Gardencrown

I don't comment here often: but why didn't the scientists, you know, help the people. If they could hear them, surely they could dig down and pull some out? Or were these poor fsckers supposed to be there? Or did they not have long enough rope? Or were they afraid that the earth would collapse like a mine? Or...I'm making my head hurt. And as for a demon, I'm gonna say a hell of a lot more than "yikes!" I keep picturing that awful little Diet Dr. Pepper guy.

For all the hype leading up to this episode from NBC and from Fogleman, himself, it was actually a pretty elegantly quiet episode. Rebecca's reaction (and omg Mandy Moore, you are doing a beautiful job with this role) was muted -- I don't mean that the emotion was muted but that directing-wise, they literally muted her a bit. The code was muted (and yes, we can argue it should have taken longer, but I fan-wank here), Rebecca and the kids lying down together was quiet, and even though Rebecca's reaction to Miguel was fierce, it was also pretty quiet. And all of that quiet was devastating and perfect. In my experience, the death of loved ones does kind of take place in a weirdly muted sort of tunnel. So that worked for me. I agree with those that didn't need to see grandiose heroics in the effort to save Jack. I didn't need Rebecca at his bedside screaming, "Don't die!" Death is a sneaky bastard, and while it might have been frustrating that Jack went back in for the dog and stuff, it's exactly the kind of thing a young (and YES, Jack was young in his forties, says she who just turned 50) might have done. In all of the horror of the fire, the last thing he was thinking about was the potential effect on his heart. Most of us wouldn't think of that, I expect. I saw Kate's story as one of great hope in that she is finally waking up and realizing that she can love and be loved -- that she can LIVE. She still has a ton of healing to do, but I thought this was the best concrete step the character has taken to being whole. Rebecca and Kevin were great. A word to NBC and Fogleman: it's NOT the unique hugeness of these moments that make for great TV, so don't try to sell us that. It's the reality, the shit we all go through one way or the other, that makes it poignant. I'm not disappointed in this episode AT ALL, but let the episodes stand on their own. The show is called "This is Us" because it's supposed to be. Let it be.

I think that Cyrus has been an awfully good sport in terms of the hammering he has received from the judges. He seems content in knowing what he is damned good at, and what he simply isn't. That cha cha was all Kaylee. And I agreed with Mary that when I heard they had cha cha, I put my head in my hands. Val did a great job of choreographing to Kaylee's strengths; he seems to be a very good teacher. I think he helped give Kaylee the confidence to perform that number with such abandon. And, yeah, Cyrus was...not good. But he didn't mess up the dance for Kaylee, and he seemed delighted that she got great comments. One thing I don't like about this format is that by now, something like 40% of the dancers are going to be in the bottom 3 at any given time. I can't figure out what they're doing with Lex's narrative. He was in his style last night, but he was jammed in the middle of the pack, and it was a just an okay Mandy Moore routine (maybe okay+ -- it was pretty good). I believe that he is, by far, the best dancer this season, but they're being careful not to push him too hard. The praise for the bird dance was pretty well-deserved. I thought that Logan should have been praised more for his character work in the Chris Scott hip hop. Yes, he looks twelve, but he pretty convincingly played older in that piece. Mark K. -- come back!! Stay!! Choreograph. Keep giving me life. xoxo I forget what now (blocked out, apparently), but Nigel said something awful about Taylor being sweet and then being "dirty." Nigel's Madonna/Whore complex strikes again. Ick. He's so...leery. And I never thought, not in my wildest imaginings, that there would be a judge on this show that would make me say, "God, I kinda miss Jason Derullo." Hats (or hideous wigs as the case may be) off to you, Vanessa.

