beadgirl

Me, too. She did absolutely nothing to warrant such action, nor did she even make a "mistake" like hanging out with the wrong crowd. It was wrong and ugly-to-hear that Nikki got beaten, but I'm not hugely upset by it because had she not broken a bunch of laws, ruined a marriage, and killed a guy, it likely would never have happened. Moreover, she unwisely tried to be tough with the guy. Again, she didn't deserve it, but I wasn't horrified. What mystifies me is that Sy thinks this plan will work, that Varga will totally let him and Emmit walk away from this. Especially after the cup incident. (And thank you to those who paid more attention to the scene to determine that it really was tainted water Sy was forced to drink; I was cringing too much to really think about it.) Finally: I was really intrigued by Sy asking/demanding Emmit "remove the handcuffs" (or whatever metaphor he used). The later scene with Nikki's beatdown undercuts this, but I wonder if Sy's incompetence was because of the restrictions Emmit placed on his behavior, and he might turn out to be more of a match for Varga (or at least Ray and Nikki) than we've seen so far. I don't think that's what will happen, but it's interesting to contemplate.

I don't think it's true bulimia, either, or a compulsion on his part, but a symbol of his greed. It reminded me of 1) the Romans who supposedly pigged out, threw up, and pigged out again (I don't think they actually did?), and 2) how the Catholic Church uses something like this as an example of a disordered appetite.* Vargas is evil, and this perversion is another sign of it. I've had trouble, too, with sensors, and my basal body temperature is lower than normal. Hmm ... I like that better than being an alien. Has there been anything yet that connects this iteration with any of the previous Fargo iterations? Like the briefcase between the movie and season 1, and whatshisname (and the henchmen duo) between seasons 1 and 2? *The Church would distinguish this from an actual eating disorder that someone struggles with.

I am absolutely rooting for Zeke and Tina. He has a joie de vivre that makes him delightful. And kudos to the writers for avoiding the standard redneck stereotypes with him.

Louise behaving unethically or brattily for the greater good (or for kid-logic reasons) is much more entertaining than Louise being psychopathic. I'm glad they've moved her in this direction. Poor Mr. Frond's mother. Maybe Louise can start visiting her, and they can plan ways to annoy Mr. Frond.

I assumed it was SDJ, too (although I was also aware of the Commedia dell'arte character). I do wonder why they picked SDJ, it seems so random.

I wonder if that's the bittersweet ending Tartakovsky was talking about. All along he has been trying to go back to the past, but the portal he was supposed to use once he had matured more (from that episode early on) apparently was destroyed. So he won't see his family again, or his homeland, and has to live in an Aku-ravaged world. But he'll have Ashi (he'd better ...) so that will give him something to live for once his quest is done. Didn't the Scotsman die? Am I remembering wrong? Or is it his ghost? One of the nice touches this season is that despite Jack being in such a funk, we see what a difference he's made in the lives of others -- they remember what he did, and they help him. It'd be kind of cool if hordes of all the random creatures and people Jack helped show up to defeat Aku at the end. Especially the Scotsman's daughters.

It is interesting, and while I think Fabian is not a good match for him, I do like that they've fleshed out his character a bit more from "dumb prettyboy." I also really appreciate what they're doing about premarital sex attitudes (intentionally or not). For Alba, despite the ridiculous flower metaphor, the issue isn't virginity, but chastity -- the proper context for sex. Which is why, despite that fact that she is a post-menopausal widow, she still won't have sex before marriage. For Jane on the other hand, as a result of Alba's ridiculous flower metaphor (but also probably a little bit because of Xo's teen pregnancy), it was just about her status as a virgin. Now that that's permanently changed, she no longer sees the point of refraining from sex outside of marriage. For Fabian the issue is the quality of the relationship. Then there's Xo's approach, heh.

That would be why I'm not watching any of the others, as much as I like Colin Ferguson. Biakbiak, I don't have a smart phone so Shazam is not an option. But would it work, if a lyrics Google search doesn't? I wonder if the songs are just too obscure and/or commissioned specifically for the movies.

