Kostgard

Random thoughts: When is Oswald going to realize he should never make a deal with Jim Gordon? Jim dicks him over every. Single. Time. Just don’t bother trying. Happy trails, Tabby. I hope Barbara’s revenge scheme wraps up quickly, because...come on. This show is never killing off Oswald. Give her something else to do rather than something she’s guaranteed to fail. Why is Mr Penn back working with Oswald? Does he just love getting abuse and eating shit all day? Is this another fetish like the baby thing? (ETA: Jinx, Lantern7! We had the same thought!) That is one seriously cute bulldog. Poor Selina. Bruce, I know you want to help and you feel responsible. But check out a few Disney movies first - making a deal with a mysterious witch never goes well. The person Ed should be mad at is whomever gave him that haircut.

They knew before the general public, but I think they got the news relatively recently. A few weeks ago Camren Bicondova said they had received “good news” on set that day, that she couldn’t say what it was but then commented something like “Looks like we’ll be shooting for a while.” The producers probably knew it was a possibility, but it wasn’t confirmed until recently. They are writing/shooting new material, and it’s going to me smooshed into the series at different points. They are shooting episode 10 now, which is the flash-forward and would have been the finale. But the episode Ben McKenzie is writing (one of the new ones ordered) will air as episode 9. Don’t know if the other new episode will serve as the finale or will also be wedged into the season somewhere.

I thought this was a fairly entertaining and surprisingly dark take on Sabrina. My one complaint is I wish it was slightly funnier. There's some comedy there, and I like the way things are subverted just to be the opposite of "good" (like calling the judge "Your Dishonor" at the trial), but it feels like it needs just a smidge more to be satisfying. Count me among those who immediately though Nick was Satan in disguise. When he introduced himself, I was like "Seriously? Old Scratch? Well, I guess Young Hot Scratch in this case." I was surprised that he was not revealed to be Satan by episode 10, but maybe that will happen in Part Two. I have no idea what Zelda is going to do with that baby, but this feels like this is heading towards a battle between feminism/inclusivity and the patriarchy (because despite all the talk of sisterhood, the coven is very much a patriarchy and Blackwell obsessed with producing a male heir) and I'm sure the female baby will play a part in that.

I thought this was her motivation as well. After believing the Bent-Neck Lady killed her husband, she needed to know once and for all. But again, I don’t know if the house killed her or if Olivia did. Olivia wanted to keep her children safe and near her forever, which is why she was going to kill them with the poisoned tea party before Hugh interrupted. Then we saw Olivia give Nell the (supernatural) push off the staircase. Or...was it the house working through Olivia? I also don’t understand how Nell was really the most affected by all this in life (the most haunted, the one who “disappears” and her family doesn’t see her, the one pulled back to the house), yet in death, she seemed the least in the house’s thrall. She kept telling Luke “Don’t” and “Go” - clearly aware of what is happening and trying to save him (she did it both at the grave when Olivia tried to drag him down and at the tea party adult Luke found in the house) and again shown in her speech to her siblings.

