alrightokay

I really like Bill; she seems real, relatable. Her questions and reactions have been believable, and she exudes a genuine warmth and open-heartedness. Great job by Pearl Mackie. The puddle-monster plot lost some steam toward the end, but certain images/ideas were striking (the star in Heather's eye, the realization that you never actually see your face in a mirror reflection). And so wonderful to see Capaldi back in action; I wanted to hear more of his lecture on time. Hope this series gives him the grand send off he deserves.

That's how I took it, too; I saw it as Heather not taking Len's words too personally. That might look disrespectful to some people, but I thought she was trying to stay unfazed and positive after hearing a harsh critique.

That makes sense; I guess I was thinking about how, as the episode went on, it was clear that the office mates understood Nathaniel's insecurities with his dad (they all reacted to his comment about his dad putting them on his knee and then doing nothing, just to scare them). So when it was just Maya, Paula, and Nathaniel in his office, Maya offers to take the blame again, when she really didn't have to. But right, in that first scene in the conference room, she might have been acting out of fear/concern for her friends.

I agree that this episode meandered a bit until Valencia stepped up. The Nathaniel poop-scenario went on a little too long for me, though it did do its intended job of making me feel sorry for him. It just felt like they could have come up with a more clever way for him to be humanized (I guess there's nothing more basically human than having to poop!). I did love how all of the coworkers, especially Maya, instinctively tried to help him, even though he's been a harsh boss.

Good point--I hadn't thought of that. It just seemed like people like Karen, Canada Guy, and George weren't really hard workers, and now that there's more work, and Nathaniel's forcing them to do it, they're finally being productive. On the other hand, Mrs. Hernandez was probably hard-working all along--she seems to be a tough cookie! :)

You are not alone on that island! I love Nathaniel, too--and I actually think he'll be good for the firm. As sweet as Darryl is, he is not a strong leader who motivates people to do their best work. How often did Rebecca (and Paula) skip work these past two seasons because of Rebecca's Josh-shenanigans? It's true that Nathaniel has been overly harsh so far, but he had good reason to fire George, and, like you said, it seems like he'll learn from Darryl and Rebecca how to be less arrogant and callous.

I also think that Moffat was simply stretched too thin by having to run both Sherlock and Doctor Who, and both shows suffered (though I think S9 of Who was a strong rebound after a wobbly S8). It's true that Gatiss was co-running Sherlock, but it's interesting that both shows echoed each other in exploring what it means to be a "good man." And in both shows, the Companion is torn between a lover and the titular genius (Clara/Danny/Doctor in Who vs. John/Mary/Sherlock).

I think we saw him in the episode where Darryl and Maya create their dance, and all of their officemates eagerly watch them perform it in the lunchroom. I think George was the one trying to learn/mimic their movements. Loved that they threw "intensive purposes" into Josh's stream of babble--that's one of my pet peeves! I wonder if they'll make Nathaniel into a hybrid of Greg/Josh: He doesn't have Josh's kind heart yet, but I have a feeling Rebecca will start whittling away at his tough, seemingly perfect facade.

This was really fun and charming. Not the deepest episode, but that's okay, given how bittersweet last season (and the last Christmas Special) was. I liked the fact that the Ghost was also a nanny, someone who's a caregiver. And the Doctor/Capaldi was energetic and endearing, making just enough reference to what happened to him and River last year to show he's healing and moving on. I've missed him and this show so much!

Bumping this thread back up, because I just went down the rabbit hole of watching a slew of old DWTS videos on youtube and got inspired. (Full disclosure, as someone who's watched since the beginning, way back when Kelly Monaco beat John O'Hurley, I tend to favor the more traditional, ballroom-trained pros.) From the male pros, I'd pick Val, and from the female pros, I'd pick Cheryl. They both seem like tough but caring teachers who've built up good track records over the years. Cheryl's especially impressive to me--she not only did well with frontrunners such as Drew Lachey, Gilles Marini, and William Levy, she also went far with underdogs such as Jack Osbourne and Rob Kardashian. And this year, she even helped to make Ryan Lochte likable again. The show owes her a great deal, I think, for being such a consistently good mentor/instructor.

It's gotten to the point where I'm watching this show for everyone EXCEPT Rebecca and Josh. Every other character is a gem. I love Paula and Scott; I love the trio of Greg, judgey White Josh, and Hector (especially Hector). I love Heather and Father Brah. I love sweet, goofy Darryl. But Rebecca and Josh are just insufferable. I realize that the whole premise of the show is that Rebecca has issues, but it's just not fun to watch her and Josh hurt others (Paula and Greg), even when those people forgive them.

Josh's angry dance reminds me of Bret's angry dance from Flight of the Conchords, except Footloose is the 80's movie being mimicked in Bret's case. (I've always thought that CXG was the female version of FOTC. In a way, CXG gives us the perspective of Mel, the obsessed fan.)

