beadgirl

I think some of it has to do with the fact that it's the pilot; I'm hoping she settles into the role and they move away from the broader jokes. I like Katie Mixon and Diedrich Bader quite a bit, and the youngest daughter is delightful. Also, I live in a very wealthy neighborhood and ... there's some truth to the portrayal.

That's my favorite thing about their relationship -- the ability to tease and goof around with each other (even when they were just friends). "I got you motorcycle lessons, I think the first one is how not to fall over." "I got you a kid's science set, 'cause you're so into science." So much better than the old will-they/won't-they nonsense, or Leonard's insecurities, or Penny's dumbness. I also love the very slowly developing relationship between Amy and Sheldon, his even slower growing maturity, and Amy's ability to stand up to Sheldon frequently. I loved her digs about him not knowing confounding variables! Raj's storyline on the other hand -- ugh. Give him a real story, and stop making him so gross. While I'm at it, bring back the not-pathetic Stewart.

My father was a criminal defense attorney, and although he enjoyed watching both Perry Mason and Matlock, he had a lot to say about their realism. I used to be a lawyer, too, so I am used to suspending disbelief (though some shows are much more realistic than others). The problem with Bull is that the writers go over-the-top with all the gadgets, info, insights, etc. they give to Bull, making him practically superhuman. Moreover, they feel the need to hit us over the head with how much better he is than everyone else, especially the attorneys. The dozens of mock/mirror juries, the simulations, the ridiculous amount of info available instantaneously, the enormous offices, it's all too much. Add that Bull is never wrong, the attorneys always suck, his clients are perfect victims (neither guilty nor unlikeable) and the result is a show that makes me mutter angrily the whole time. There is potential here, even if they stick to a case-of-the-week format -- what if Bull makes a mistake? What if he's right, and still loses? What if he's hired by an actually guilty defendant? What if they started addressing class and race issues, and flaws in the legal system? What if he, or another staff member, has a crisis of conscience about how his work apparently only benefits the 1%? What if he offered "modified" packages that are more affordable? What if they addressed the creepy violations of the jurors' privacy? What if he has a case where there is no way to ever really find out what the truth is? What if there is no clear-cut right and wrong? But so far, they are keeping the story and moral calculus of this show simplistic, which makes me not want to watch it.

I don't know if it would happen when the battery dies, but some cars will set off an alarm if you use the key to unlock after having locked with the remote. I found this out the hard way when getting ready to go to work early one morning and unlocking my husband's car to leave something in the console for him. I suspect my neighbors were not pleased. That's not the only issue -- as I understand it (haven't gotten a new car since 2001), some cars don't even have keys or keyholes anymore. Which seems astoundingly stupid to me; I've had the battery on my key fob drain a few times now, and it's not like it gives you a little warning ("5 unlocks left!"). I have to go to the dealer to get them to replace the battery, but how the heck do I get there if I can't unlock my car because the fob is dead? I can tell you from personal experience that the alarm will not go off if the car battery is dead.

It's the little details that make this show so great. "I spoke to Diego today." "Did you have a seance?" Ha! And yet I got so emotionally invested, I was really rooting for Arturo. And what a sweet ending! I had no idea Armisen spoke Spanish so well.

No kidding. Apparently this high-powered attorney with years and years of experience didn't know to clean up his client and put him in a suit. Or how to voir dire. Or realize that how one presents the evidence matters. If this whole series is going to be "Bull always knows better than every trial attorney ever," I'm out. Not to mention that only the wealthiest of the wealthy will be able to afford Bull. You think this show is going to address class and financial inequities in the legal system? Show the very successful hero offering his services pro-bono? Or will it just be a bunch of poor-little-rich-kid stories? Too bad, because Weatherly is an engaging presence (even if I never like his characters).

That commercial actually made me laugh, particularly the bit at the end. But then, I have a kid who tends to phrase well-meaning things awkwardly. (He's taken to prefacing every statement with "No offense ..." meant genuinely, and I don't have the heart to tell him adults find that phrase passive-aggressive.) It's impressive how the Panera narrator can put so much smugness and tweeness into every word.

I had to buy some more spray paint today. During the trip, my nine-year-old and I were singing (not exactly willingly) "Kry-LON -- make it yours!"