I too enjoyed this series up until the end. They should have titled this last episode "Everybody Gets a Monologue!" But they left me with so many questions. Yes. This. Okay, I liked the relationship between the siblings. Well done. I like that this was really about how this family went through a horrifying/tragic event, the ripple effects of it, and how they each dealt with it (Steve distancing himself by fictionalizing it. Shirley by being a control freak and facing death head on by becoming a mortician. Theo by drinking and being bitter and sarcastic, but also going into a field where she can help traumatized children, Luke with his addictions, and Nell with her sleep paralysis). Also a good story about how a parental urge to protect your children can do more harm than good (Hugh keeping the truth from this kids, Olivia trying to keep the big bad world from hurting her kids by trying to keep them out of the outside world). But at the end, things get really muddy. I too am left wondering "Was the house evil? Or was it all Poppy?" Did Poppy make Olivia crazy, or did she just bring it out? With the rainstorm of rocks, they made it seem like Olivia is the one with all the supernatural powers, but then...was this all her, or the house? Or Poppy? It seemed Olivia lured Nell home, and was the one who tipped her off the staircase. But then Poppy was the one who knocked out the other kids. Was Poppy helping Olivia? Helping the house? Or doing it just for kicks? Then towards the end, they made it seem that perhaps a lot of the hauntings outside of the house were really just manifestations of their issues. I can see that making sense with Luke seeing the man with the hat all over the place. I could see someone being "haunted" by something that terrified him as a child, but the ghost actually isn't there. But then, what about the shared visions - when both Theo and Hugh saw Olivia with the destroyed model house? What about when both Theo and Shirley heard Olivia banging on the door and windows and then showing up in the car when they were arguing? Was THAT real, because Olivia had the ability to follow people out of the house, just like she could make it rain stones? Or was it somehow Theo since she was present in both incidents? Why was poor Nell haunted by the image of her own dead self throughout her life (the scene where she died and "fell" through all the moments where she haunted herself was both terrifying and heartbreaking)? Was that Olivia doing that? The house? Poppy? Why Nell over the other kids? And the fact that the guy Shirley kept seeing was not a ghost but just a hallucination of a dude she had a one night stand with caused by her guilt was really sort of lame. Then it seems that Poppy is the only "bad" ghost, after the family had been terrified by several ghosts. But then at the end it seems that they mostly just hang out in the house. The scary-looking old lady was just an old lady, who warned Olivia about Poppy, so...helpful? The man with the hat just wanted his hat and to get a look at people. So, who attacked Luke when he went down the dumbwaiter? Did he really just rip his shirt on an object like Hugh suggested? Was it Poppy? The house? The Dudleys really took their daughter's death in stride. It was all, "Hey, sorry my wife went nuts and killed the child you were so terrified of losing you barely let her out of the house." "Oh, no problem. We'll just bury her in the yard somewhere. Just keep the house open so we can come visit her ghost and we'll be square." I can see them eventually getting there, but not within 90 seconds of discovering her dead body. Then the fact that the Dudleys came to visit their ghost daughter through the years brings up another question - does that mean the Crains can just go visit their parents and sister whenever they want? If people can come into the house and interact with the ghosts, then why do people have to die in order to "stay in the house or stay together? Just live in the house until you die and then carrying on as ghosts. Theo chucks her gloves at the end. Did she lose her "powers" or did she decide that she's cool with picking up all that stuff from people? Because even if you are in a good place psychologically-speaking, that can still be really overwhelming. Finally, I guessed that Hugh was dead from the moment he got the door to the Room of Requirement open. The fact that he turned into his younger self confirmed that. But..,was there a body somewhere? Did they actually do anything with it? Ugh. Good series that didn't stick the landing and left too many questions and inconsistencies.

Yes - all the the cast members have said 10 episodes and one of the show's writers/producers said 10 episodes on Twitter a couple days ago. I have no idea of there will be any two-parters.

They won't quite make it to 100. Right now they have 88 episodes in the bank (if you count the two-parter at the end of season three as two separate episodes) and the order for season five is only 10 episodes.

Miss Stacey really, really needed to be around for more than one episode before she landed in trouble so all the kids could rally behind her. I still wish that they had resolved that stupid grifter story line at the beginning of the season in one episode and then handed the time over to Miss Stacey at the end of the season. On rewatch, the anachronistic dialogue is even more distracting. I just find it so odd considering the show has been meticulous about getting every other detail period-accurate (like making sure the apples and the rest of the food are what was available back then and no one is carrying around the giant apples we have now. And at Aunt Jo's party, the costume designers were instructed to only use materials available during this period). But when it comes to the words coming out of everyone's mouth, it is all very 21st century. I noticed the other day in the episode when Matthew was upset with Anne for writing letters on his behalf to his would-be girlfriend and she was upset because he hadn't forgiven her, Marilla tells Anne to give Matthew time to process his feelings. Would anyone - let alone a woman who lived a rather rural existence - really talk about someone "processing" his feelings? They couldn't write the line as something like, "Just give him some time. He'll come around"? Do they do this because they are trying to appeal to a young audience? If so, they really shouldn't. They need to trust their audience to be smart enough to understand what is happening without presenting it with a 2018 vocabulary. You can get the same ideas across with period-accurate dialogue and the kids will get it. I hope they figure this out. ETA: On the Pollyanna angle they took with Miss Stacey’s story, this show actually does it a lot in a way that I wish they wouldn’t (again, because it’s pretty anachronistic and kinda weird considering how gritty it generally is). Like Prissy running away from the altar so she doesn’t end up married to a closeted, self-loathing gay man. In that era, women found themselves in crappy situations like that all the time. Or Cole having an easy “out” from his family situation where he could just leave and go live with Aunt Jo. Or Diana’s mother easing up on turning her and Minnie Mae into perfect ladies and the family lets loose and throws leaves as each other. Not that I want it to be gloom and doom for everyone (Anne’s story does have a lot of sweetness to it), but Anne’s story also reflected that not everyone gets a happy ending.

