enchantingmonkey

Great idea, and it serves as more evidence that Gwen-as-a-Villain isn't quite ready to take her training-wheels off. That said, I loved Anna vs. Gwen. Gwen has a way of taking insults from others like a duck letting the water roll off its back, and in some ways, it makes her more frightening than her amateurish scheming. William Utay is such an entertainer that I, too, felt a little disappointed that we didn't get to hear his version. But I was also thinking, are they really going to have Dr Rolf reveal Gwen's motivation and cheat Gwen out her BIG MONOLOGUE??? Nope. Shouldn't Jake's CEO office have more of a skyline view? Is the DiMera Enterprises CEO on the ground floor with the trees? Whatever Cady McClain did with her face and eyes when Gwen opened her hotel room door was some awesome that I watched it 3 more times. Gosh, I've been watching the show off-and-on for 25 years now. I started watching for the Demon Possession but I remember Kate chopping the head off of the fish, probably because I loved Lauren Koslow when she was on Y&R and B&B. Gwen is blind with rage and possibly mentally unstable, so it won't be too difficult to suspend disbelief over how she's primarily targeted Abigail in her plot for revenge. While the overall plot is relatively sloppy, there have been enough entertaining character moments along the way to appease me.

I don't remember those figurines specifically but I think Maggie's fondness for expensive trinkets has been dealt with before. Didn't Claire break one in a fit of rage, and Ciara fixed it for her? Something like that . It's not new but it's been awhile.

Sometimes I think about you when I'm watching JKJ make his bizarro acting choices. At least someone is enjoying him. While Billy Flynn is making me like Chad enough that I kinda hoped Abigail would forgive him, it was smart of her to leave and take a break from him. Well, unless he becomes so broken that his life is falling apart that he does something else stupid. You say Potato, I say Po-tah-to. That fight between Maggie and Bonnie felt out-of-left-field but I liked Justin saying that Bonnie was changing, and Maggie saying that she was becoming a more polished troublemaker. Ask ten people the same question and get ten different answers. She probably hasn't watched enough true crime documentaries to realize that you never talk to the cops without a lawyer present. Plus, her life of privilege. But I appreciated seeing Xander and Sarah have a dispute over philosophical differences. It's one of the few things I find interesting about them as a couple. Probably the only thing. Here's Gabi! I was wondering when she'd be back to chew her way through the scenery.

On BritBox. It was the only place I could find all of Classic Who without paying for individual episodes. I went back and looked, and episode 1 started with the first attack on an oil rig, followed by the trio walking through a field. I appreciate what they did back then in some ways more than what can be done with CGI.. There are times when it's obvious they're using a miniature set, and I'm impressed that someone had to take the time to build that set, rather than manipulating what's seen on screen with a computer. The Zygon's spaceship was cool and the organic-looking interior was fascinating, but the Skarasen monster paled in comparison to some of what they're able to achieve. Glad you mentioned this. Something for me to keep an eye on as I continue on through season 13 to Sarah Jane's last trip in the TARDIS. In defense of modern Who writers, I have a feeling I'd be the companion who throws a good, little tantrum if I thought the Doctor was going to drop me off back on Earth to go back to a normal life. Obviously, though, I'm not the norm.

I wondered if it was a deliberate choice with Allie's face having stripes of dark and light across it, while the lighting in Tripp and Charlie's scenes had Tripp lite up from behind as if he had a kind of angelic glow. I'll give them credit for at least trying to do something visually interesting, which I haven't noticed much previously. My sympathy may go a little farther. I don't think Charlie's childhood is an excuse for raping anyone but him relating it to Tripp was his way of explaining that he wasn't working with positive roles models as a child. But when Tripp explains that he wasn't working with positive role models either, and he didn't become a rapist...well. If you want to consider nature-vs-nuture, then perhaps Charlie really never had a chance. We know that Charlie is the man who raped Allie but could Charlie have grown up to not be capable of such a horrible act? I don't know, but those Charlie/Tripp scenes were thought-provoking. JKJ played Philip as if he was annoyed the barista at the coffee shop got his order wrong more than he seemed terrified that his life was in danger when he hung up the phone with Angelo. I'm convinced this story could be just as interesting as the Charlie/Tripp/Ava mess if JKJ was portraying Philip as an addict who's struggling to hold his messed up life together rather than an audition for the next film about The Joker.

