Kostgard

I watched this way too late at night, so I probably need to watch again to absorb everything. The cold open not only showed us what happened in the past, but also highlights Picard's flaws, which I appreciate. He has good intentions, but he seems to think he knows what is best for everyone, and that is not always the case. And I am REALLY digging it. Picard showing up on the Romulan little settlement just screamed colonialism. It was even reflected in Picard's wardrobe, down to his Panama hat and the vaguely Asian (i.e., "not white") vibe to the settlement. Picard rolls in like the great white savior, the great benevolent guy who brings them gifts, thinks he knows best for everyone, but when he had his falling out with Starfleet he just effed off and left all these people hanging out to dry (including Raffi). They are understandably not happy with him. He has to reconcile all this. I enjoyed his relationship with Elnor, though I also totally loved the explanation for why Picard doesn't like kids (they are loud and demanding and interfere with both work and pleasure. I mean...yeah. You just need to decide if you think they are worth sacrificing all that, and not everyone is down with that - which is okay). But it makes sense to me that Picard would mellow with age and might bond with a kid, especially since every now and again Picard seemed to regret not having a family. I also love the Romulan nuns. They lend complexity to the Romulan culture - we are constantly told that Romulans are all about secrecy, but these ladies are all about being open and blunt honesty (and that played out nicely when Elnor was all, "You only came back because you need me, not because you wanted to see me"). I just wish we got more "absolute candor" - stuff like, "That outfit looks terrible on you" and "Smells weird in here. Who farted?" Just lean into the brutal honesty, ladies. Because I was sleepy, I totally didn't pay attention to the Soji/Narek part. I just vaguely recall them sliding around the Borg cube in their socks and Narek's gross sister popping up with her Lannister vibes grossing me out. Then great to see Seven of Nine at the end. Look forward to seeing more of her.

Maybe that's why I didn't mind Raffi in her last scene on the ship while the others didn't quite work for me - on the ship we had Agnes walking up to her all, "Who the hell are you?" while Raffi responds with a look that said, "Excuse you?" There was a bit of levity that wasn't there in the other scenes. I think they could make similar improvements with Narek and possibly Soji (though I'm more irritated at how naive/infantilized she is), but Rizzo is way too cheesy and she may be beyond repair for me.

I think this is probably true - as others have pointed out, probably a basic universal income for everyone, everyone has a home, healthcare, etc. But she still seemed to imply that Picard got to retire with some giant pension or something while she got nothing, and it was just weird. Like, if she knows him, she knows that vineyard/home has been in his family for generations, and the fact that he has that and she doesn't really isn't his fault. Was she going to get that level of luxury if she wasn't fired from Star Fleet? Hell if I know at this point, but doesn't seem likely. And...I don't think anyone was making her live in a trailer out in the middle of nowhere. That seems to stem from her own issues (she said something about being paranoid due to whatever she was vaping - did she say "snake weed" or something like that?). Was her firing from Star Fleet so bad that she's been unemployable ever since? I can understand her being bitter because he somehow got her fired and then basically ditched her, but the comments about how he has a nicer home just felt weird. And I agree that we need an explanation for why she was fired, because it makes zero sense to me that she automatically assumed she would be fired after she found out what Picard did, and was apparently correct. She didn't do anything. Picard went to Star Fleet, said, "We need to do this, I have a plan." They said "No", he said "Do this or I quit" and they responded with "Smell ya later." How does that result in his first officer getting fired? Unless this is all part of some big conspiracy, it really doesn't follow. And even if it is some sort of conspiracy, it would have been a lot smarter to not fire her and just reassign her to where she would be no where near anything like that project again. She's apparently an expert in research and seeing "things no one else sees" and claims to have found evidence of...something, seems you'd want to keep someone like that under watch and not out in the desert vaping and getting more and more bitter while she pokes around in your business and (possibly) uncovers your plan.