Despite my issues with the show, I’m glad it’s coming back. I love this version of Matthew and Marilla (and the Lyndes) so much, that I’m glad we will see more of them (and dread the day this Matthew meets his fate like book Matthew). The show’s executive producer said that there might be a little time jump going into season three, and I hope that happens. One of my principle complaints at this point is this Anne is still too immature. I get she’s more damaged than other interpretations, but there were a couple points in this last season where I was like, “Come on. She’s not a toddler.” I hope with a time jump she grows up a little.

Netflix REALLY wanted me to watch this show. I feel I got bombarded by ads. This was fun, though I found Patty to be the most frustrating character because she kept getting into trouble by making the worst possible decision at every turn. So much so that at the end when she got away from her kidnappers and got to regionals, then gets a text from Magnolia all, “Meet me in this abandoned parking lot. I’ve got something for you” and she just runs off to meet her, I was practically yelling, “OH, COME ON” at the TV. I was more invested in the parents’ drama, though I don’t know what’s so great about Bob that both Bob B and Coralee (and Stella Rose, AND Patty) are mad about him. They both could do better. And I really want to see Coralee break out on her own and be wildly successful with her tampon tassels. The one who is rightfully mad about Bob is Patty. He’d move the moon and stars for her if it meant she could win a pageant. She’s right that they are destined to be together (not romantically. Just forever mixed up in their crazy bullshit).

I know! She IS Anne in 10 years. Her whole “I was just decorating my new home. It’s amazing what you can do with potatoes!” line was totally something Anne would say.

I also agree. I get that this Anne is more damaged than the Meghan Follows version, but she really should be growing up now. There were times when I wondered why Gilbert was interested in her because he is just miles more mature. I read an interview with the show runner where she said if they get a third season there might be a little bit of a time jump. I really hope Anne grows up a bit if they return to the story a few years later.

He most likely meant "Sawbones" - an old-timey slang term for doctors. So, he was telling the truth when he told Sofia that he was answering her question (telling her Oswald was with the Doc), she just couldn't figure it out.

Yeah, Aunt Jo basically said “I’m old and I don’t give a crap any more” when Cole pointed out to her had Diana’s parents attended the party, they probably would have freaked out. I also think she thought it would be good for the girls to experience. She knows Anne is imaginative/creative and would like being around all those creative people. And I think she was trying to show Diana there was another option for her other than “homemaker” as Diana’s mother wants for her. Diana has a talent for the piano, and I think Aunt Jo hoped the professional pianist who performed at the party would serve as an inspiration for Diana. As for things being different for Cole, that is very true and I wish the show acknowledged that Aunt Jo could throw a party where she openly celebrated her relationship with another woman and get away with it because she is wealthy. People were far more willing to turn a blind eye to the “eccentricities” of a wealthy person while absolutely not tolerating the same thing in someone poor.

I think it could go either way with Carmen. She could have a crush on him, or it could be that she knows the truth. I lean more towards “crush” only because it seems like she’s had a somewhat sheltered life due to her overprotective dad and brothers. But I also think she will somehow be the first GLOW gal to figure it out. I think she understood Shenanigans was a gay bar (but didn’t care because it was fun), and it wouldn’t be much of a stretch to guess Florian was gay since he hung out there. I can see Carmen putting two and two together because her crush on Bash has made her pay close attention to him. As for Bash’s family, I think they know the score about both Florian and Bash. The butler obviously being kind about it all, but I think Bash’s mom probably at least suspects her son is gay and would do anything to “stop” that. Florian read as more obviously gay, so she probably knew about him. And if Florian came to her because too many checks from Bash bounced (and maybe he knew he was sick and was going to need money for medical bills), I’m sure Bash’s mom would have been more than happy to write him a large check in exchange for the promise that he’ll leave and never contact Bash again.