Ooh, good to know about the engagement! (I haven't seen the most recent one yet.) I was dreading them dragging out the stupid waffling between two guys like in the novels, apparently (doesn't a third suitor show up, too?). Heh, I like it when it happens a little bit in shows; it makes the story seem more natural and realistic, since that's what happens in real life. Frasier excelled at using this effect comically. A more general question: lately in movies I've noticed they've used songs, generally of the folkish, hipstery kind, in different scenes. Yet there is never any information that I can find about the singers or songs -- not in the credits, or on any website. I even tried googling lyrics and got zip. So are these songs they are commissioning for the movies? Local artists who (I hope) get paid but don't get credit? I really want to know! And the funny thing is, it's not like I think the songs are that great, I just got curious about it.

I've boycotted the last season and a half, turned on the last 15 minutes of this episode, and was promptly enraged by the Nick/Adalind pairing. I still can't accept that. Once upon a time, this show had such potential.

Perhaps the bad guy chose investors who were naive about this sort of thing, or wouldn't have the requisite background to be aware of what all the academics thought about the wreck. Some people don't actually do too much homework when they invest. I'm sure others have noticed this, but I think it is interesting they tend to focus on one Irregular per season or so. First Alfredo, then Kitty, now Shinwell (although I guess, strictly speaking, he's not one).

That was Marge and Homer (she's an expert at sweeping!). Lisa was too busy collecting pins.

I don't think she has; maybe she will now! Perhaps Lurleen can come back for that, too. I don't know who Anger Watkins is based on, and I'm pretty sure it was his first appearance. And no, I won't be spending donuts on him. Love "I Wish"; nice callback to my youth to hear that song. Have Lisa and Bart played every major sport at this point? Basketball, baseball, football, hockey, soccer? Plus gymnastics, ballet, tap, boxcar racing ... what am I forgetting?

Maybe it's just me, but whenever I hear someone say "Kia Niro" in those commercials I start singing "Canyonerrooooooo!" Is that the association they want?

I saw that, too. ...I don't know. I think it's supposed to be about a father being a good father to his daughters and teaching them things their mother would have, but if so, the creators of the commercial picked an odd skill to show. Maybe a reference to the time-honored tradition of men teaching their sons to shave? Still a little off.

Ha, yeah. As soon as they sat down with her (I missed her at the funeral) I came up with this whole scenario where she was the one who killed her husband -- the first two murders really were just accidents/suicides, but she leaped at the chance to kill her husband and give herself two ways out -- if the ME ruled the apparent heart attack suspicious, the deaths of the other two would implicate the bond trader rather than her. She made up the bit about seeing the man on the street once Sherlock asked her about seeing anyone suspicious, to lend credence to the assassin theory. She even dyes her hair! (Ok, so it's not likely she was operating the backhoe or whatever, but I was still working out the details.) That theory went out the window in the next scene, however, when Sherlock recognized the man she described as someone he had seen previously at the club -- too big a coincidence. So I look forward to seeing Blair Brown in the next episode. I hope Kitty has a long, lovely life with her adorable son.

I enjoyed this quite a bit more than I expected to. I love the Great Gatsby, The Hamptons stores thing was dead-on (I live in Queens and visit the Hamptons occasionally; it's ... quite a difference), relying on white-nerd Milhouse for hip-hop history was adorable, and I got a kick out of Common and Snoop showing up. But my favorite part was the snippets of Smithers' journey.

Oh my gosh, that was awful. First of all, I am heartily tired of the amazing supervillian who can't be contained or defeated at all, until she can because it's the end of the story. While I can buy her manipulating particularly weak or susceptible people over months of conversations, I can't believe she was able to mind-control everyone she ever spoke with. While I'm at it, I've also had it with the pretentious, juvenile, pseudo-intellectual garbage the writers, excuse me, I mean supervillians, spout about morality. And the idea that the more intelligent a person is the less capable she is of human decency is also overplayed and not factually supportable. And I hate torture -- psychological, emotional, physical, you name it -- I hate it and I find it uninteresting and I don't enjoy watching it at all, certainly not for 90 minutes. Many of you have already addressed the plausibility issues with the explosions and Sherlock's repression not only of the horrible incident (perfectly believable) but of the existence of his sister (couldn't the same effect have been achieved if he only thought, as everyone else did, that she was dead?). Poor Molly, she's treated awfully by both Sherlock and the writers (although Sherlock at least seems to be learning his lesson) and not allowed to have any dignity. A woman's life doesn't have to revolve around a man's, Moffat. The only bit I liked was the ending, even if I'm not happy about Mary's fate (interesting people can be happily married, Moffat). Can't we just have Sherlock and Watson solve intricate crimes? Does every tv show have to be overly-complicated in the interests of being dark and twisty?