This is the first episode so far that has made me go, "Buh?" The first two episodes were slow, but I liked them. There was a lot here that I still liked - liked that Picard is actually on the move now. I REALLY like Laris and Zhaban, loved their action sequence, and I will be bummed out if they disappear from the series because they stay behind to take care of the vineyard. I liked seeing Hugh again, and interesting that he's an "Ex-B" but has a position of authority in this operation. I like Agnes, and I'm glad she's joining the crew. Jury is still out on Rios, though I think I like him. His relationship with his holographic doctor is...interesting? I guess they could have this relationship because he's a bit of a loner and leans on the doc, but at times it almost felt like they were dating (which was weird, since the hologram is also him). On the other end of the spectrum, the scenes with Raffi just did not work for me. Both out at her desert trailer and the flashback. They were weirdly paced and there is something about Hurd's performance that feels really off to me. I can't put my finger on it. She seemed fine in her last scene on the ship, but nothing else worked. Also? Does the Federation have money again? I thought they did away with all that. I can understand paying someone like Rios - maybe he operates outside of Federation laws, and so he's more in line with groups like the Ferengi, who still have money and whatnot. So I was okay with Picard saying he was expensive and maybe they came up with some sort of payment arrangement. But what was up with Raffi going on about Picard's lovely, expensive home while she was living in a trailer? Again, what's going on there? They seem to be bending or ignoring rule established in the past, and I feel like they need to explain a bit more. And weirdly, I cared about Dahj, but so far I don't really care about Soji. I don't know why. She strikes me as incredibly immature/naive for someone who is supposed to be as educated as she is. Why does she buy Narek saying he's falling in love with her when they've known each other for, like, ten minutes? I kind of hate the stuffed animal on her bed. I'm intrigued about the mystery about her and can't decide if Maddox or the Borg are responsible for her, but I don't care about the rest of it. And the less said about Narek and his sister the better. Woof.

Yes, he was on Colbert recently to promote the show, and he was quite spry, popping up and down out of his seat better than someone half his age could probably do. The feebleness is an acting choice - Picard is over 90 and he has, by his own admission, mostly been waiting around to die. It makes sense that he'd be a bit creaky. I personally thought this was great. I had zero expectations going in, other than a general fondness for Stewart, and I was very pleased with what I saw. It acknowledges the past but doesn't languish in it, depending solely on nostalgia. They aren't trying to recreate the Picard from the series or the movies - this is a man in the in the twilight of his life, and they are being honest about that, which is refreshing. He's finding renewed purpose, but he's still not truly going back to where he was. And finally - it looks gorgeous. Beautifully shot and good production. I also like that this Utopian society still has problems. Problems that stem from fear, just like we do now.

I think people would probably cut her some slack for a few years since to be widowed so young is tragic. But she also lost her husband before they had children and she is still well within her childbearing years, so I think she would be expected to remarry and people would think it was weird and "a waste" if she didn't remarry.

Couple more things - on rewatch, I noticed that while they were in the stand off (before IG-11 showed up) Carl Weathers was just back by the bar doing shots. That guy rules. Also? If bacta spray is that good, why doesn't EVERYONE carry it? Like why wasn't it in Cara's med pack? Finally, Baby Yoda was loving being on that speeder with IG-11.

So bummed when IG-11 confirmed Kuiil was dead. I was hoping for some miracle. Then IG-11 went and sacrificed himself after he had proven to be the perfect droid nanny we’ve been talking about. He even had a makeshift Baby Bjorn going on! I wanted to punch those storm troopers in the head, though I did laugh at them being unable to hit a target three feet away. I am amused that Mando has a facial hair situation going on under the helmet because it is obviously for his own enjoyment and not to look good for other people. Carl Weathers gets some of the best lines again: CW: Make the baby do the magic hand thing! Baby! Do the magic hand thing! *Baby Yoda just waves at him* CW: Well, I’m out of ideas. The pacing at the end felt a little off to me, and I was surprised that CW was so easily all, “Hey, things are cool now! Stick around! Let’s not even check to make sure Gus Fring is dead!” But hey - I guess bonus that he’ll clearly pull some strings so Cara can be a bounty hunter. And, uh, good luck finding the Yoda home world, dude. Lucas has never mentioned it before. But I’ll bet this will mean a stop at Dagobah (though I don’t think Yoda was from there). But even if he finds it, how can he let his puppet son go when the Armorer declared him the father and them a clan of two? Also, what is the Armorer talking about tangling with Jedi centuries ago? Wasn’t it a few decades ago? I still don’t get how all knowledge of the Jedi has disappeared when, like, Luke Skywalker is alive and out there. I guess I need to look up this dark saber since it is clearly “a thing” in the SW universe. ETA: I also can’t believe Gus Fring fell prey to the classic villain blunder - he monologued then left his enemy alone and unsupervised, allowing them to escape. I guess he’s never seen Austin Powers.

