Dave in Chicago

Maybe it's a stretch, but I thought that "Baby June" was maybe a reference to the musical "Gypsy". It's a weird choice, but still kind of fits - also an aging child star character, still playing the ingenue in later year, etc. Just less ghoulish.

I'm always a bit baffled by episodes that are all set-up; this one was particularly low on action. Bill: gets shot, is taken away, explores a bit, mostly waits Missy: supposed to be tested, is interrupted almost immediately, stays oddly silent at a console. The Doctor: sets up a test, gets interrupted, gives a short expository speech, then takes an elevator. It's an episode where nobody really does anything, but things happen *to* them instead. The classic series could be guilty of this as well, but that is some sloooooow world building.

When they started doing those celebrity Skype cameos, I was really hoping for an appearance by Gabrielle Carteris or Judith Butler.

I remember howling with laughter at the shot of Paris Hilton getting gently pushed into frame on a moped that clearly wasn't running.

Also: the hints about a rough/irregular regeneration are interesting, except 1) I doubt they'll follow through on this and 2) if they actually do some non-traditional casting for the next Doctor, doesn't this kind of troublingly set them up as some kind of defect?

It's really a self-negating twist - especially when you consider that nothing much happens in the episode. There's a lot of walking through corridors, but we only really learn two things: who's in the vault, and some aliens are coming. Everything else vanishes with the simulation. So what was the point? If you're going to do an "alt. world/all a dream reveal" - which, no spoilers, the series has done before - shouldn't the stakes be more extreme? It should be a chance to upend the rules, fake us out, do things that wouldn't quite work in proper continuity - not visit a library. Maybe I'm wrong and more of this will pay off in the next parts, but I doubt it.

I like my hypothetical drag name enough that I can't just put it on the internet for free. Assume I'm brilliant, though.

Did I miss PTV's new show fact sheet for "Dimension 404"? It's... weird. And shockingly low profile, even for a Hulu show.

"13 Reasons Why" is very good - and given the difficulty of the subject matter, it's kind of a tiny miracle they they pulled it off. I can't remember the last time I saw this much thorough and thoughtful character development for such a wide range of characters in such a short run. Detailed and affecting throughout.

That was the weirdest misuse of the B-52s since the time I did "Rock Lobster" karaoke at post-prom. I wonder if the VH1 move means no more 90 minute super-size eps? I don't know that this one had enough drama for another 30, but it might have helped make the challenge process more clear.

This show is so ridiculous. Evil doctor woman's whole trap was "I'm confident that I'm attractive and interesting enough that he won't kill me"? Also, why does *visionary author* HG Wells get all the fish-out-of-water moments while Ripper just intuitively knows how to work a microwave? So much so that he gets a frozen burrito the right temperature on the first try? And how is Ripper so into 2017 fashion already? His tastes should be antiquated but instead he is so clearly feeling himself. Ripper hates undershirts almost as much as he loves stabbing people.

That was a really tough game time, but maybe it just needed a slightly different initial description? Dave emphasized characters but the first example was "MASH vs Evil Dead", and then the answers involved descriptions, occupations, locations, and show titles. It was still fun, just hard to get a handle on the rules. (Sorry to nitpick - I know game design is hard!)

Practically nothing happened in this episode, no new information revealed until the last 7 minutes. (Something "Stranger Things" was also frequently guilty of.) I'm still on board for now, but even as a place-setting, re-pilot ep, this was pretty thin.

I have an Archies album, but somehow I doubt they'll be dusting off "Jingle Jangle" or "Bicycles, rollerskates, and you" anytime soon. Prove me wrong, CW! Prove. Me. Wrong.

Also, how on earth was this not the season finale? Every storyline is basically wrapped up, extraneous characters said goodbye... whatever last minute surprise the show pulls, that's just terrible structure.

I'm here to campaign: vote Clare for MVP of the season! She has a no BS attitude that is also low drama - she knows when to back down and is rarely saying things just to be a shit-stirrer. Yes, her David situation is stupid, but otherwise she's a breath of fresh air.

"Bye bye Greasy" is probably a top 3 "Home Movies" episode for me. I also love the summer camp one, which is another that breaks format in a great way. Great hearing y'all discuss it.

Liz's confusing, public declaration at the museum, in front of the other women, was incredible . She was like Julia Stiles reading her poem at the end of "10 Things I Hate About You", and they were all the other kids in that class with no context for what was going on.

Also - how many tv shows have done fake "Real World" episodes? There's this, "Boy Meets World", "Happy Endings"... and wikipedia just informed me that Shannen Doherty got in on the trend while hosting SNL. No video, but transcript here: http://snltranscripts.jt.org/93/93breal.phtml

I can't believe this is an actual episode of television that happened on this planet.

I for sure thought Steph was trying to make Cthulu Santa, because she's the sci-fi person. Apparently not? Or did ABC edit around that so as not to upset family audiences?

In the revival, didn't it seem like they drank even more liquor than coffee? lots of day drinking, straight liquor, no mixers. "Quirky" seems more and more like a euphemism.

Did Brandon really man-on-mansplain to Dylan that the lesson was to be more trusting? ...which is exactly how he lost all his money to those con artists?

"The Candy Snatchers" is sort of a dark comedy, but emphasis on *dark*. There's just a dash of "Ransom of Red Chief" in there, but their version of "everything goes wrong" is much bleaker.

Best SNL commercial: Stevie Nicks Fajita Roundup. Most baffling in a good way: Maya Rudolph as Time Travelling Scott Joplin. I don't understand it, but I loved it.