shapeshifter

This show has evolved into a depiction of the ultimate dysfunctional family, including the pets that are just never housebroken. Sort of like Dynasty, with all the backstabbing and front stabbing and neck darting and whatnot.

From a site that seems to get scripts from the audio (there is no information as to who is speaking or when one person's lines end and another's begin):

So much better. I'm not sure what kind of memory my sister has, just that it would be very handy in a pre-microchip world, heh, like maybe the 1960s Star Trek. Whenever there's a new piece of office equipment, she reads the manual once, and thereafter has it in her memory whenever there's a problem or question of maintenance. Anyway, as someone who believes 3 backups is the minimum required, your version makes much more sense to me (1), as well as being more human. I hope this narrative choice doesn't mean Liam and his incredible brain being thrown into the damsel-in-distress role in the story. I hate that plot device, not just for the usual feminist reasons, but because it also often leads to gratuitous scenes of threatened violence, e.g.: Tell us the formula or we will poke out your girlfriend's eye! Ugh. Hopefully they will stay away from that trope. ETA: (1) or what @AnimeMania said

Me too, and yes! But as someone whose doctor never considered cancer when I lost a lot of weight, I was concerned with John Nobel's slight frame. I hope he's okay! @Latverian Diplomat, my sister has an "eidetic memory," so that plot device didn't bother me other than that it was a little too conveniently revealed when it landed on Liam. I was relieved that Jillian was smart enough to not share the bloody hoodie discovery with the entrepid reporter/fake friend, but then I expected the you-have-to-see-this news show to be about the end of the world Jillian had leaked to the media because she self-righteously thought the public had a right to know.

Dr. of Religious Arm Candy to the rescue! Oops. Wrong White House set.

I'm pretty sure that most episodes of Bones opened with a male character finding a disgustingly decomposed body part—often a head—which resulted in the male character screaming. I never thought about it before, but that was probably because the show also stars a strong, intelligent, fearless woman. Currently there are quite a few fearless female superheroes in the media; Wonder Woman and Super Girl come to mind. But even before this current wave, Rizzoli and Isles have had quite a few seasons. The end of The Closer series had Brenda shoot the serial killer without any help from her FBI husband, who always seemed to be little more than arm candy. The spinoff series, Major Crimes, stars Mary McDonnell, aka Madam Airlock from Battlestar Galactica, who, in her role as Captain Raydor in the first season of Major Crimes on The Closer, safely took down a criminal with a beanbag gun before he could flee into a crowd. And none of them scream in terror. So, cheer up, @CoderLady, times are changing in spite of the toads in seats of power. As for me, IRL, I've screamed when attacked in a neighborhood where the attacker would have reason to fear people calling the police, but when attacked in a remote area, I distracted him just enough to get a few seconds to get away and then easily outran him.

Wait. What? I was all bent out of shape from early on when I thought I heard Ian/Fin say back home we're trying to "make America great again," but then I just saw on IMDb: "Tagline: Make America bait again." So is that what he really said? I had to watch with Arabic subtitles (DADT) and all I learned from them was that an exclamation of "No!" Looks like a capital U with trident prong ends on the two top tips of the letter. I did dose off briefly during Brazil, but considering I worked a full day, went for a swim in Lake Michigan, and then took a shower before I got in bed with my iPad Mini to try to watch it, that's not too bad. I did laugh once, but don't recall at what. Anyway, I'm a sucker for time travel—even when it's abused to do a retcon—so I'll be back for more—hopefully with fewer bad face lifts. My favorite thing was the Egyptian hieroglyphics with the shark heads. They looked like they could be real. Combined with the time traveling and the magical artifacts, it felt like a nice homage to the Stargate franchise.

I became addicted to the regular Family Feud last year during 12 rounds of chemotherapy, so I knew most of the answers. I was yelling "Tiger!" for the sexy animal sound. I didn't think of "me" for the sleeping bag question, but it didn't surprise me either. If one of my daughters would marry into a family with a lot of uneducated relatives who would go on the show with me, we'd stand a good chance of winning the money and the car. Or maybe some celebrity who really can't figure out any other way to get $25,000 for charity will adopt me. It just better not be a bachelorette family or a "real housewife." There's a limit to how stupid contestants can be to win on this show.

The Barney Miller episode, "Heat Wave," (S02, E05, first aired Oct. 9, 1975) in which "a wife claims spousal abuse" airs tonight* on Antenna TV. On various boards there has been discussion as to whether the purpose of this story line was to draw attention to the issue of there being no laws at the time that permitted a it there not being support for a woman to file a complaint against an abusive husband or the idea of a woman filing a complaint of abuse against her husband was a joke. I seem to be outnumbered in assuming the 2nd option is correct (based upon the show's writers using plots to draw attention to civil rights of minorities, war objectors, and women's rights). If I can watch it tonight, I'll try to see it both ways. *Whoops. It was 6.6, "Rape," which reflected that in the 70s there were no laws against spousal rape. Tonight's episode has the battered woman ... Same basic issues as to whether the writers were trying to draw attention to the problem or make light of it. ETA Fish (the token "senior citizen" on the show, although Abe Vigoda was only in his early 50s) was the only one who made sarcastic remarks about the abuse, so I conclude that the writers were trying to show that modern thinkers would take it seriously.

