LydiaMoon1

Yeah, Tariq was really devastated, wasn't he? That guy is about as deep as a thimble. The breakup wont even register with him until it's time for him to pay his rent. Speaking of rent, 80/20, Janine? 80/20??? I am disgusted! Janine/Tariq is a whole cautionary tale about why women should leave unproductive men ALONE! So how much of that game day parking $$ will the school actually get? I'll take the beef tips and some pork though. Because it can't be said enough, Sea Barbara is different from Land Barbara. I guess Ms. Howard be getting buck on the open water. Go ahead, girl. So how was y'all summer? RHETORICAL!! Whoa! They turned on Gregory quick about Gritty. So Melissa now has a combined 2nd/3rd grade class and (at least) 10 more students? I foresee a Schemmenti meltdown in 5,4,3,2,1..... I'm not playing with that boy this year! Janine is in denial. It was funny when Mr. Johnson asked who owns a beat-up sedan and all the teachers raised their hands. At least, until I realized that I also drive a beat-up sedan.......silver. Lordt! Am I poor too?! When Janine said that she used to pay Tariq's parking tickets, look at Gregory's face. That was the exact expression on my face. Two-hour showers!!! Janine.........girl. What were you doing???? Jacob translating for Gritty was priceless. Poor Janine. Gritty was sweet to her. Janine is in the middle of having an emotional breakdown and Ava takes a selfie? She really DGAF. For once, I didn't mind what Janine was wearing. It seemed appropriate for setting up a classroom. LOVED how excited the little boy in the wheelchair was to be at school and Imani's smile was everything. Jacob was very sweet and supportive all episode. I just don't understand his haircut. Gregory's going to be a great principal someday. I still find Gritty a little disturbing....

Same, girl. Same.

After re-watching this episode while waiting for the new season to drop, I'm still so impressed with the writing and by the amount of character development the show manages to effortlessly squeeze into the dialogue. Case in point, while everyone else is commenting on the students desking, Barbara's first concern was that one of the children could get hurt. Really tells you everything you need to know about Barbara's character and her commitment to the children. It just shows one of the many ways the writing on this show is brilliant. Quinta Brunson truly deserved that Emmy.

Can you imagine the wailing and whining and rending of garments that would have resulted if they'd have brought SNW Uhura on and had her be as "confident" as the older, more experienced TOS Uhura? Whew! These same folks would be tossing around "Mary Sue" accusations with every other breath.

OMG. He does remind me of Darrin Stevens (the 2nd one especially).......and that's not good. Upon rewatch, my two favorite scenes from the episode are both obscure, throwaway scenes, but both made me laugh: When Chris first told Spock about the time travel and Spock countered that it was more likely that Chris had simply gone crazy. *chuckles* That was sooooo Spock. When Chris offered peace and friendship to the Romulan Praetor and her response was basically, "IDGAF about no peace! I ain't tryna be your friend!" -------- What can I say? I like her.

I wasn't bowled over by the Kirk casting either, but I didn't flat out hate it. I agree that Paul Wesley lacks a certain screen presence. One thing about Chris Pine's portrayal in the Bad Robots movies, he really nailed Kirk's earnest but unrestrained, frat boy qualities. Wesley needs some swagger lessons (and maybe lift some weights (?)), because I just don't see James Tiberius Kirk yet. Hopefully, we'll see a much improved Kirk next time.

Guilty. I was all prepared to b&m about incompetent writers after watching the previews for this episode. I had already started blasting Bad Robot in my head for their penchant to copy off the pages of better writers and their seeming inability to ever do anything original and different. In the end though, I liked what they did with this episode. It reinforced that you can't change your fate. It reminded us of Kirk's particular gifts as a ship's captain, and it re-emphasized the below: This episode linked TOS with the 2009 movie, the TOS movies, TNG, and Discovery. That's no small feat. Plus, this one really drives home why Spock was willing to risk court-martial to save Captain Pike. He knows that he somehow owes him a debt and he truly cares about him. You know, coming into this show I was skeptical about so many things regarding the future of Trek, but I've gotta say. I have enjoyed season 1 and I'm looking forward to season 2 in a way that I haven't looked forward to a show in a long time. Not to mention it sets up major drama for next season with the cliffhanger regarding Una. Yeah, I've had my nitpicks about the show here and there, but the main thing I'm left with at the end of season1 is that I want more episodes. I mean, TEN episodes? Really? You can't even give me at least twelve???? Looking forward to next season.