Yeah, I’ve seen some people wonder why Baby Yoda didn’t go after Cara the first time he saw her fighting Mando. And I think the answer is because at that point he hadn’t been around Mando very long, now he has, and he’s learning from Mr. “Immediately Go For Your Flamethrower.” I think Mando will figure out that either he will have to leave Baby Yoda with someone else, or he’s going to have to change his ways so he’s a good influence. I don’t think they are going to permanently defeat Gus Fring in the next ep. I think he’ll be a big bad in season two as well. With him coming after Baby Yoda, it will be hard to leave him with someone else and ask them to take on that danger. So Mando will need help for a while. That’s why I hope IG-11 lives. I’ve been saying a droid babysitter would be ideal. And it would be growth for Mando to trust a droid enough to help with Baby Yoda. Then he’ll be appalled to realize the droid is a better influence on the kid than he is.

This gif of Baby Yoda the moment he Force-chokes Cara! Damn, son!

My take is he's still a baby, and he could go either way. I think they were kinda making that point when Kuiil was talking about droids - that they aren't all good and they aren't all evil. They are neutral, and just reflect the people who programmed them. I think the same can be said of Baby Yoda - whether he embraces the light or dark side of the Force will depend a lot on who surrounds him and raises him. He has the capacity to be both. Someone has to guide him, help him make the right choice. That someone probably isn't Gus Fring. Which leads me to a theory about why Gus Fring wants Baby Yoda. I was kinda surprised that everyone (except Kuiil) was all, "Buh?!" when witnessing Baby Yoda use the Force. I get that the Jedi got largely wiped out and the Empire was pushing propaganda to erase them from the history books, but...this is just a few years past when they destroyed the second death star. Why hasn't Cara, who worked for the Rebel Alliance and was on Endor, heard of a dude called Luke Skywalker who has these powers? Why hasn't any of these people who (I assume) know one or two things about the Empire heard of a dude called Darth Vader who had these powers and could choke people without using his hands? Why haven't they heard of the Emperor who also had powers? I mean, surely stuff like, "The Empire is run by this dude that can shoot lightning out of his hands!" is the sort of hot goss that reaches even the outer rim of the galaxy. BUT I'm sure Gus Fring knows exactly what Vader and the Emperor were, and he wants to be that himself and maybe revive the Empire with himself in charge. Not realizing all the training and what-not that goes into being a Sith. So, I'm willing to bet that he wants to, like, inject himself with Baby Yoda juice so he can shoot lightning from his hands and rule the galaxy. Which of course means this show will have to bring up the whole midichlorians thing, which I think is deeply stupid and I wish was never introduced into the story, but...I think that's where they are going.

This episode was just a bunch of “holy shit” moments for me. Like, “Holy shit, Mando. I can’t believe you are falling into that trap” and “Even your theme music knows this is a terrible idea. Dig the key change. Holy shit.” Then, “Holy shit. Even Baby Yoda knows this is a terrible idea and wants to get the hell out of there. Do you not interact with him and do you not realize he understands you?” and “Holy shit! He’s force-choking Cara!” Followed by, “Holy shit! Space pterodactyls!” “Holy shit! Werner Herzog is dead! Very disappointing.” Then “Holy shit. Gus Fring is finally here.” Finally, “You know, Baby Yoda needs to go live with Kuiil. He’s the only one around here with half a brain and actually pays attention to his needs and actions and...oh. OH. Holy shit!” I actually laughed at the space pterodactyl attack because at first I thought one had succeeded at carrying off Carl Weathers and “carried off by space pterodactyl” has got to be one of most hilarious Star Wars deaths. Then I laughed again when Carl Weathers screamed “He’s gonna eat me!” about Baby Yoda. I guess at this point it is up to IG-11 to save the day. I hope Kuiil programmed him with a “protect Baby Yoda at all costs” protocol. And I guess if Gus Fring still employs Dr Pershing to do his whatever to Baby Yoda, then the good doctor might be willing to help too.