I see it as similar to the cutting she was shown to do in season one and then again briefly in this episode. Applying laundry bleach to one's head is not the same as luxuriating at a spa.

I just noticed that Zoo backwards is ooz, which would be "ooze," so I guess maybe that's why the main name in the series is Oz? Great Post @ottoDbusdriver, especially for pointing out: About: --well, to quote the Beatles: "I read the news today, oh boy..." And whether or not they go there, I like your theory that Mitch has an evil twin.

I heard this as a rhyming poem: Death is nothing at all-- I've only slipped into the next room. You can call me by my old familiar name. Put no sorrow in your tone. I promise we will laugh at this difficult parting when we meet again. Both of these last 2 episodes ended with brief, impactful remarks by characters going through liminal experiences (S dying and Helena giving birth/becoming a mother)... ...did the other episodes have similar kinds of last words? I think it was Sarah who said, early in One Fettered Slave, "...alternative facts..." Does anyone have the surrounding context handy?

For me, the best line was the oh so very casually uttered "alternative facts." And I really appreciated the way Art was effected by killing someone as opposed to how casually fictional cops on TV often just shrug it off. I fanwanked that Helena continued to bleach her own hair in that manner as a sort of penance for whenever she murdered someone or stole chocolate or committed some other sin. And it actually could explain the pink skin around her eyes, so maybe this was always in the writers' minds. ETA: What @chocolatine said. (Must be my Russian grandma channeling, heh.) Yes she should and I do not understand the decision not to have the same young actress portray young Helena. And I decided that they had finally found the child actor who had the looks and chops, and they just really wanted to use her. Plus it was easier to shoot the scene that way, and I don't think the clones will ever want the world to know about their existence.

My ex would jump up and down on the bed yelling. Does that count?

Well, provided the freezer doesn't break... ;) True. It might be nice to have a man around the house—especially on a TV house where I don't have to feed him (although IRL my dad did run the kitchen—unlike the ex who never met a dish he needed to wash). So now I'm picturing season two Darius onboard Salvation in an apron. Sorry. Anyway, I have often said that I find it barbaric that we still don't have artifical wombs (survivor of three variously difficult childbirths here—guilty only of giving in to mothering desires--only one replacement child per adult). If this show did get another season, I would love to see artifical wombs used on Salvation to preserve the wellbeing of the mothers. But how big is the ship? I don't recall them scaling it visually with humans next to it. And does it have artifical gravity to prevent bone loss?

I did too, so that probably means it is where the plot is headed. I don't recall: Does Abigail know that Jackson (and their mother) was just their father's Guinea pig?

I'm pretty sure they wrote that into the script so her existence wouldn't be a retcon. Silly Zoo writers, worrying about a little retcon as if that would matter anymore on this show.

I was clapping as if he could hear. But I was also a little conflicted; I mean, it's not nice to make fun of the mentally challenged. Hypothetically speaking (so it's not about a political entity) is it okay to make an aging person's mental lapses the butt of a joke just because that person is a despicable human being in a position of power? FWIW, this could also apply to my landlord, although nothing he says ever makes me laugh. IDK. Maybe if Colbert met my landlord, he could do a bit about him that would make laugh. I guess maybe if there is a hell, I'm going there with my landlord. Or maybe I can be forgiven because I've confessed like SC.

Do y'all think the show runners have noticed that Billy Burke is the lead, not James Wolk? ' Jackson's goodbye to his girlfriend seemed to telegraph that the actors, writers, and directors wanted her out of the picture as much as the viewers. Equally lame was Dariela and Clem's makeup and hug.

But just like war, industrial attrition would not have had the slave owners and their tacit approvers address the social injustice committed by everyone whose color gave them privilege. I wonder if Black America will address reconciliation beyond land or financial restitution. Probably not, just like apocalyptic shows never seem to demonstrate the spirit of generosity that is often observed IRL after tragic events. But, actually, it would probably be more productive if Confederate were to have a counterpoint character who is empathetic towards the enslaved — perhaps a white man who was himself released from wrongful imprisonment — since Confederate, IMO, is likely to attract a greater share of racially unenlightened viewers.

My problem with Liam is that he is no more realistic than those Keystone Cops (great analogy, BTW). I mean he was just kidnapped, discovered his mentor was a psycho willing to sell his soul for fame, shot said psycho mentor in a dual to the death (how did he even know how to shoot a gun?), and just keeps on running and thinking of ways to save the world like a barefoot Energizer Bunny. I'm not sure what it is about the show that makes me want to take it more seriously than Sharknado or Zoo — maybe the background music or the lack of shark attacks — but it's floundering under the weight of its earnestness.

I assume doubling up on episodes means the show is on life support, just waiting for the network execs to pull the plug, but for me, two back-to-back episodes enhanced both. Regarding the preview next week:

If, by "consistent," you mean that I would always type "all the Harrises' possessions" or "the toad species' croak," but I would also always type "Charles Harris's possessions" or "the stock market loss's effect" because they sound right that way, then, yes, be consistent—when it sounds right. ;-)

Thanks for sharing that. I'm glad I was wrong in thinking they were digitally edited photos. I watch on an iPad Mini; maybe it was obvious that they were paintings on larger screens?

For me that was the only bit of interest in that skit. McConaughey and Colbert are both fascinating, talented, intelligent performers, but the skit was meh.