Mockingbird

I misread oculist as occultist and was thoroughly alarmed. I unabashedly adore this series, mostly due to how much the Cuthberts clearly love each other, and am fine with the liberties taken with the book, but that would have been too much, even for me. I was so relieved when Marilla started talking about glasses...

My friend’s new to the show and said, amazed, “I can’t believe she’s never had vocal lessons or anything!” And me, a jaded viewer since season two, replied, “I would bet $1000 she’s put out a number of albums.” I wasn’t expecting a Eurovision performance, though.

Iron Chef Izard. Which felt like vindication, since, although I was only sort of paying attention, I thought I heard the challenger claim he had more technical skill than she does.

I don’t know if I’m simply much crabbier or if these episodes were just a lot weaker than the past seasons. Just focusing on the first episode, Kimmy seeing everyone at work as if they were Titus was a terrible solution (even though it was a funny visual.) She’s perfectly capable of learning how all of her coworkers would like to interact with her as individuals. The whole situation felt like a storyline that could have been from the first season; Kimmy should have grown as a character by now. Mikey seemed even dumber/more gullible than before. And it was a bummer to lose Artie because I found Lillian most sympathetic/tolerable when they were together. Maybe I was just bitter the show hadn’t brought Daveed Diggs back this season...

Now I’m wondering what Kristen let slip that had to be redacted from the article...

If Lin can get the US treasury to keep Hamilton on the ten, he can surely get 99 one last season. Come on, Hulu or Netflix. I’m going to embrace the show’s optimism and believe SOME other streaming service will pick it up.

I feel like Alex’s comments reeked of producers feeding her lines. I’m no Iron Chef expert, but she’s seemed a lot more fun and generous in regular battles that I’ve seen. She was probably just better able to scowl convincingly than Steph and Michael were. It was weird and over the top, though. As was throwing Alton in as a judge in the final round. I wasn’t really invested in LeFevre winning until he was standing, waiting to hear the results. He really did have to fight hard to get there. I don’t feel like I’ve wasted my time watching Gauntlet, because I did enjoy it, but it seems like a lot of time and effort to say “SEE! THESE CHEFS REALLY ARE GOOD.”

A very well deserved Peabody Award nomination for The Good Place! http://www.peabodyawards.com/stories/story/highlighting-the-best-storytelling-of-2017 Hot diggity dog!

While everyone’s sharing stellar Gethsemane performances, I’ll humbly submit Drew Sarich, whose Judas was also phenomenal: As for the glitz of Superstar, that’s where last night’s performance most felt like a “live in concert event.” In my favorite productions, rather than just a glitzy number, it’s Judas pissed off at how this has all gone down but really wanting to know why it’s happening and why it had to happen to them. Since all of the Jerome Pradon fans are coming out of the woodwork (hi, fellow fans!), I would point to his Superstar making a lot more sense, even if BVD’s rendition was vocally superior. The 73 movie had Judas looking down and singing to Jesus, too. It makes less sense if Jesus can’t be onstage because he’s being all harnessed up to safely fly offstage (which was an amazing visual.) And here is the super delighted audience member during Herod’s song! It’s just the cutest.

My mom used to play the original recording while we dyed Easter eggs, so I'm awfully partial to this musical. I thought they did well pretty well. (I never thought John Legend would be able to nail Gethsemane, but he probably didn't either. And he seemed to be having such a good time.) The vocals were mostly great. Norm Lewis is a national treasure. Most of the costumes were fabulous, too. What I did miss was a lot of the emotion I've seen in other productions. Other productions have played up the Judas/Jesus relationship, which packs more of a punch later in the play. (The 2000 PBS Great Performance production had plenty of issues, but, oof, you felt Judas' guilt and pain.) And Superstar, in my opinion, works a lot better when Jesus is on stage and Judas can deliver some of those "I only wanna know"s to him and mean it. But Brandon Victor Dixon definitely delivered on the vocals. Knowing a show too well can take out some of the enjoyment in watching a new version of it, but I still REALLY enjoyed this. I'll rewatch it and probably like it even more the second time.

I follow the show on Instagram, and I’m horrified at all of the comments on a clip from “Nothing Is Ever Anyone’s Fault” about how sweet and perfect Rebecca and Nathaniel are together. Oh man.

If all of this “You’re a good person, Rebecca” doesn’t get us a reprise of “I’m a Good Person,” I’ll be very disappointed. I’m annoyed the writers are forcing Nathanial/Rebecca on us because I’m totally with White Josh. I have no idea what he sees in her right now to make him so head over heels. If it’s that she’s passionate and really feels things, unlike his parents, I guess that’s fine. But, regardless of how I felt about them, I understood why both Greg and Josh were into Rebecca in season 1 and 2. Maybe I’m just bitter that Nathaniel’s eclipsing characters I care a whole lot more about. Or that this show appears to be falling into all of the tropes it used to skewer. I hope that I’m wrong and Nathaniel actual ends up happy with Mona. Then I’ll happily apologize to all of the writers. More judgy Dog Josh, please.

Now I’ll always be half expecting Jean-Ralphio to come dancing through every scene set in the Bad Place... I also saw someone request Chidi’s YouTube lecture to actually be shot and uploaded on the show’s Facebook page. I’d watch the fork out of that.