Every year I scour the internet for an mp3 of Vanessa Williams singing "Sleigh Ride." Why the heck has no one released that? Now that it's Christmas and not Advent I'm making my way through my DVR'd movies. I enjoyed Married by Christmas much more than I thought I would -- I especially loved how the protagonist and her sister (was she the ditz from 3 1/2 Men? Nice to see her play a normal character) had actual personalities and teased and mocked each other and generally acted like real family members. It made me realize how many of the characters on Hallmark movies are bland. The assistant, too, although relegated to the best friend/underlying role, was more interesting than usual. She reminded me of Paula on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. On the other hand, I was annoyed to see that my DVR recorded a bunch of random preachers preaching rather than my beloved Christmas Angel. I was really looking forward to watching it again!

Until I came to this thread, I had only seen the Kohl's commercial with the baking mom, and I loved it, if only for subverting my expectations. Just as I was muttering about bratty teenage boys who can't be bothered to lift a finger, he asks his mom if he can help. More commercials with people being kind and grateful, please! That Polish commercial! It's so lovely it hurts my heart!

Yeah, I'm getting mighty tired of all the bland white people on Hallmark. Notice, too, how they all have the same style. The women all have the same long, wavy hair, lots of tasteful make-up, mail-order catalog clothing with appropriate layers and the requisite scarf around the neck, and subtle boring jewelry. The men are all in suits or Lands' End-type casual clothing. They all live in enormous McMansions with beige/white everything. Heck, even their Christmas decorations are all of the red/green/gold palette and super traditional. There's nothing wrong with any of this in theory, but sheesh -- show some variety. I watched the Firehouse Christmas movie while I was painting my living room (such a smart project to take on right before the holidays!), and it was a mess. The ex-wife is an evil bitch! No wait, she just had a crappy childhood, her father is an evil bastard! But no, he just didn't realize how he was affecting his family! This is a romance! A farce! A touching family drama! Meanwhile, the ex-husband was a little pathetic; surely his divorce attorney helped him with custody and explained what could and could not be done? I liked how the girlfriend, as meddling as she was, was all-around super competent. I kinda wanted her to ditch the whole family and go off on her own.

I think you are right about all of this. I think he would have been disappointed in Rory, as much as he loved her. And while he wanted Luke to be more successful, I think he would have been proud of Lorelai's success. I adored his comment in the finale about how the party was a testament to Lorelai and all she had accomplished.

Actually, settlements cost quite a bit less than going to trial; that's the point, and why so many corporations settle, even frivolous, baseless lawsuits. Reputation is rarely an issue, and companies just see it as a cost of doing business.

Speaking of all the sameness, I'd love to see some holiday movies that go beyond love and family and decorations. Don't get me wrong, I like a good romance, I value spending time with my family, and I do a lot of seasonal crafting and baking, but there is more to Christmas than that. The original Christmas Carol wasn't just about celebrating Christmas but about agape and how one treats one's fellow man; a horrible modern version I saw a couple of years ago reduced it to "if you don't stop saying mean things, you won't get a man." That's why I love 2009's Christmas Angel -- the heroine found her purpose not in a man, or country life, or material traditions, but in devoting her life to anonymously helping total strangers throughout the year. I know the religious aspects of Christmas can be a touchy subject both for non-believers and believers who have particular ideas of what should be shown, but surely the movies can sometimes go beyond the superficial and solipsistic aspects of the holidays.

I'm finally ready to start watching some Christmas movies, and I started with A Wish for Christmas. It was ... not great, but I'll give the writers credit for understanding that standing up for oneself is not the same thing as being bitchy or rude.