The audience has only actually seen the Gorn as hatchlings and as that one adult that fought Captain Kirk. We know nothing about what happens to them in between. I don't assume that any newborn possesses the the same skills and capacity they would have in their adult form. At this point, we really don't have enough information about this entirely new species to make any of the assessments above. Perhaps the Gorn developed in an intensely hostile environment with extremely limited resources. In a setting like that, it may be entirely efficient for each Gorn mating to produce offspring hardwired to assure that only the Alpha of each litter survives . Not only would that naturally control their population, it would assure that only the hatchlings most capable and most likely to survive receive scant resources. Maybe they are taught to channel their fratricidal and internecine aggression to other species in order to become relentless hunters. IDK. I just hope people give the writers the time and the space they need to flesh out the details.

I mean, Uhura did shoot at them, but they mainly chased her for being warm-blooded while standing in the corridor. Quite frankly, both Spock and La'an could have stood there and said nothing and the Gorn would have come after them. It's what they do. I'm glad you enjoyed it, but all those histrionics just get on my nerves. I forgot to say in my original post about how scarily effective and very unnerving the clicking of the baby Gorn was. That was a nice callback to the little girl in Memento Mori.

I refuse to believe that Hemmer's dead, dammit. The Gorn can't take the cold, be he can. He's used to it and loves it, plus he's an engineer. Next season, they will find him snug and comfy in a shelter he made, wondering why it took so long for the crew to come find him. That was a very enjoyable episode, even though they didn't even try to hide the fact that it was a blatant rip-off of Aliens. They even had their own version of Newt, although she wasn't at all needed in this episode other than as a vehicle to further La'an’s recovery from trauma. Considering that La'an was already in therapy, I found faux Newt to be a waste of time. Otherwise, I've loved seeing the progression La'an has made in her trauma recovery. One complaint though. Can we please stop having these stunning and brave heroines show their badassery by roaring their rage into the camera like deranged banshees? It has become cliched to the point that it's becoming a whole trope, not to mention that I find it eyeroll-inducing and effing stupid. Stop it. OTOH, I didn’t mind Spock’s emotional outburst as much because it felt like actual character development to me. He made a conscious decision to tap into his inner rage monkey because it’s what the mission required. La’an’s outburst struck me as just more Captain Marvel-type ‘I am woman, hear me roar’ pandering. Loved the continuation of Hemmer and Uhura’s newfound friendship and Hemmer and Spock’s ongoing friendship. I am amazed at how touched I was by Hemmer’s sacrifice. Tears were running down my face. He hasn’t even been in all of the episodes, but he has made quite an impression. Uhura’s transition from promising, but unsure cadet to confident ensign ready to bond with the crew and boldly go into a Star Fleet career has been pitch perfect. Well done. Anyway, this season has been great so far. I just wonder why this episode wasn’t used as the season finale? Not sure how they’re going to top this next week. My only suggestion for next season would be to use Una more, because I think she’s been criminally underused this season. Frankly, I want more Una and less Nurse Chapel, but that's just me. Still, what can I say? This show has been a highlight for me almost every week.

This episode was better than last week, albeit still lacking in some areas. I saw a critique that suggested that the episode would have benefitted from including a B subplot to break up the fairy tale, rather than spending all of the time on the storybook story alone. I concur. The storybook plot dragged a little at times. Pike was amusing as a simpering coward and tough-as-nails La'an was entertaining as the pampered princess, but I wish the rest of the cast had utilized a bit more camp. Don't get me wrong, the episode was good. It had the potential to be great. Of the characters that didn't change, I enjoyed Hemmer more than I did Dr. M'benga. The Dr.'s performance was just so muted. The actor always seems so low energy. It's fine when he's in the background, but front and center? Nah. His separation from Rekiah could and should have been heartwrenching, but it felt like....IDK...like he was ready to go eat a ham sandwich. There just wasn't much emotional resonance there, at least not to me. Some of the emotion was undercut by the writing and the direction, I admit. Like Rekiah, I wanted to change the ending. It would have been much more of a gut punch if she hadn't returned as an adult after she disappeared, and the scene after she left should have concentrated on M'Benga's reaction. What did losing his daughter in a way that he could have never imagined make him feel; grief (?), loss (?), confusion (?), devastation (?), relief (?)....Whaaat?? I just don't think that was conveyed well at all. Like I said, it should have been devastating and dramatic. Instead, it was more like...Oh, okay. Anyway, the beautiful little girl that plays Rekiah is adorable and sweet and I don't blame Deborah one bit for wanting to whisk her away. I hope she shows up from time to time in future episodes to visit her father and help out when needed, since she's basically a goddess now.