I decided that if they do more, it should really all be like the flashback in episode 3. I'm all for putting Sheen and Tennant in period costumes and seeing what Aziraphale and Crowley were up to at important points in history. But they got their happy ending at the close of this series, so no need to return to them in modern times.

That's kinda where I land on this. Star Wars has a history of this, so no big deal, but I do kinda feel like the guy we're actually watching on screen should be getting dual credit with Pascal. Sort of like what Netflix's Dark Crystal series did - they gave credit to both the voice actors and the puppeteers for each character.

I kinda like that Mando is making parental missteps. I mean, when he went out after a 50 year old target, he probably never dreamed he would end up being the sole caretaker for a toddler. I can’t imagine he’s ever really been in a situation in his life where he would learn how to care for a child. He’s utterly unprepared and is completely winging it. He’s going to fuck up (though at this point he should know that LBY can push the buttons to open doors and he can’t really leave him on the ship alone and expect him to stay). It is too bad that he’s so anti-droid, because I agree that a droid nanny would be pretty ideal. He’s also still far from a saint, which I also appreciate. He’s so anti-droid that he basically starts firing at the mech droids the second he sees them. You pulled into a repair shop, dude. OF COURSE the droids are going to start poking at your ship. It’s their job. Then at the end he shoots Toro dead (do NOT mess with Baby Yoda), robs his corpse, then basically steps over his body to get back on the ship and leave. Those aren’t the actions of a nice person. The casting on this show really has been great. Carl Weathers, Werner Herzog, Nick Nolte, Gina Carano, Amy Sedaris, and now Ming-Na Wen (who I learned is 56 and looks amazing). I hope they continue to surprise us with these great guest spots.

I was thinking Mando should have pulled that hover-cradle out of the trash or needs to invest in a Babybjorn or something. Those little legs have got to be slowing them down. And since Mando seems to have gone from 0 to 100 on the Dad Scale after deciding to throw it all away to keep LBY safe, he’d be down for carrying him around on his chest. I was just thinking that it was weird that these people were willing to welcome Mando and LBY into their community, but no one bothered to ask their names. I mean, even if they decided Mando was intentionally mysterious or if he was just all, “People call me Mando” you’d think that at least the kids would ask about LBY’s name. So I’m almost willing to bet that by the next episode someone WILL ask Mando what the kid’s name is, and after he’s all, “Uh...” he realizes he needs to give him a name. So he does by the end of the episode and...boom! The toys with the little guy’s name hit the shelves right before Christmas (they can’t really market him as “Little Baby Yoda” so the name has to come first).

I’m still trying to sort out how I feel about this episode, but since the beginning of this show I’ve been asking, “How in the hell does this guy eat?” This episode answered, “In private” so...thanks for clearing that up, episode 4! The episode also verified that he was in fact a foundling brought in by the Mandalorians and his parents weren’t part of them. Don’t know much Star Wars lore other than what’s been presented in the movies, and all the talk of foundlings and their importance has made me wonder if Mandalorians don’t have kids and just bring people in through adoption or recruitment, like the Shakers or something. Or if their numbers were just decimated by the Great Purge that bringing in foundlings is a faster way to bring up their numbers. BDH did a pretty good job directing the episode - the Walker coming out of the dark with the glowing red “eyes” was a great shot.

Man, Netflix is really married to their "three seasons and done" philosophy. Things felt a bit rushed this episode, but I guess if it is going to be a series finale, they had to get somewhere. I'm really surprised Diana's parents didn't flip out at Gilbert kissing Anne in front of them. I agree that things with Winifred just didn't make sense. They were really acting like she was damaged goods that they had to marry off in a hurry to the first male who seemed halfway respectable. Like, if she had a secret kid or was pregnant or just had something scandalous in her past, this would make more sense. But as it is, none of it makes sense. She is a wealthy, attractive young woman. She should have no problem what so ever finding a husband. As an orphaned farmer from a small town with no fortune of his own, Gilbert should be small potatoes to her. Matthew's reaction to Anne going to Queens felt very un-Matthew. That was more a Marilla reaction. Matthew was always the one who understood her best and while he missed her, he understood why she had to go to Queens. Still don't care about Mary's son. The stank face Diana gave Gilbert on the train was a work of art.