That's a good point! Bobby does seem more natural with his efforts at humor, but he has had loads more time in front of the camera. Cory would have loosened up over time. For a moment, at the end (and remembering how Rusty shockingly, to me at least, beat out the two most recently departed contestants), I worried that Rusty had pictures of someone at FN fornicating with a goat. Whew. Jason is fine. And I don't think he's fake, just an amped up version of himself. The other contestants seemed to genuinely like him. And Lord, honey, I felt for Addie being 206 months pregnant (I had twins) for the final show and being newly probably yucky-feeling pregnant during her run on the show. While I don't think she was going to win, I wonder if some of the subdued nature of her personality came from feeling sick as shit all day long.

I probably can't say more or better than has already been said, but Lord, you people are funny! I've been thinking about this the past two days, and one thought I've had is how awful to never be able to change your beliefs. I mean, if you know everything already, what the hell do you have to learn? I guess that's why Triple D is busy pontificating. Because he believes he knows everything. I'm a Christian, and I read the Bible, but good heavens, the shit I don't know or understand could fill an ocean. And I'm okay with that. I grew up pretty fundie -- started attending a fundie church in high school, and MY rebellion was becoming way more fundie than my parents (I'm kind of backwards like that), and if you had asked me at 18 (many a'moon ago, friends), I would have been absolutely SURE about abortion always being wrong or homosexuality being a sin. I'm not proud of that unyielding teenager, but guess what? Life happened, and I began to appreciate nuance and all the many things I didn't understand. I learned. I grew. I'm not saying that makes me special; in fact, I would think that makes me pretty normal. And there's the rub. There's something wildly abnormal and frightening about being unwilling to consider that you could be ass-backwards wrong about something. As it happens, a close family member is gay, and though I had changed my opinions about homosexuality years ago, I discovered that those old ideas wanted to creep back on me. (Early fundie training sticks like GLUE.) But man, how blessed I am to know her and have her in my life and have her understand that I'm a work in progress who wants to do right by her. Even though my views had changed, knowing and loving her personally has taught me so much. Honestly, it scares me to put it out there that I'm a work in progress because I want to seem cool and wonderful, and put-together, but it's HARD to leave behind belief systems. I get that. But it simply doesn't excuse cruelty and arrogance. And it sickens me that shit like that is said in the name of Jesus. Does Derick even read the Bible? Has he ever examined the life of Jesus? Yeah, Jesus was all about the jabbing and trashing of people, especially children. If these stupid Duggars ever actually looked at Jesus, they would see that they are the very people that would piss Jesus off: know-it-all jackholes who make it difficult for other people to find God.

oops, wrong thread!

My heart echoes the many sad cries on here. I was COMPLETELY unspoiled and equally, completely in denial. So yeah, gutted. I've known women who were far too young too lose their husbands (tho they weren't as young as Jane)...and it's awful and terrifying and life-altering (I mean, duh). The challenge or issue here, as I see it: yes, it's a telenovella with twists and soapy turns. BUT it's also a story firmly rooted in the most real possible relationships. Parents, friends, lovers (even Xo with Bruce - how many of us have a friend we can't believe is dating THAT idiot again?)...so Michael isn't some prop, here. He was a character that simply exuded realness, and his and Jane's marriage reflected that. Even with the show's crazier antics -- i.e. Petra being "locked in" -- there was grounding in a reality - in that case, insecurity about her ability to be a good mom. And yeah, in real life, people die. If anything, I see Michael's death less as a telenovella trope and more of a nod to sad reality. How does the show go on (I can't say "get beyond" - that feels like it dishonors the character) tonally? I don't know. I HOPE it's something that the writers have considered thoughtfully, because it will require a deft touch to stay true to the joyous roots of the show. But, for now, I'm in. I love Gina. I love Yael (sp). I love the relationships. I'm going to see if this show can surprise me. But I'm bummed.