Wow. This show had been 6 out of 6 for me.....then along came episode 7. *sigh* That was trash. Why was the Enterprise so empty? Nobody was in the corridors? Wouldn't the crew work in shifts? Shouldn't it be bustling 24/7? How does a handful of pirates capture an entire starship and all of it's presumably 300-500 people in a few minutes? How did the pirates reach the bridge so quickly? Did no one try to stop them? Where was security? La'an's security protocols are trash. Whose job was it to vet that irritating human walking stick? Again, La'an's security protocols are trash. Why was Una so ineffectual on the bridge? Why was Pike so lackadaisical about the Enterprise being raided and his crew being captured? Why did Pike seem so dumb this whole episode? Sooo, apparently it's incredibly easy to incite a mutiny? Who knew? Do we really need to shoehorn Spock's relationship problems into every situation? Do they really need to shoehorn Nurse Chapel into every situation with Spock and T'Pring? I mean, I realize that they're trying to explain the dynamic felt later on in TOS, but all that felt really forced to me. The human walking stick's ultimatum to T'Pring should have never worked. The logical thing for T'Pring to say was, "Girl, I can always get another Vulcan", but maybe that's just the way I think. I could go on, but I'll stop. Still love this show, just not this episode. The writing, the characterization, the direction, the costuming, the surprise twist at the end...everything fell flat with me. The only thing I liked was when Spock threw that dude halfway across the room. Otherwise? This was all contrivance and convenience. I'm looking forward to better next week.

Wasn't Wesley Crusher a part of the TNG command crew while he was a cadet or am I misremembering? This is a younger version of the TOS character. Do you really not understand the concept of starting a character in a place where they're given room to grow into the character they become...or are you just taking a cheap shot at the actress' looks? I think both Uhuras are gorgeous.

I was glad to see both Mumbray and Holland leave. It was time for both of them to go. Both were way past their expiration dates. I hope she sends Nazaire home next. He gets on my nerves. I thought Mr. Cones would break out of the friend zone at one point, but I was wrong. I think he's there to stay. I think Danny B., Chapman, and Judge are Ms. Remy's top three. I just don't know in what order. Mr. Hunter may still be a dark horse, but IDK. The wonky editing on this show makes it kind of hard to understand the actual dynamics.

Who else would he going to find who was willing to pay for everything? Then again, these types of men always seem able to find a sucker to use up. NVM

That season finale was unexpectedly poignant. Exactly. Those were the rims on the bus that I wanted to see go round and round. Show highlights: Tariq Edition: When I move, you move. JUST LIKE THAT! Tariq, honey. You can't trade lunches with the children. You don't know their food allergies. Tariq starts his day at 11:50 and you're okay with that? Janine, get your man(child) in check. I am impressed with Tariq's ability to track his children based on their voices. He does have musicality! Tariq is very good with the children though. Probably because they're all the same age. So Janine is supposed to drop her whole life and follow him to NYC and live in a roomy closet in Bushwick? No, baby. Not Tariq letting Janine pay for everything because he's a "feminist". Riiight. Girl, if you don't back out of that foolishness! When Janine broke up with Tariq, I felt a little bad for him until he asked if it meant he can smash other people. Bye, Tariq. Show Highlights: Everybody Else. I told y'all that Zach could only talk about sneakers. Ava took the children on an unsanctioned field trip? Of course, she did. Mr. Johnson chillin' in the janitor's closet. Ava wearing an animal print outfit to the zoo with the expectation of macking on single dads at the zoo? Classic. Ava just being Ava. She's an absolute mess Loved the faces Taylor and Gregory were making listening to Tariq talk during the bus trip. Sir, you are bald! Super Barbara mode is awesome. No, Mrs. Howard. No one is going to put you out to pasture. You are essential. The breakup handshake was surprisingly sad. Look at Gregory incorporating Mrs. Howard's and Ms. Schemmenti's teaching tips. That's growth. Speaking of growth, Janine finally found her teacher voice. She even impressed Mrs. Howard. Speaking of growth, I'm amazed at the character growth and development this show has been able to accomplish in only 13 episodes. Every character is fully 3-dimensional. They all seem so real, and the children have been spectacular. This show is special. I'm really going to miss it. This fall seems so far away.

