beadgirl

Notes of Autumn was far better than I expected. I even laughed out loud at a couple of the jokes!

That was gorgeous. And the Belchers were at their best, with Bob and Linda trying to be there for each kid, Gene saving the musical, Louise allowing herself to open up, and Tina going above and beyond to be there for her sister. And then! To add a little levity and sibling teasing: a sing-song "You like your family."

This episode was so heartbreaking and upsetting. I'm part of a special needs moms group, and some of the mothers are dealing with really tough situations; not as bad as this, but close. I kept hoping that there would be some unrealistically happy ending for the family. I did not expect such an awful result, though. Which is why (I know I'm in the minority here) I really like the scenes with the girls. As loud and screechy as they are (almost as loud as my three boys) they bring a bit of joy and life-affirmation into the show that is desperately needed. Aasif's reactions to them (I forget his character's name) was cracking me up. I appreciate, too, how much actual, sincere praying on the part of whatshisname (I really need to learn the names) we're seeing on this show. So rare for a major network show. (As an aside, I don't find the house too unrealistic; I used to live in that area of Queens, and some of those row houses only have two bedrooms; the house I'm in now has three bedrooms, but one is really tiny and barely holds a bed and bureau.)

I really liked this! I'm hopeful it will continue to be good. I kind of like that she has four kids; shows generally only ever show one or two, plus it's a nice bit of life affirmation given the grim nature of the work. I only know Michael Emerson from Person of Interest, so it was fun to see him play someone so obviously evil. In our world, most cases that are thought to be demonic possession are explained by natural phenomena, with a few unexplained cases attributed to actual demons by believers; that's why the Catholic Church rules out any psychiatric or natural explanation before sending in an exorcist. So I don't have a problem with the show's apparent decision to have some things explained by science/human behavior while still suggesting demons might be real.

I've said it before, but: I'm really going to miss this show. This has become my absolute favorite depiction of Sherlock, and unlike others <cough>House<coughCOUGH!>Sherlock<cough> it stayed true to itself throughout. Love that Sherlock was difficult and pickly but not an actual asshole, love the devotion and respect between him and Joan (she was his true equal, not a hanger-on, and he treated her as such), love the way they handled Irene Adler/Moriarty, sigh. The music was good, too! Discovered some great songs and artists through the show.

Good episode. I was sad to see Morland go (and knew he was doomed as soon as he sat down for tea) (I also think he is really most sincerely dead, despite the odd dialogue) (also, the actor looks a lot like my father, who died years ago), but I like that for a resolutely dark grey character, his last act was on the side of angels. Now I really hope Moriarty gets wind of this and joins Sherlock in taking Odin down. It's fascinating comparing and contrasting Odin's goals and methods with those Finch and Reese had in Person of Interest.

It definitely was on Amazon Prime a year or two ago, because I rewatched a bunch of Lewis episodes. Just like Morse used to be available on DVD through Netflix. I'm getting irritated at the way they keep switching around services, especially since I can't afford to sign up for ALL of them. Grumble. I should check out the DVD collection at my library.

I hope it is something more interesting! I'm kind of sick of terrorism stories, especially ones set in NYC. Although either way, it could be a good season-long arc. I was suspicious, too, about how calm and helpful the dude was when admitting to the crime, but I didn't expect it to become an ongoing story -- just that it was an one-off crime and he was covering for someone else. I'm glad Sherlock turned himself in at the end; I did not want lots of episodes about him trying to hide and almost getting caught. I liked him, and briefly wondered if he would become another irregular. I hope we see a few of those this season. Every episode I think about how much I enjoy this show, and how much I'm going to miss it when it's over. This past year was kind of meh in terms of new TV episodes to look forward to, but with Elementary, Endeavour, and Grantchester, the summer is looking good.