I ended up watching all the episodes from season 1 and 2 over the weekend and just caught season 2's episode 8 (vacation disaster). Thoughts: I do think that Danielle and Adam like one another, which puts them miles ahead of Jon and Kate at any point, imo. While I don't think I would ever be best friends with either of them, they seem to be reasonably likeable people who are in a challenging parenting situation. They bicker a bit, and both of them can be snippy, but overall, it seems like they're solid enough. Cycling center: Jeeeeeebus, that seems like an awful and too-risky venture. Adam was lucky that his brother-in-law boss (whose name escapes me) was so supportive and said they'll make it a family thing. Loved how Dale basically threw down and outed Adam's plans. Dale amuses me. And the constant complaining about money -- when they live in a huge house and seem to spend quite a bit of money -- it's getting old. Mimi: I suspect that she is quite a handful in real life, and I'm sure that TLC is milking everything about Mimi. But I was really uncomfortable about how they treated her during the vacation (or I should say "vacation"). Those are YOUR kids, Danielle and Adam. YOU get to sleep with them, ffs. And it wasn't like Mimi really wanted to do the fun run. I just thought that they were mean to and about her. And I'm all for fitness -- but heavens, these people take it to another level. Hazel worries me. SUCH a cutie!! But I would not be surprised if she has several developmental struggles, at least physically. I understand that they adore her and don't want her to suffer (what parent would??), but if she has any longstanding issues, they're going to have to...accept it. Which maybe sounds heartless...but sometimes I worry that they focus so much on external perfection that being the "struggling sister" could be awfully tough. I will say that Blayke (which omg it pains me to type that spelling) seems like a lovely, adaptable, kind little girl. I think she has a naturally flexible personality, but clearly A and D are doing a nice job as parents.

THANK you! I was shocked -- not exactly by Mary's death -- but by reading so many responses that didn't address THIS glaring issue. WTF is John doing with Douche Hair? How could Sherlock refrain from making fun of it? Talk about being OOC!! That aside, I will need to rewatch because I always feel like I miss certain things. But I completely agree that John's behavior was so weird. As someone said earlier, if Mary being a super-spy assassin who lied to you didn't destroy your loyalty, then I hardly think having a baby would do it. And I HATE that they destroyed the funny moment of John and Mary in bed discussing whether the baby was Satan or merely an omen (which is exactly how you feel when trying to sleep and the baby cries) by having John text bus girl. Dumb. And one more thing: I am clearly lacking in any kind of good lair. Sherlock had at least a couple of good lairs. I don't even have one.

It was good night overall. I did think that Laurie was a tad nitpicked for her dance, but she's one of the few contestants that can respond to that. While James may not be the best male dancer the show has ever had, he is certainly one of the better actors of those contestants not in an entertainment field. Plus, he's light on his feet, clearly picks up choreography quickly with a great degree of natural talent, and seems to be an all-round great guy who treats his partner and fellow contestants well. What's not to like? I'd say similar things about Calvin, though he's not as naturally talented. And I could probably say similar things about Jana, but she and Gleb (especially Gleb) rub me the wrong way big-time. It's a YMMV thing of course, but I won't be disappointed if she doesn't make the finals. Ryan really is that...maybe not dumb, but simple? Not a mean bone in his body, but...yeah. Marilu and Derek grow increasingly hard to watch because something is off in their partnership. I like Terra fine (never seen her show), but it's Sasha that I find to be a revelation. He is so kind, such a great teacher. He doesn't get pissy or lose his cool. What a lovely person. Ah, Maureen. Yes, it does seem like she's drunk sometimes, but I hope not, and I think not. She's just a super awkward person (I can relate) who shows the damage of her younger years. She seems to repeat statements she's learned in therapy almost as mantras, whether they fit the situation or not. I sympathize with her funny faces during judging, because if I feel on the spot, sometimes my face gets twitchy and weird, and I think that's happening to her. But overall, she was becoming more and more exhausting to watch. She was REALLY.TRYING.SO.HARD that it became difficult to watch her. I hope she gained confidence and had some joy in the experience of the show. And can we get Artem a contender, please? Maybe I could have liked Jana with him...