I worked from home and ended up bingeing the whole thing (though I should probably watch again, as I was also working and missed some bits/details). On the one hand, I find this series charming and delightful and the cast is excellent. They do a great job of showing how Anne would be both endearing and annoying. I love this version of the Lyndes so much and how they are totally into each other (explaining how they had so many kids). I also love that this Diana is not a dolt. Leave that to Ruby. On the other hand, they sometimes push the “woke” thing a bit too far and it feels very anachronistic. Distractingly so. I can buy that Anne is okay with Aunt Jo being gay - especially after reading the inscriptions they wrote each other in their books. I can totally buy Anne getting swept up in the romance - so much that the sex of the parties involved doesn’t matter as much as the “tragical” romance of it all. But her marriage equality speech in the wake of the discovery took it too far and it didn’t feel organic. Same with Cole coming out to her - I can buy him choosing fellow “freak” Anne to trust with the info, and that she would continue to accept him, but Anne telling him “Thank you for telling me” just felt too 2018 to me. I like that they made Miss Stacy younger than in the 1980s version, and I like even that she did not warm up to Anne right away, but again, it felt just a smidge too far that she’s basically Anne in 10 years (to the point where they almost look alike), and she landed in hot water way too soon (though that ties to my complaint that they spent way too long on the grifters and should have spent that time with the Avonlea regulars. That totally could have been wrapped up in one episode. It felt like the season really started to get going only after that was finally over). Mr. Phillips gay? Sure. That would explain why he’s such an asshole. He takes his self-loathing out on everyone else. Prissy leaving him at the altar? Smidge too far. More realistic for that period that she’d find herself stuck married to a closeted man. Gorgeous scenery, yet also some distractly bad green screen at points. Glad they touched on some stuff from the books (Anne dying her hair, etc). Liked we got some of the competitive rivalry between Anne and Gil, and like that it stemmed from Anne being envious of Gil for having a direction in life while she still felt adrift, rather than her still holding a grudge from one incident. And that was one gorgeous fox. I’m glad no one caught him.

I don’t think Bash is truly aware/accepts his orientation and wasn’t in a romantic/physical relationship with Florian based on his reaction to discovering that the bar where Florian would hang out was a gay bar. I think if he were gay and aware of it and/or in a romantic relationship with Florian his reaction to “Shenanigans” would have been much different. I think Bash is so deeply closeted he can’t even privately acknowledge the truth to himself. But discovering things about Florian (things he probably knew deep down but refused to acknowledge) brought things to a head - Florian hangs out at a gay bar. What does that say about me?? Florian died of that gay disease! Scrub it out! Scrub it out of the house so you don’t have to face it! (Yes, part of the cleaning was probably AIDS-panic, but I think Bash was also trying to scrub the gay away). Then he has to face that he’s devastated at Florian’s death. But instead of asking himself why, he throws himself into a marriage with Rhonda, declaring that he loves her even though he’s barely ever looked at her. He just saw a convenient out and took it. It will surely blow up in his face. I didn’t pick up on the “Bash might be gay” thing last season, though I suppose I should have because the clues were there and I did wonder why this young, single, handsome man who was surrounded by scantily-clad beautiful young women never hit on or even really looked at any of them. At the time I just thought he was super-nerdy about wrestling and his nerdy enthusiasm was overriding hormones, but perhaps there was nothing to override.

I always think of “Cupcake” as the pizza guy from the vampire “Bad Blood” episode of The X-Files.