I was rooting so hard for Tina to beat Jimmy, Gene to get his ice cream after finishing the mile, and Louise to not drop her ice cream while biking one-handed. Which is a testament to the writers of this episode. I was even happy to see Bob at the theater in the closing credits! I love this show.

I'm two minutes into the crossword mystery movie, and I'm not sure I can go on. After showing actual footage of NYC, they cut to Lacey Chabert's character leaving the "8th Avenue" subway station with the N, R, and Q lines in orange circles. There are so many things wrong with that I don't know where to start. It sounds like I should check out Love to the Rescue, based on all your comments!

This is been one of my complaints for ages about Hallmark, not specifically the anachronisms but the fact that all the damn characters look the same -- long, flowy, wavy-but-not-curly hair, heavy make-up, trendy but safe and generic clothing styles, etc. All the homes are McMansions with tasteful, bland decor, all the Christmas decorating is in red and gold, bows and glassware and greenery, with not a single homemade ornament or non-generically WASPy item in sight. Nothing wrong with any of this, of course, but when it's the only style shown it's so Stepfordy. Anyone remember Cloudy with a Chance of Love (stupid title)? It stood out for me in part because the heroine's style was actually different, and appropriate for a grad student -- pony tail (the non-glamorous kind), nerdy glasses, more realistic clothing. There was the dreaded makeover, but if I recall correctly she didn't maintain that style.

I finally watched the third Chronicles mysteries, and I think this series is the best of the bunch. There was actual investigation and research (rather than just stumbling over clues), multiple people working together, and a sensible reason why they would be looking into unsolved crimes in the first place. Plus, as usual Sweeney is charming. Seeing the uncle, the inevitable love interest, and the goofy dude (sorry, don't remember their names) all in the same shot cracked me up -- small, medium, and large. Yes. Tyler Hynes was in that Christmas movie where he had to learn to bake a cake, right? He really does have a Fillionish charm and dry wit, I'd like to see more of him. I didn't catch Flip that Romance (or whatever) because house-flipping does not interest me at all, but if he's in it ...

I hope so; I found her more interesting than Lori, and she rocked the vintage style they dressed her in.

I’m halfway through the Ruby Herring movie and it is terrible. The dialogue is stilted, the exposition is too heavy, the tertiary characters are silly, and it’s absurd how often the writers have a character praise Ruby to high heaven. Also, is it an original or based on a novel? Having one of the characters named “Bluth” was jarring. Although maybe that’s just me. I’m disappointed; I love mysteries, and cozy, pretty mysteries are great for a weekend. But just because they are light and predictable doesn’t mean they can’t be well-made. Thanks to you all, I’ve set my dvr to record A Winter Love Story (or whatever it’s called; do better with the naming, Hallmark!). I hope I enjoy it as much as you all did!

Wasn't it this time to distract Jimmy and keep him from realizing Tina kissed Zeke? And YAY! They kissed!

Man, I totally identified with Linda -- I suck at knitting, and the scarves I made for two of my kids took forever and are lumpy and uneven. I learned my lesson, and I'm crocheting a scarf for my third (I'm much better and faster at crocheting). I love that Logan (truly a terrible kid) has managed to piss off every girl in the town. And that it was three teams of female athletes who took him out (loved Mandy's grunting).

I'm watching Falling for You now, and I'm surprised at how much I'm enjoying it. The dialogue is a lot sharper than most of Hallmark's movies, and both leads are taking a lower key, not as Hallmarky (overly dramatic, effortfully cutesy) approach to their characters. Yup. Thought he was rather bland at first, but I realized he has a dry delivery that Fillion has too that makes his character more interesting. Ha!

Hahaha, I have to hand it to that website and their commitment to listing absolutely every Christmas-related show.