I think this is a very good point. Based on my own anecdotal knowledge (which is obviously perfect and complete:) open adoptions have become much more prevalent in the last fifteen years or so. It seems like the thinking used to be that it would be confusing for the child to have relationships with both adoptive and biological parents. Obviously that view has changed a ton, but I can buy that Rebecca wanted William out of the picture because she thought it would be the best thing for Randall...of course, lying to him is going to bite her in the ass. Echo the SKB love, though I had to work through my own forgiveness because he had a (totally stupid to the plot) affair on Army Wives, which pissed me off no end. I mean, if you're going to have an affair, make it relevant to the plot! But he has so much...nuance as an actor. From loving dad, to solid husband, to scared son telling his mother something she won't like, to grieving son -- none of his acting is over-the-top scenery chewing -- it's just natural and believable. I'll watch for him and for Mandy Moore, who is, frankly, a much better actress than I knew. Still warming up to the other siblings. I know aging an actor is difficult, but Mandy Moore's wig???? Really??? I was afraid it was going to fall off, and all of her natural hair would come tumbling out.

I would think Laurie's win is quite likely, but I certainly wouldn't count out Calvin's football fanbase -- that along with his charming personality could go a long way. James continues to delight, and I think he is my favorite partner Sharna has had. I keep forgetting that Terra had a baby only a couple of months ago. I kind of respect her for not bringing it up every seven seconds! But I also can't imagine how exhausted she must be. I would think that Maureen is going home tonight. They overscored her a bit (it was solid but nothing wonderful), and I think the judges also did that overpraise thing they do when someone is likely leaving. I so much want to like her, but I think she's getting on my nerves as much as she is Artem's...interesting that Derek seemed flat out annoyed with Marilu at the end of last week's dance when he was explaining why they got the scores they did. I think he tries to keep his annoyance on the down low (as most of the pros try to do), but I haven't seen him this frustrated in quite a while. I like Allison immensely, less so as a ballroom pro than in other contexts, but she needed to keep it together better last night for Babyface. I never did quite understand what they were going for with the spotlights, and as he has trouble with the basics, it seemed like way too complicated of a routine. I would not be surprised if he's out tonight too. Amber Rose (I'm not going to get into the whole conflict with J) was just okay in the Argentine tango -- boy, she and Max have very little connection. MMV -- but I didn't find their dance especially sexy. It was so overt that it didn't have that steamy under the surface vibe that I love in ATs. She could go home too, but I still think it will be Maureen and Babyface.

I have nothing tremendous to add, but I will agree with those who say that Maureen was underscored. And gosh, I wish Artem had gotten Laurie, though I still like Val. I just don't think Maureen will stick around long. As an INVETERATE BB fan -- I could tell you the episode within the first 10 seconds -- I was excited about Maureen being on the show. I actually downloaded her memoir on my Kindle, and man, girl had some tough times. It sounds like a combination of finding a church and marrying a good man really helped stabilize her...BUT...and oh, I hate to say this. She has that awful desperate fragile quality that doesn't translate well to this show. She may not be nearly as desperate and fragile as she appears, but it's how she comes off, sadly. I think many people, myself included, feel kind of anxious watching her. We want her to do well, and she wants to do well, and it all just seems so...tense. She did have much more confidence this week, and I hope America votes to have her stay around for a bit because I would love to see her have a journey where she grows in that confidence. And Artem. Now that Tristan is gone, he is my reason for breathing. A bit of an exaggeration. (a little bit, mind you.) Mr. Gardencrown enjoys Sharna a whole lot, and the beginning picture of the two of the dancing slays us both -- we discussed getting it and putting it up in our bedroom, but thought others might find it a little...strange? But then, who really goes in your bedroom:)) Jake cannot NOT give off douchebag vibes, though I appreciated that he seemed to understand and value the criticism about being ahead of the music. He and Jenna seem terribly mismatched -- I know there's not really much of an age difference, but she seems like his mother. And her costume. Others have said it better than I can. I try, I really try to like her. She's a good dancer, and from what I understood when she was on SYTYCD, she is a very hard worker that choreographers like. So she's probably a lovely girl. But her TV demeanor has always rubbed me the wrong way. As for Jake, I think he's a douchebag but I'm willing to consider he may have a really bad case of resting bitch face. James I love. Happy for Sharna, just as I am horrendously sad for Emma. Emma is SO lovely and kind -- why must they stick her with the likes of Rick Perry -- who, to be fair, did actually engage with the quickstep and put himself out there. Yes, it was bad, but he wasn't sulky or refusing to try. So a few points there. I thought that Jana and Babyface were WAY overscored. I know she was injured (and I've had spinal fusion surgery -- I winced through their whole dance), but that was...not good. And poor Babyface is trying very hard, but he seems painfully shy. I wonder if his overscoring indicating that he is killing it in votes or that he's tanking? Max and Amber are not clicking at all for some reason. I thought they would be fun together, but so far, they're snore-worthy. Terra and Sasha are cute. Like Emma (are they still dating), Sasha seems like an awesome sweet person. I'm happy to see him so happy. Finally, Derek DID choreograph the hell out of that foxtrot 'cause that was not easy music. And Lindsey and Calvin are adorbs. For a man with such huge feet (and I sympathize -- along with a bad back, I have huge feet), he moves them pretty gracefully. And he's having FUN.