Despite the laughably bad Skarasen monster, Terror of the Zygons was pretty good. I liked how the Zygons were able to take human form, a fun play on how we can see ourselves as alien to each other, but had a disdain for transforming into a human body. I felt bad that the Doctor was able to thwart their effort to take over our planet, as it could have just as easily been us using force to take over another planet after Earth had been destroyed. Tom Baker got to be funny, and Sarah Jane got to find her way into trouble, just as I like it. @Llywela, I was curious about a point I think you had made about the companions from Classic Who departing in less dramatic fashion, and I got a better sense of that with Harry basically simply telling the Doctor he wasn't going to join him in the TARDIS. No tears or big, emotional swells of music. Goodbye, Harry Sullivan.

Sarah Jane is my favorite. I still remember being upset when she left. Leela was a good companion but my young mind couldn't accept that Sarah Jane was gone, and I was probably hoping she'd come back every time the Doctor and Leela moved on to a new place/time. It may have left a lasting impression on my young psyche, lol. I'm curious to see how I'll feel when I watch Sarah Jane and the Doctor part ways as an adult. I like the banter between Sarah Jane and Harry but I didn't form a strong attachment to him. My PBS station only aired seasons 12 through 15, so I didn't get to meet Romana. The Show and I lost contact with each other until I stumbled across an episode in the middle of Matt Smith's first season airing on BBC America.

The degree to which Xander is being so smug about all of this has me rooting for it to blow up in his face in one way or another. I won't even be too upset if Philip does something rotten to Sarah. Isabel Durant's crying voice didn't help me to feel any empathy for Claire's realization at how much life can suck. Wait, did SanctimoniousNicole say a bunch of people want to kill Charlie for what he did to Allie? Is Charlie going to become a Who-Dun-It? I really wish Charlie had enough knowledge about Nicole to tell her to climb down off of her high horse. Sheesh. Loved Charlie stone-faced lying to Rafe. Hated that Rafe was able to outsmart him. I guess the Salem PD has to score a point every now again. Law of Probability, and all. Poor Kayla. This DNA debacle isn't her fault. It's so much easier to blame Plot-Point-Writing. Yes, Tripp and Charlie finally come face to face!

A little round of applause for Marci Miller. This storyline would be so much easier for me to not give a damn about if Kate Mansi were here spitting her lines at everyone. And even if Billy Flynn's tears felt undeserved, I could totally understand why they were there, and why he just wanted Marci Miller's Abigail to hug him and make it all go away. I loved that Chad's lack of trust in Abigail's word was an even deeper issue between them than the cheating. Kate vs Gwen! YAY! Kate didn't even bother standing up for this confrontation. Run with that money, Dr Raynor, run! Do not let your guilty conscience allow the Salem PD to catch up with you! Vivian doesn't have to raise the twins. She'll just make Ivan do it, or hire someone else. I hope we get more of Gwen scheming in an effort to find a place to live. Seemed like she gave up her Golden Ticket telling Abigail about the sexy time with Chad. Maybe Dr Rolf has some connections? The new waitress at the Brady Pub would feel like such a defeat.

My local PBS station played several of Tom Baker's seasons over and over again when I was a kid, so I've always had a strong fondness for him. After being mostly disappointed in the NY's Day episode, Revolution of the Daleks, I sought out Classic Who and have been watching Baker's first season for the past few days. There was some fun stuff with K1 being internally conflicted as to whether he should attack or not but, overall, I found Robot to be mostly clunky. Enjoyed Sarah Jane finding her way into trouble, and the Think Tank Director, Hilda Winters, being the dastardly villain. I was somewhat relieved when this one was over. The Ark in Space was much better. More suspenseful and I found myself more engaged in the action pieces. Enjoyed Vira, and of course, Noah is the captain of the Ark. Noah pulling his green, transforming hand out of his pocket was probably more frightening when I was a kid but it made me smile. Really enjoyed The Sontaran Experiment. Probably because it was a quickie but Styre found a little place in my heart by the end. The Genesis of the Daleks is still one of my favorites. Lots of fun banter about time travel, and the morality of killing something that will become a killing machine without a conscience in the future. Even with the modest nature of the sets, most of the action pieces were still exciting. I liked Sarah Jane being off on her own for most of it. But good grief, I'd forgotten how much Davros screams almost everything he says. I was randomly screaming, "You will obey!", to myself several times the following day. Wait, did Davros die at the end??? And Revenge of the Cybermen to close out Baker's first season. I still love that Cybermat and want one of my own. I was kinda jealous when Sarah Jane got attacked by it. *chuckle* The sound of the Vogan's artillery was so entertaining that it got stuck in my head. The bow of the Cybermen's ship still looks like it's smiling at me. Onto The Terror of the Zygons!

