think (as someone who is just watching the media shitshow, not a jury member or a well-informed outsider) that she's guilty, but I can't stand the slut-shaming and double standards attached to this case, and Nancy's the worst offender. Last night, and the night before, she kept on saying, "Will Jodi take the stand? Or will it be this... [insert sex testimony here]." Because you know what's really bad about the whole thing, not the murder, but the kinky sex. Have at! And feel free to chip in about the other hosts too, be it screechy animal-lover Jane Velez-Mitchell (did you know she had a book, guys?) or chirpy Robin Meade, or used-to-be-levelheaded Dr. Drew, but Nancy is seriously insane.

Seconding (at least) Lucy Liu: I once read an article where some aging British thespian took a bit part in a film she was in, and she said she could give him acting lessons (I want to say it was John Gielgud, but may be misremembering.) Ever since then, I've remembered that about her, however dimly, and disliked her due to that. Also seconding Rachel Bilson. Her face looks so hard it's painful, and I don't know if it's her or the permanent shellac of makeup. Either way, I find her difficult to look at. This is music, not film or TV, but I haven't been able to stand Carrie Underwood since her stint on American Idol, when they promoted her as a total unknown and yet I discovered she had had a recording contract before then (not against the rules, but against the spirit of the show), posted it on Fox's American Idol forums, and was subsequently banned (and the website I found it on scrubbed to eliminate all trace of it). I've always felt she was disingenuous since then.

Come ONNnnnnNNN (or similar shrill invective -- you all know that tone of voice I mean): Gordon Ramsay is done. With. You. Something I've never, ever done in Hell's Kitchen before: Lame retread of last season's challenge, with a few details changed (now they're playing poker for ingredients instead of rolling dice!).

Table-side: You're off the hook for an episode, either because you may be marginally competent or because you bring the drama (probably the latter). Meat, fish, or hot apps: You're screwed. Dessert: They'll never get to your station (which does actually exist). Time to chillax. Fight back: You're screwed, but put on a good show for the cameras before you go.