Yes, I suspect if they go that way, Miss Stacy will lose her teaching job (realistically, she would. And it wouldn't change the story much since this is Anne's last year in school in Avonlea and should be moving on to Queens).

Not sure of my final verdict on this episode - some things I liked, some things are super-soapy. Anne's note to Gilbert was, I thought, uncharacteristically un-flowery. It was just straight, "I was confused before, now I'm not. I love you." Though I love that she still asked for her pen back in her confession of love. That is a really nice pen. I liked Miss Stacey/Bash more than I thought I would, but that pairing is going to cause so much drama. I guess they are going to load a lot of the big news in the final episode of the season - they should get the Queens results (are they going to do the whole "Anne and Gilbert tie for first place" thing? And what will Diana's parents do if she got in?), there should be more Ka'kwet stuff, and there should be movement with Stacey/Bash along with the obvious Gilbert/Anne stuff. This show has issues, but I still find it very charming. I hope it doesn't fall to Netflix's "three seasons and done" curse. Maybe because it has a co-producer that's also funding it, it can avoid that fate.

They are definitely aiming the show at teenage girls, so maybe this is why all the girls seem "woke" but not as many as the male characters do. Honestly, during this time period women were expected to be "angels of the home" and be sweet, lovely in appearance, run the household and raise the children and be obedient to their husbands. Behavior like we see in Anne or Miss Stacey wasn't really desirable - probably especially so in a small farming community like Avonlea (they don't have the money to off-set any "undesirable" behavior. I still don't know why Winifred seems to be damaged goods as she's good looking and wealthy). So I think it is fine that they are conveying the message that is what men are looking for, but it doesn't quite fit because ALL the girls (save the villains like Josie) are all "woke" and bucking this trend, when..that would not happen. If they want to be somewhat realistic, then they should treat this as a lark for most of these girls, and next year (whether they stay in Avonlea and find husbands or go to Queens...to find husbands) they drop it and get serious about getting married, leaving Anne disappointed. I think it still fits the story that Anne would buck convention (and that's a big reason why I liked her prayer in the first episode where she commits to embracing her oddness since she knows she will never fit the mold), and I think it would be great to see Diana long for the freedom that Anne has, but seeing that her family's wealth and her conventionally attractive looks/personality are actually a cage of sorts and she will be sent to finishing school and will find a suitable husband just as her mother wants her to, though she secretly harbors the same "woke" beliefs as Anne. The rest of the girls - Ruby, Tillie, Jane, etc - next year they should be all, "Anne, we're 17. We can't play those games anymore. It's time to get serious about finding a husband." So I think the odd tone is them struggling to portray their characters as "woke" by 2019 standards while still giving them some late 19th century issues to deal with.

I think Gilbert wants to go to the Sorbonne because a few episodes ago he either read or Miss Stacy told him about some cutting edge stuff they were doing there, and he seemed to want to get the best medical education where they considered "alternative" methods as well as traditional western medicine after seeing what the medicine woman did to heal wounds. But all the same, the situation was kinda...Buh? I mean, Gilbert should be asking himself "Would I still want to marry Winifred without this offer from her father?" I get he may be too young to realize that is what he needs to ask himself, but...that's the point. Feels like he's awful young for this. And Winifred's father seems determined to marry her off to Gilbert and is basically willing to buy his way into making this marriage happen. And...why? Is Winifred damaged goods? Is it really that hard for an attractive young woman from a wealthy family to find a husband, even if she's a bit odd? Is Gilbert that much of a catch? He shouldn't be. He's just a farmer's son without a lot of wealth. And Anne's reaction was pretty right on - it was completely unfair of him to put that decision on her. Like, "Hey, I know nothing has ever really happened between us, and you have no romantic experience and just learned about sex, like, yesterday, but should I turn down my dream college experience and career based solely on some promise from you that something will happen between us and we'll be together forever in order to make my decision worth it even though you totally don't have the experience or maturity to really handle a decision like this?" Of course all Anne could do was babble - she was stuck between her powerful teenage crush on him and the knowledge that she can't expect him to give up so much. The only thing I liked about this situation was Bash's little victory dance. Hopefully we'll get more Ka'kwet next week. I'm glad she escaped. I didn't mind Anne and Diana's fight. Teens have intense emotions and Anne is a total drama queen on top of that. Fights are bound to happen, and their makeup was sweet. I really like this version of Rachel.