NBC app has them available after 8pm. Could be 7pm but when I checked for the last episode that was preempted, it wasn't on around 6pm but it was there after 8. Loved it when Gwen's eyes teared up after Chad called her disgusting. She's not a total robot bent on destroying Abigail and her family. There is some pain associated with her revenge. Always happy to see another round of Jake vs. Gwen. In Julie's defense, Gabi was the only person I could think of who would hate Eli and Lani enough to kidnap their kids. I'd forgotten about how much Vivian hates Lani. It could be Orpheus if the writers wanted to twist reality in such a manner. Wouldn't be the first time. Wait, what? First Gwen tells Chad he needs to figure out how to convince Abigail to let her stay at the DiMera "Mansion" or she'll tell Abigail about their sexy time, then she tells Abigail about she had sex with Chad?

The human mind is ripe with potential for hypocrisy. You don't have to look that hard to find it. I didn't see it as writing Tripp as dumb but, rather, a flawed human being a hypocrite. It made me chuckle when he said it. Another vote for today being, possibly, the first episode where I appreciated Isabel Durant's performance as Claire, and didn't imagine how every scene would have been played by ORK. It made me wonder if they were setting up possible complications down the road with Ava clearly not being in her right mind as she told Nicole what happened, and Nicole now thinking she has discovered the truth. It felt similar to Nicole deciding that Allie's drunken memories of the night she was raped were the truth. We believe what we want to believe, especially if it's convenient. Perhaps she is behaving more like the old Nicole than I have been giving her credit for.

Salem, USA exists in an objective reality in which there's a doctor who's capable of bringing dead people back to a state of living, which to suggests that it's a different objective reality than ours. If they want to say that DNA testing plays by different rules, too, it's not that difficult for me to accept that. Although, I still haven't figured out how Gabi was able to carry Abigail around without assistance. It was odd to me that John sent Rafe to Charlie's apartment, where he found Ava, but Steve had no idea that Ava had been found there. Why did Rafe, John and Steve all quit communicating with each other? I liked that Charlie was so calm, cool and collected while being questioned be Rafe, and, later, Tripp asked, "What kind of monster would do this?" when Steve was filling him in on the newly discovered details. Also liked the tables-have-turned dynamic of Kayla sedating the restrained Ava. If anyone watches the credits at the end of the show, there was an interesting name credited at the end of today's show. Previously, Anna and Tony were credited a day or two before they were on screen.

Laura and Gwen could have been one of Dr Rolf's earliest experiments. I did think there was an odd note of familiarity when Dr Rolf and Gwen started interacting. It might even work in making Gwen's BIG monologue as to why she hates Abigail feeling totally ridiculous.

Right? I was going to ask if Judi Evans has always played Bonnie with such a caricature-like accent. Nails on a chalkboard! Well, today was a change of pace. It felt like a show that I didn't even know why I'm watching, as opposed to every other day this week. Not a big Chloe fan but I liked that she's actually being a voice of reason, and telling Philip he needs to do something about this mess with the Vitali family. It could be reasoned that Philip is behaving like an addict who continues to be prone to self-destructive behaviors, but the Show isn't making much effort to write it in a thoughtful way. And if Philip really believes Victor will throw him to the wolves, what about his mother? Say what you will about Kate but she's usually a fiercely protective mother. Oh, Dr Raynor! What have you gotten yourself into now? Did her dealings with Xander open the Pandora's Box of her darker side, or has she always been inclined towards questionable behavior? Who am I kidding? She's probably just a plot point. It's always nice to see someone from Springfield, USA, though. I have no idea who would want to steal Eli and Lani's babies, so I guess there was a little bit of mystery to this episode. Gabi is the only person who I can think of who hates them this much but I don't recall how her paths crossed with Dr Raynor's.