Agreed. It also ties back into Eleanor's comment in the first season that if she had known Chidi, Tahani, and Real Eleanor when she was alive, she might have gotten into the Good Place for real. (Well, not Real Eleanor, but she couldn't have known that then.) And it's not just Eleanor that needs help. They all do. Tahani's counter doesn't seem to be moving at all, which I think is really indicative of the truth in her telling Eleanor that any progress she's made has stemmed from the two of them becoming mates. And almost every instance of Chidi showing any decisiveness has stemmed from his relationship with Eleanor as well. All four members of Team Cockroach needed Eleanor to get that push in Chidi's direction so that they could all begin the process of making each other better people all over again. Eleanor might have been the one to get the push because she's not so secretly Michael's favorite, but it probably had a lot more to do with the fact that Team Cockroach's improvement always starts with Eleanor asking Chidi for help and Chidi always agreeing to help her. Eleanor showing up in Chidi's office was, to me, an incredibly hopeful ending to the season because we, like Michael, know how this scenario has played out 802 times before and how it will play out this time. I forget which article it was that contrasted Michael's diabolical season 1 grin/laugh with his smile that accompanied the final, "Okay. Here we go," but the whole thing was just lovely. That final sequence, the affection this demon now has for these humans, and the affection I have for this demon, this not-really-a-Janet anymore, and these humans just gave me all of the warm, fuzzy feelings.

I have had to break it to three friends that this episode was the season finale. I was met with two “THIS is the bad place!”s and one “Now I know how Jason would have felt watching that Jags game.”

To be fair, that’s probably a very similar thought that people had after everyone was rebooted in last season’s finale. And then the show got even better and more interesting. I feel like the writers have shown they know exactly where they’re going and what they’re doing. And, sadly for the fans, they probably do have a specific number of seasons in mind.

HOT DIGGITY DOG. Did I want them to all come back to life? Not really. Was it great once they got there? Absolutely. Michael going full-on Sam Malone to push his Eleanor in the right direction was fantastic. The whole experiment once again showed his tremendous progress. He was willing to lose his friends--and to allow them to lose all memories of him--if if could save them. After last season's finale, I was so upset that we "lost" Michael. Now here I am, loving him a million times more than I ever did in version 1. And now we know that Michael ships Eleanor/Chidi. Eleanor crossing oceans to find Chidi made my heart swell. And Chidi may have been speaking French in the afterlife, but most academics know at least two languages, and he'd have to know English to teach in Australia. He probably should have had an accent, but that's just nitpicking. Thanks for this absolute gift of a show, Schur and company. I can't wait to see where we go next.

Drunkenly forced friends at my birthday party to watch a few episodes of The Good Place, and I miraculously spoiled nothing. That has to be worth a few points.

“It’s me! Good Janet!” was delivered in the most adorable manner possible. And Eleanor making up the story about pushing an old lady down to get to some shrimp in order to save her friends (well, Chidi, at least) the anguish of knowing she should have been sent to the Good Place might have even been more selfless than Michael’s sacrifice last week. She has to be the fly in the ointment that forks up the whole system; no actual Good Place *should* allow a good person to be tortured for eternity. But, then again, no actual Good Place should agree that indecision—even taken to Chidi’s level—is a mortal sin. This whole season finale next week thing is bullshirt. I so appreciate the show’s quality over quantity approach, which is undoubtably how they’re able to chew through plot points in an episode that other shows would devote an entire season to, but still. It’s like a Medium Place scenario. You’ll get to watch this brilliant show BUT you’ll only get 13 episodes a year. And odds are it’ll end on a torturous cliffhanger.

It’s absolutely been renewed. Which is an enormous relief because there are few things I love as much as I love this show.

I don’t know. I think it would be more of an amazing coincidence if there were the perfect number of badges on the perfect number of coats hanging by the door for Michael to grab as his first plan was shot to hell.

I don't see Michael's sacrifice as predictable or cliche as much as I see it necessary in continuing to parallel his development with Eleanor's. Michael's willingness to risk retirement to save Eleanor mirrors Eleanor's leaving Mindy's in the first season to save her friends from being sent to the Bad Place. (Soulmates--not necessarily romantic soulmates--are absolutely real in this universe as evidenced by Michael and Eleanor.) And who knows how this is all actually going to play out. I'm just excited to watch.

Oof. Still wiping away tears from that last scene between Eleanor and Michael. Perfect episode. Perfect show.

Janet announcing that she wasn’t programmed to give a speech and then just not giving a speech slayed me. And I just need to stop trying to guess where this show’s going next because I certainly wasn’t expecting the actual Bad Place. But it’s going to be a whole lot of fun. Hopefully Trevor pops up.

Does anyone else now just watch all of Rebecca's scenes quietly going "Noooooooooooooooooooo" the entire time? I do appreciate that the show is committed to showing Rebecca's therapy. I don't appreciate Rebecca threatening to commit suicide if George didn't do what she wanted. It's not out of character for her to be absurdly manipulative, but please don't do that again, show. The songs this week were fun, and earnest, motivated Darryl is my favorite Darryl. His face when the egg wasn't fertilized was heartbreaking.