ProudMary

Yes, a win for "the crackpots!" Let's all have some cheese in Leo's honor. (And Jackson's, I guess.)

A smile for your Sunday. I watched the full video. The variety of wildlife is quite amazing.

Yes. His ex-wife was the primary leaseholder and she wouldn't speak to him, which is why he went to the school--knowing she'd be there to pick up the kids--so he could talk to her about how he wanted to fix the apartment but was caught up in red tape, and ended up in a fight with her "new man." Whether that's what happened IRL, I don't know but that's what was shown to the audience.

JMO of course, but it'd seem ridiculous if Charles were to use a different regnal name. He's been Charles for 72 years already, and considering that the Queen Mother was close to 102 when she died, Queen Elizabeth may very well still be around when he's 80! I can't imagine that anyone would refer to him as anything but Charles regardless. OTOH, were he to choose Alfred, he'd finally be Fred to Camilla's Gladys IRL. 😅

I'm not sure that Wade had the right to be upset with Shannon for not telling him that her ex lived in the garage. This was only their first date; they're just starting to get to know each other and the night turned out not to be the way either expected. Instead, she's now cooking dinner and running up and down to her son. And, of course, he never mentioned that he was a widower! Also, what is it with exes living in the garage? It's a plot line that's recently been done in a sitcom with Splitting Up Together and it didn't work there. I continue to find Delia supremely annoying. Sending that e-mail was WAY over the line.

I haven't yet read anything about the filming of that scene, so we'll probably find out eventually, but my initial thought was that it was a scene filmed during the first season that was, for some reason, unused. Edited to add: Nope, my assumption was wrong. Claire Foy filmed the scene in November, 2019. Claire Foy Returns as Queen Elizabeth in Season 4 of 'The Crown'

This is certainly not the update that any of us here would have wanted to see. 😔

What a great first episode for Season 4! I'd have to rank this episode higher than any in S3, with the possible exception of "Aberfan." The suspense leading up to the assassination of Lord Mountbatten was very well done. We all may have known exactly what was coming, but the "when" was intense. The scene with Philip and Anne as she readies herself to go on the hunt with "the Boss" had me confused about the time frame, as Philip mentions that he wondered if Anne was thinking of the Olympics. Once it is established that was the day of Mountbatten's death, we know we're in 1979, but from Philip's conversation he made it seem this would be Anne's first chance at Olympic competition, when she had, in fact, competed in the '76 Olympics in Montreal. (I remember that because a big deal was made even here in the US that one of the Royals would be competing.) I guess he was speaking of the potential for 1980, but something could have been mentioned about her being part of the U.K. team in '76. That entire scene was a bit unclear as Anne mentions she had spent much of the past year on her back, which made me wonder if she had sustained a serious injury. The scene with Philip and Charles following Mountbatten's death, was just awful, starting with "Oh, it's you." What an unimaginable amount of jealousy on Philip's part. Would not the instinct have been to pur an arm around your son as you mourn a man you both cared about so deeply? I wasn't expecting any tears but what about some basic human empathy? He was written as something of a psychopath for this scene. A bit too over the top, IMO. Also, just as info, Margaret Thatcher was not the first female head of government for a major nation as has been suggested above. Indira Gandhi was the Prime Minister of India from 1966-77 and again from 1980 until her assassination in 1984. Golda Meir was the Prime Minister of Israel from 1969–74.

That's what I thought too. They should have that area fenced off! Secondly, what kind of dog park has a bar?!?! 😅

Georgie never did answer Mary's question about why he wasn't at work. Makes me wonder if something's up with Dale that we may find out next episode.

Tam was there for Sheldon, which is why I thought it was odd that Missy had none of her friends there.

Definitely NOT on the Battery. Her house isn't even S.O.B. She's closer to the Hospital District.

Let's all send our healthiest vibes to Richard Schiff (and to Sheila Kelley too.)

Why weren't any of Missy's friends at the party?

i want one of Michael's Bourbon Sours. They looked yummy! Shep looks like hell.