Soooooo, I'm going to quietly move Mr. Cones from the Friend Zone and place him into the category of Top Contender. I genuinely like him, and his interest in Miss Remy seems very sincere. I may not be a gambling woman, but he's starting to look like a pret-ty safe bet.

Great show this week. Ava's still not sure when the students arrive to school? Oh, Ava. Oh, no! Not a rift between Barbara and Melissa! Ava and the PA system? Gold. Ava renaming the WIFI Network Bad Bitches Only and putting rims on the buses? Platinum. So Ava's spent her whole life avoiding data and facts? Sounds like the current state of politics in this country. Poor Gregory. I LOVE that this show has introduced the concept of angry gardening. I gotta say....this show has given me a whole new appreciation of blackmail. The Schemmenti Family is a mess. Apparently Ava goes to the Church of Sodom and Barbara attends the Church of Gomorrah. Congratulations on your new job, Gregory! What's HR? I swear Ava is the product of some Freaky Friday/13 Going on 30-type experiment. Her adult persona must be walking around somewhere trapped in a kid's body. There's no other explanation. Lawd, I love this show.

You know that's a red flag. I don't know his exact age either, but if he's lived long enough to be a Captain in anybody's military, he's old enough to stop whining about a teenage breakup. And I, for one, cannot take that massive pompadour of his. This is great news!

Teenager? I already told y'all that Ava found her peer group with the 6th grade step crew. Developmentally, that is her age. Her distress at not knowing about the latest SM trends was funny though. There is a custodial network? Good to know. We all knew Jacob's boyfriend would be black. Although Jacob's boyfriend's knowledge of sneakers came in handy for the desking mystery, why do I get the feeling that most of his regular conversation is sneaker-related too? Interesting... So the kids went desking with teachers in the room? Who thought it was a good idea to send Janine and Jacob to solve a problem? Sweet, baby Jesus and the grown one too! Barbara to Janine: "What have you done?" --A question that should be asked every episode. That look that Melissa gave the camera regarding Ava? Priceless. Everyday?? Oh, Ava. Janine, baby. Never go desking in an oversized maxi dress. Now you really are lame. Courtney!! Nice bit of continuity there. That custodian, aka Mr. Johnson, stays being the MVP. Agreed.

Still can't believe that Ava played Pony during a elementary school open house. Now, she knows that's inappropriate!

Exactly. While it's unfortunate that Ava took a significant opportunity away from Greg, Greg's time as a sub will ultimately make him a much more effective administrator in the future. THIS^^. Ava is going to pull a rabbit out of her hat....Trust. She's going to find a way to keep that job and keep doing her. Plus, I gotta say. While it would never occur to me to blackmail the Superintendent for a good paying job, I truly enjoyed Ava's audacity towards that dude during the school tour. Isn't it every worker's dream to tell their boss that 'Yes. I'm buying a hot tub on your dime and you're going to let me and like it!'. William! That's right. I kept looking at him trying to place what I knew him from because his voice sounded so familiar. It's William. Damn is right!

Considering that we don't know what's planned for Peggy, maybe we should wait and see where this this storyline is going before we decide to trash it. Besides, her story has already removed her from the Van Rijn household and placed her back with her parents. Hopefully, we'll now get to explore more of the world of wealthy black elites in that time period. I agree that it's a subject that hasn't been explored in mainstream media. Also, since we all know that the wayward husband is going to turn up sooner or later, I hope we will also get to explore class tension in the black community. I'm fully aware that Peggy's storyline could go either way. It may well end up being another lame baby mama story, since the larger society seems to have a hard time believing that black people exist outside of a pathetically small range of preconceived boxes. You never know though. Maybe Fellowes will surprise us. If not, I'll click this shit off so fast you'll see it as a blur.

What you just described is my main criticism of this show. It has a habit of lingering on the dull and uneventful and then rushing past things that could and should be exciting. This is the Miss Turner firing all over again. They set up what should end in an interesting conclusion, only to fumble it by omitting character motivations, critical scenes, and satisfying climaxes to their story arcs. It's a problem.

All true, but, trust me. His accent is just bad.