Yeah, this has been my complaint about the show - and there's really no need for it. I thought it was pretty realistic that all the girls would decide that Josie's reputation was ruined while thinking nothing negative about Billy, with Anne rejecting that idea (and Diana too - especially considering she was also kissing a boy behind a building). I would even be okay with Diana saying something like, "No gentleman would kiss a lady without her permission." That would be more era- appropriate. But they had to have Diana say "consent" and it just...breaks the spell. You're taken out of the story with this giant reminder that you are watching a 2019 production aimed at teens. They should be able to trust their audience to pick up on the message without resorting to 2019 language. But outside of that, I enjoyed this episode. Cute baby, cute baby horse. I really like what they are doing with Diana. She's far more interesting than past incarnations. I'm sure it's only a matter of time before this whole thing explodes, but I'm enjoying it while I can. I also enjoyed Anne actually acknowledging her feelings for Gilbert, since that's something I haven't really seen before. Of course, she's going back to giving him the cold shoulder because of his fancy OLD girlfriend, so we're kinda back to canon, but nice that it actually happened. And I'm so glad that someone on the show acknowledged that Winifred looks and IS way older than Gilbert. I was also surprised that Marilla actually took that balloon ride. Loved Miss Stacey's Annie Oakley performance at the shooting gallery.

That's how I saw it too. Sure, they will be neighborly when they feel sorry for the widower (like the Barrys offering to buy his apples to sell in England - like, what was wrong with them before?), but sending their daughters over to work at his house? Where they could possibly be alone with him (see all the historical hysteria of black men raping/abducting/whatever-ing white women)? Absolutely not. Marilla and Rachel are "mature" women and therefore probably safe from his "savage" desires, but not young women. While I do think they are heading towards a Miss Stacey/Bash pairing, the reaction from the community will probably be less than ideal. I mean, Ruby was fainting over the terror seeing a small indigenous child in the woods. Seeing a mixed race couple walk down the street will probably make heads explode.

I think in season one it was implied that Anne didn't really understand what she was exposed to. She heard them having sex (saying sometimes Mrs Hammond seemed be laughing, other times yelling, making it sound kind of rape-y), and Mrs Hammond used the euphemism of Mr Hammond having a "mouse in his pocket" and she was forced to "pet." It was clear that Anne thought she was talking about a literal mouse, and Anne just knew that this was somehow "making love" and somehow babies were involved. I think she really didn't understand what was actually going on, which is why she was confused when the other girls ditched her when she started talking about it. Diana and Jerry are indeed cute, but I am just waiting for her family to find out and freak the hell out. I'm sure it will happen sooner or later, and I just hope it is later. This is clearly a rebellion on Diana's part. She knows there is no way her parents will let her marry someone as poor as Jerry. She's being groomed to make a good, appropriate match. I think this is Diana exploring and making her own choices while she still can. Experiencing what she wants to experience before she's made to marry someone she may or may not truly love. She's already bummed out that she's been forbidden from going to college, this is her trying to take some amount of control of her life (in the book she married Fred Wright, whose biggest crime appears to be Anne considers him boring). The obituary was very sweet. And that baby is so cute. But it really does feel a bit early to be looking for a new wife for Bash. Though, you can totally see where this is going. Once Rachel stops trying to foist her lame son upon Miss Stacey, she'll totally push her towards Bash. Nice to see Miss Stacey's lessons out in nature, and I enjoyed all the flirting and Tillie Boulter pretending to swoon to get the attention of the boys (and I liked Miss Stacey's "No touching!" Arrested Development moment). Gilbert learns about naturopathic medicine. I liked that Ka'kwet's dad told the medicine woman to do a good job stitching the kid up because "he buys my hockey sticks." I didn't enjoy him telling Anne he also hasn't been able to see Ka'kwet (go save her!!). The dancing scene was sweet too - and was Ruby finally giving a different boy the eye? What is Anne going to do once she loses the "I can't because Ruby likes Gil" excuse? The final scene at the fire was fun, but I also thought, "Aw, man. Now someone is going to accuse Anne of witchcraft."