I love this show so much. It is so great at mixing the camp of wrestling with real emotional stories about these characters. As uncomfortable as things sometimes are between Ruth and Debbie, it also feels very real. I really hope they get a third season, because there’s so much potential with all these characters. Arthie and Yolanda are blissed out now, but what happens when Arthie’s parents find out? The tension between Sam and Ruth will continue (though I hope they continue to work well together) and Debbie’s going to struggle with being separated from her son. And poor Bash - I don’t think he and Florian had a romantic relationship because I think Bash is in some serious denial. And Florian’s disappearance and subsequent death brought a bunch of feelings to the surface (that Bash was in love with him) that Bash can’t handle, so he throws himself into a marriage with Rhonda that will end up being a disaster. Somehow I suspect that Carmen is going to be the first person to figure out what Bash’s deal is (well, technically second since I think Bash’s family butler knows the score. Bash’s heartbreak over Florian’s estrangement was evident when they talked).

Someone else said that they asked Sean Pertwee about it at a convention, and he also said 10 episodes, so that is clearly what the cast was told and I think when Fox granted the final season for New Girl they gave it eight episodes, so a small number isn't weird (though that show is well past the 100 episode mark). I'm surprised WB couldn't talk them into just two more episodes. Weirdly, Fox won't confirm or deny the episode count. Like, what's the point? Just confirm if true.

Yep. Actual footage of Jon Hamm. And I cracked up at him describing his hairstyle as a "Sweet butt-cut." Haven't heard that term since...well, since the 90s.

Yeah, they lowered Mikey's IQ last season for some reason, and it's carried over into this season. But was it just me, or did it look like Mikey's leather jacket sleeve in the last final scene with the money exchange and the puppet? I thought it was weird that the story line just kinda ended with Mikey all, "Well, I'm glad we can remain friends" and just walking off. There's got to be more happening with him. And hey, his grandmother is a puppet, so he's got connections to that world...

“Detective” is a job title rather than a rank, so it is possible that Jim’s rank was Lieutenant when he got the promotion.

Here’s the Butch/Tabitha scene after he gets his memory back. It struck me as weird at the time because she didn’t seem to worry about his appearance when she was trying to beat him back into being Butch. But here he says “I’m a monster” and she makes no moves or say anything to make him feel better. Then he tells her that he’s there because he still loves her, and she’s just kinda like, “Yeah...no.” Again, nothing to comfort or an effort to connect with him, no “Come with me, we’ll figure out how to help you,” just sort of an unspoken “This isn’t happening because you’re a swamp zombie.” It’s really kind of sad for Butch, who has always been crazy about her and if their positions were reversed, he totally would have accepted swamp zombie Tabby. Most of the villains on this show are looking for love and acceptance. It’s obvious with Oswald, because he wears it on his sleeve, but we also see it in Babs (who sobbed to Ra’s “everybody hates me” when she was revived), Oswald taunted Sofia with the fact that her father didn’t see her/accept her as she was, and Ed and Lee’s whole dance was about being loved and accepted for who they really are. Butch never really got the unconditional love from Tabs that he gave to her, and that’s sad for him and I don’t think all that tragic for her because she would only accept one version of Butch.

Butch wanted to be cured because Tabitha was grossed out by his Grundy bod. She was understandably bummed out when he clearly wasn’t Butch mentally anymore, but when he first found her after he got his mind back (like around episode 14 or 15, I think), she was still all “Ew” and so he promised to find a cure. Another reason why I don’t particularly feel sorry for Tabitha. Yes to all this. They sometimes come close to getting things right by the female characters, but they never quite make it and then go zooming off in the wrong direction or they just don’t know what to do with it so they just end it. Sofia was pretty well-written in the first half of the season (and why I feel 4a was stronger than 4b despite some good stuff with Jerome/Jeremiah). But then they just abruptly ended her storyline so they could clear the path for the Joker stuff. Lee might have been interesting as the doctor in the Narrows trying to do penance (but was also smart and tough and the gangsters learned not to mess with her) but then it all became about her getting a thrill out of being bad and her relationship with Ed. Babs had nothing but starts and stops and nonsensical Demon’s Head stuff to finally this “Ban men!” stuff. They’ve never really given her a nice solid run at things. Selina has had it best, but things got murky even for her starting last season, and nearly everything fizzled out this season. She started out wanting to be taking seriously as a criminal and taking steps toward that, then got sidetracked into being a Siren, then took a turn for the good and got away from the Sirens, then she got sidelined for the finale.