LOL! Loved all the Melrose Place references, especially the use of the ominous background music, the opening credits montage-style, and the theme song. All the wig jokes, as well. MP was so much campy fun. Poor Emery. After Evan's bossiness last week, and Emery's pent-up anger this week, It seems like Eddie's the most adjusted kid in the family this season.

As sweet as this episode was, it wasn't as strong as the past few. Maybe the whole "we're a team" issue got resolved too quickly. I still love all of the characters at Eddie's school, though, with the pinching principal, Trent and his slicked back "Pat Riley" hair, the trash-talking between Eddie and his teacher. And OMG, Grandma's line about what she would do if she were lice: crawl into Tom Selleck's mustache--so gross, yet so funny. The one reference that didn't seem to ring true was Jessica being a huge fan of Grease 2 and Michelle Pfeifer's Stephanie; that seemed to come out of the blue! (Then again, maybe Grease is what gave her the idea to wear black leather when playing pool a few episodes ago.)

I was glad to see another side to Evan, to know that he isn't just cute and innocent. Even though the show made it a point to have Evan say he wasn't copying Jessica, I still got the feeling that his bossiness was connected to her constant praising of his A++'s and calling him a "perfect angel." I'm glad that they're showing that Eddie isn't the only kid with issues in the family--it feels more realistic. For some reason my favorite characters tonight were Marvin, JJ, and the male news anchor--all of them had these huge, endearing grins on their faces at different moments in the episode. Their enthusiasm was infectious.

Alan Alda was adorable as Abbi's chiropractor. So sweet and helpful--no wonder Abbi loves him. Great to see Cynthia Nixon, too!

Loved Father Brah's line: "I blamed my baby brother for the baby bunny body."

For anyone who lives in or can get to the Bay Area: Vincent Rodriguez and Vella Lovell will be part of a film festival panel on the typecasting of Asian actors, especially with regard to gender roles: http://caamfest.com/2016/events/crazy-ex-girlfriend-changing-the-channel-on-gender-roles/

I continue to enjoy the characters and shenanigans at Eddie's school, not just the kids but the over-earnest principal, as well. I cracked up at the use of the word "compu-teasing" instead of "cyberbullying." These days we use "cyberbullying" without batting an eye, but back in the 90's it was something we didn't have a word for (a sobering thought, actually!).

I loved the Fonz vs. Tony Danza versions of "AAAOO!"

Oh dear, I'm not a fan of Chibnall. But let's see what he can do.

I was wondering about this too. After Mary is revealed to be a spy/killer in S3, John decides not to look into her past and stays with her, but I'm hazy on whether Sherlock still likes her/trusts her. Does the depiction of Mary in the mind palace show that Sherlock still has some questions about her? Mary was working for Mycroft, but wasn't she also connected to the Suffragettes (didn't she and Lestrade have a conversation about the vote)? She "found" the Suffragettes' hideout really easily. I just wonder if she had been working with them all along but "sold out" the Suffragettes in order to stay on John/Sherlock's good side. I know none of this is supposed to make logical sense, as it was all a dream/simulation, but could "The Abominable Bride" also be a stand-in/symbol for Mary, who poses a threat to the Holmes/Watson duo? (The way she is dressed when she first appears in Victorian-Sherlock's apartment --in a black lace dress, heavily veiled, seems to "mirror" the way the Bride was dressed.)

Yes, this moment was a great way to show (not tell) what a great match River and Twelve are for each other. On top of that, it was their way of showing that they love each other, without having to say it. (And while they do say loving things later on--"No one on this ship is worth you." "Or you."--they never come right out and proclaim "I love you" directly to each other. It's so fitting that the final spoken words of this episode are so quiet yet so full of affection: "I hate you." "No you don't.")

The thing that gives me a little hope is that Moffat might notice the generally positive reaction to Twelve/River and see that having two mature actors as Doctor/Companion could really work. Also, like River, Jack Harkness was a Moffat creation, right? (Or at least Jack first appeared in a Moffat story, "The Empty Child"; I guess Jack became an RTD character after that, especially with Torchwood.) So maybe he'll be open to someone like a Barrowman or Tate. We need someone who's good at comedy, I think, because Capaldi's comic timing is a gift the show should leverage more often.

That "Oh my... GOD" delivery was just wonderful. (It reminded me a bit of Gene Wilder in Young Frankenstein--totally eager, just a little unhinged.) I noticed that, too! :) As for the next companion, if I can't have Captain Jack, how about a Nyssa-type (from Five's tenure): an alien scientist who can offer some expertise, who wants to do good, and has NO romantic feelings for the Doctor. Some people might have found the original Nyssa boring, compared to feisty Tegan or to the duplicitous/conflicted Turlough, but I liked her serene open-mindedness. We've had enough sassy/opinionated companions in New Who; give me someone who will help defuse the drama the Doctor always runs into! (Again, this is if we can't get Captain Jack, who will help defuse the drama by making us laugh--OMG, do it Moffat, please!)