Like I said, another 20 years. <eyeroll>

Wow. So there were plot issues, but I thought the emotional tone of the show was excellent. Sherlock's comment that only Joan could see he was dying, him not being able to use the word "happy" when he was trying to tell her that he finally was, that ending ... wow. I'm so disappointed in Gregson, even though I understand why he did it. I hope in the next season there is a gradual, difficult reconciliation between him and Sherlock and Joan, but that will require (for me) Hannah doing the right thing. She was terrible -- would she really have let Joan go to prison? Let her father ruin his career? I hope she does the right thing eventually and confesses, and I think she owes it to her father to keep his involvement a secret. Mallick was annoying in her conviction that Joan did it (she had two broken ribs!), but she didn't have the evidence we/Sherlock and co. had, and I'm glad she wasn't the killer or even the one who framed Joan. Speaking of, is there a definitive answer to why Michael said "Joan" in that message? Did he see it was a woman attacking him, and assumed it was she? If they do go back to NYC next season (presumably because Hannah told the truth or something), I hope it's temporary, or they split their time between London and here, because I love the idea of Joan in 221A.

Wow, that's awesome that an afro-Latina and a Black woman will be starring in Christmas movies. Maybe in twenty years we'll see explicitly mixed-race couples! I generally stay away from Hallmark movies where Santa is real, but with this cast I may have to break that rule. Someone upthread mentioned getting sick of Christmas by December 1 because of Hallmark's aggressively early start to the season. Do what I do! I record the movies that I like or sound good (helped by you all), but don't actually watch them until well into December.

The only possible explanation I can give for Joan being a serious suspect, given her injuries and the timeline, is that they think she hired someone to kill Michael. Aside from the likelihood of someone finding Michael so quickly (although I supposed it could be a day or two later, it's not totally clear), that at least is plausible, given Joan and Sherlock's connections to an assortment of criminals, would-be criminals, and other people with unorthodox skills. I wasn't too surprised he was able to disable her so quickly -- he took her by surprise and the first hit was a bad one to the head. But how did he get in so easily? Regardless, I'm relieved that she wasn't actually kidnapped and she did not need to be rescued by someone else. I suspected early on that we would learn Michael killed the guy's husband, and that would be how the team would get him to cooperate, but I thought he'd be killed by Michael before revealing more than an obscure clue or reference for Sherlock to follow; therefore when Joan left him, I (mentally) yelled at her to offer him police protection.

I'm just settling down to watch the Good Witch marathon today. I hesitate to use the word "edgy" because this series is most definitely not that, but the first movie opens with Jake finding a homeless man in an alley and letting him spend the night in jail. Cassie has more of a spark of life, Grey House isn't so McMansiony, and of course there's actual magic. It's kind of impressive, actually, how Hallmark managed to water down what was already a gentle, inoffensive movie series. Of course, some things don't change. #Middletonsowhite

I love Watson and Sherlock's relationship.

It's obvious the writers didn't think they were getting more than half a season, huh? But I'm thrilled for Bell, and I really hope they come up with some sort of delay so that Bell sticks around for season 7, before he goes off to be the amazing marshal we know he will be. And it looks like the next episode will be a bit baby-centric, which leads to my next wish for the finale -- that Watson gets an adorable baby, and Sherlock gives her an entire floor of the brownstone kept safe and baby-proofed for them, and he's the eccentric uncle downstairs/upstairs. I really want Watson to have a life beyond Sherlock. I know babies aren't popular on shows and can be a pain to work with, but I wouldn't need to see it -- just a reference here and there to the nanny watching it, or a developmental milestone, etc. (Although I kind of like the idea of Watson and Sherlock on the street interviewing witnesses, with the baby in a carrier on Joan.) What I suspect they'll do is have the adoption process drag out through season 7, which is certainly realistic -- it can take years, sometimes -- but I hope she gets one in the end. Don't get me wrong -- I'm thrilled that the show is continuing. But the wrapping-up plotlines in the last few episodes have me thinking about the end. Oh, yeah, I liked the mystery, although I was disappointed to have predicted the brother's involvement. The structure of the cases tends to be the same, and I'd like to see that upended every once in a while.