I've never liked these sorts of stories, where an obviously guilty person is about to be released because something got bungled and the defense attorney has the temerity to demand due process and now our hero is being accused of malfeasance and blah blah blah. Nor do I like episodes where serial killers drone on and on about how much more clever and powerful they are than the rest of us sheeple. So this was probably my least favorite Lewis episode. And, as Swansong pointed out the first time, it didn't make a lot of sense, particularly with regard to the lost alibi statement and how it was handled. But now, on to new episodes! I'm really going to miss this series.

Not to mention the fact that he's married and she isn't. I'm getting increasingly impatient with the covert misogyny of this show. All of the women except Elise either have no agency or make very poor mistakes (or both). There is an abundance of "alpha" males who treat other people like trash and get away with it. I bet the writers think they are being realistic and highlighting important issues like the trafficking of women, but what's coming across to me is a kind of nihilism and paternalism, and a cynicism towards the idea that any human being could actually be unselfish.

Maddox is great. I got her confused with a couple of characters I didn't like from other shows (like others, I had forgotten most of what happened in these episodes), so it was a pleasant surprise to remember that in fact she was a good addition to the cast.

I thought the three-weeks-to-live bit was a bluff, to make Cole (or Peter?) think Thursday would be willing to break every rule to get him. That was a tense episode for me, especially since I saw from previews the bank robbery would happen, but we had to wait most of the episode for it. I hate hostage situations in fiction, especially since they all have the same elements (the bad guys are vicious bullies, someone panics, a hostage tries something stupid, another hostage is particularly vulnerable, yet another hostage is contrarian and gives the good guy a hard time, etc.) I don't like this new, darker Thursday.

After the tension of that scene, his lament at killing such a magnificent creature, and Friday's reminder of the necessity of saving Endeavour's life, had me laughing out loud. Especially with Endeavour in the background not at all magnificently retching and shaking. Wasn't the other caretaker, the one fired after the attack when the daughter was a girl, keeping the tiger caged and fed? He couldn't bear to kill it when ordered to. I'm sure I saw hunks of meat and whatnot. Though still, once we finally saw the tiger I thought to myself "shouldn't it look much more bedraggled and poorly cared for?" I thought this was a great, albeit unusual, episode.

Jeff is Blackwell, right? I agree that his story was unsatisfying, especially given the flickers of conscience they gave him earlier in the season. I fully expected him to turn on Samaritan and help the good guys, right until he killed Root.

Sniff. Sigh. You know, watching the last 20 minutes I was struck with how very Catholic this show was -- it was all about free will, atonement, redemption, sacrifice, and helping others, and about realizing that there are some lines that shouldn't be crossed. All in all, a very thoughtful series.

All along I thought Reese would die and Finch would live, maybe with the show ending as he makes contact with another troubled but highly skilled soul, but after that promo I don't know anymore. Except I am positive that Fusco will survive. I am both excited and anxious for this episode. Is it 10 pm yet? Too bad Zoe couldn't return for a final appearance.

Yay, it's back! I never thought I'd see a mash-up of The Great Gatsby and The Prestige, though. And as always, Morse and Thursday are wonderful together. The more I see these British shows, the greater my contempt for the idle rich. The wrap-up of the cliffhanger from last season was too abrupt and off-scene, which makes me wonder why they even bothered with the cliffhanger.

I choose to believe the Machine would not have let the little girl die had the guard refused to let Finch go.

Ha, I thought of that, Driad!

She had a pauper's grave, so just a number, I think. (Get it?)

Nice touch having Shaw and Reese salute their number as he was escorted away. Sniff. It's also kind of sweet to see the return of some numbers, and that the Machine has recruited others. Except for fucking Harper. I completely forgot about her, and was happier for it. When Joey said there was someone they needed to talk to, I thought/hoped it was Control. Sigh.

Wow. Root becomes the Machine. That's all she ever wanted. We finally see how dangerous Finch can be. And yet, the effect he has on people -- Root's comment about how he brought her to the light works to a lesser extent for Elias, who started out a dangerous criminal yet died a hero, sacrificing himself for the greater good. And John, too. And Fusco -- from corrupt cop to one of NYC's Finest. I want the next episode now now now.

At least the family came to appreciate his, uh, singing. I normally hate this sort of cringing, second-hand embarrassment on tv (and in real life!), but I liked that the guests were tickled by it. Root saving the day on horseback? Oh show, never change. I kept wanting Shaw to argue with Greer, but she doesn't have the moral/philosophical background to do so effectively. So I'll settle for her kicking everyone's asses when (soon I hope) she escapes.

I swear I submitted the post only once.

Last one?