For anyone without access to HBO Max at the time it was released, A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote is now available free-to-all until the end of 2020 at this link: https://www.hbomax.com/votebecause

There's a YouTube video up of The West Wing Cast Trivia Event fundraiser for the Biden/Harris campaign from last week. (48:14) Fun!

Official announcement from Bravo about Top Chef: Amateurs. https://www.bravotv.com/the-daily-dish/top-chef-amateurs-greenlit-bravo-cast?cid=soc_fb_Dish

I just finished watching this on its premiere night on HBO. Genius doesn't age; it only ripens. David Byrne + Spike Lee = Genius × 2. This was brilliant. I only wish I'd have gotten to see it live. My favorite music performance documentary has always been Jonathan Demme's "Stop Making Sense", which featured Talking Heads. It has to slide over just a little on that top shelf and allow "American Utopia" to accompany it. David Byrne is just as interesting in the 2020s as he was in 1980s.

I did see Sorkin in one of the B&W behind-the-scenes clips that ran between acts.

I was just coming to post about the film. Big week for Aaron Sorkin! I thought it was excellent. The cast is amazing; they all give great performances. I remember that there's already a dedicated thread in the Movies forum for the film. I'll try to find it and link it here.

I started smiling right off the bat when I saw Emily Procter as the scene setter. Great way to bring her back, even though Ainsley wasn't in this episode. We knew that the actors playing all the major characters would be in the production, excepting John Spencer of course, but it was GREAT to see so many of the supporting players: Carol, members of the WH press corps, the Asst. Secretary of State, Ed and Larry, and the magnificent Anna Deavere Smith as Nancy McNally. 💖 I did miss the great James Hong from his guest role as the Chinese Ambassador. His absence was felt in that scene. I liked the set design, with the offices set apart on stage and the characters walking out the office door and into the "hallway" over to the other office. The hallway was so important to the show. That theater was gorgeous! While I admit that overall I haven't seen him in too many different things since the show ended, I am an avid watcher of Grace and Frankie, and I have to say that I'm rarely impressed with Martin Sheen's performance there, with one notable exception: He shines when he's in scenes with only Lily Tomlin. Those two have a comfort level that's apparent. So, I was a bit concerned going in to this production, if he could still bring it as Jed Bartlet. The answer is a resounding YES. To me, so much so, that I wonder if there's a way Martin Sheen could FINALLY get an Emmy for playing Jed Bartlet? I'm not sure where this production might fit though. It's not a television movie; It's a dramatic special but while there are writing and directing categories for a Limited Series, Movie or Dramatic Special, the acting category only seems to cover the first two of those. 🤔 The breaks between acts were fantastic. First, seeing some of the behind the scenes footage was wonderful. I loved the use of black and white for them. Then we had the guest spots or spots with cast members giving valuable voting information: Bradley Whitford and Marlee Matlin still have great chemistry together! I thought the appeal to young voters with Elizabeth Moss and Dule Hill together was excellent. Samuel L. Jackson! Loved his spot, although I fully expected him to end by saying, "Get out there and vote, mother f***ers!" Hey, it's HBO. 😄 The bit with Lin-Manuel Miranda and Janel Maloney was a bit too cutesy, but I did like that LMM began an anecdote about James Madison, only to be rebuffed by Janel's "No, no." I immediately thought of "You should read the James Madison. It'll help you." I'm assuming that was the intent. And, Michelle Obama. During her speech the DNC in August, I said that I wish she could speak to Americans every night. She was great. That woman can do no wrong in my book. ❤️ I am definitely a fan of Sterling K. Brown having seen and been impressed by him in many different films and shows and although he did a good job, I was taken out of each scene just a bit, each time he made an appearance. What seemed wrong to me was that in light of how much the major characters have aged since the show ended, SKB just seemed too young for the Chief of Staff role in comparison. Hell, even Dule Hill's a bit older than SKB is! He's a great actor at the top of his game and it's not as if I have anyone else in mind. I guess seeing anyone but John Spencer as Leo was going to be tough on all of us who loved him so. 😢 The Avett Brothers! I will most definitely be watching this again. Loved it!

Jed Bartlet didn't tell Leo. Abby told Leo, after Leo realized something was very wrong and pushed her for an answer.

Great find. Glad you shared it!