I swear I am not trying to quote anything. The new-ish boards and I do not get along. At all. Little things like this are pissing me off. That said...well, tonight, that feels about right. And by "about right" I mean that it's about time to dump one of the best dancers, who for reasons utterly inexplicable to me, must not have connected to the audience because she is more mature and sophisticated (??). So, yeah. About right. Pissed off SYTYCD feeling? Check. I'm surprised, and I will admit this, by how much I care about these kids. Except JT. He's a darling little boy, but FFS -- every single dance has been the same exact theme. Mr. Bojangles almost make me yack. Every other dancer there is arguably as talented as the others. But JT is SUCH a little boy among tweens.

As I said once before, I am somewhat surprised that the level of performance/dancing is not substantively different than previous years...it goes to show that the many, many 18 year old competition dancers we have seen really do have a sameness about them because though I can see some improved technique from say, age 11 to age 18 -- it ain't all that. Oh, how I long for a show when many dancers were -- gasp! -- in their twenties and had the physical and emotional maturity to reflect that. I hate to see the system so obvious in terms of who was fodder. Poor Sheaden. I adore Ruby -- feel like she's brought some of the best ballroom we've seen on this show in eons. Are people not voting because they're squicked out? I don't get that -- I think that she and Paul have been wonderful together. Plus, he just seems like the nicest sweetest guy ever. Maybe she's not getting votes because she seems legions older and more mature than Emma, J.T. and Jake? I wonder how Tate is doing in the votes? I like her and Jordan a lot, but I absolutely love Ruby. She constantly draws my eye (which is saying something because, hello -- Paul); she's confident on stage, but she seems like a normal goofy thirteen year old off stage. I remember the times that Anya was in the bottom (lo those millions of years ago!), and I hardly ever understood that either...phooey, I don't want to lose Ruby. Hardly anyone can stand next to Fik-Shun and pull focus away from him. Love him or hate him, he has such a natural facility of movement and is always, always a showman. Kida is good, but it's almost tough to be with Fik-Shun. Jake and Jenna, through no fault of their own, looked kind of ridiculous. And Hip Hip Chin Chin??? No! The original with Danny and Lacey was flat-out one of the sexiest numbers ever on the series. The comparison was unfortunate, to say the least. Glad Dmitry is getting work -- I hate how he hasn't been on DWTS (and his fiancé is gorgeous, not surprisingly). Emma reminds me of a girl who was in my church middle school group when I worked in that ministry, so I'm partial to her, but I find Gabby really, really tedious (I don't know why, just do). J.T. is cute but one note. Tahini is fine...she's fine...but...eh. Still think she goes for the cute too much in her hip hop.