Netfoot
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Posts posted by Netfoot
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This show might benefit from a few incidents that take longer than one episode to resolve. There can be a resolution each episode (happy or sad, success or failure) but it might be a resolution to something that cropped up in the previous episode, or perhaps two, three, or more episodes back.
Every issue is not going to have an immediately implementable, quick-acting solution. Also, it is unreasonable to suggest that problems neatly wait their turn, with no issue surfacing until the previous issue is completely resolved. The office of the Secretary of State surely must frequently have to multi-task between different, unrelated situations.
I like Téa Leoni and I'm enjoying the show as light entertainment, rather than serious drama. But it wouldn't hurt to diverge from the simplistic One Problem/One Solution formula. And I don't think it would be any more difficult to write or shoot. If they've got several scripts waiting, each with it's own crisis to resolve, they'd just have to shoot and edit the scenes together into episodes with different crises running concurrently, and as the resolution to one crisis was achieved, introduce new crises as they go.
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First, just let me say, I love Flo. For all her childish tantrums and selfish behaviour, I love her. Zach has always said that in her own way she helped the team to victory, and that he did not hold any anger towards her. And one thing (which many other teams can not claim), is that she never tried to minimize her faults. She never tried to say it was all in the editing. She admitted after seeing the show, how awful she had been at times.
I think it is true about seasons 1-7 being the prime of TARs existence. Starting with S8 we began to get gimmicks thrown in to presumably improve the show. Ever since then it's been stunt-casting, stupid twists in the game, and for some god forsaken reason, the urge to inject Survivorish tension between racers. Not that there haven't been great teams and great seasons since S7, but that has largely been despite the efforts of TPTB, not, in my opinion, because of these efforts.
The Cowboys and Globetrotters may be memorable (if not personal favourites of mine) but I think it's a sad fact that they've been on the show three times already. I believe that the essence of TAR is that the racers are ordinary people given the chance to compete for the prize, while traveling the world and experiencing it as they otherwise never might. If you've been on the race already, then you are anything but ordinary, in my eyes. The last thing I want to see is famous or self-proclaimed famous people who don't give a shit about any part of the race, and only see it as an opportunity to promote their 'brand'. A founding principle of casting should be that nobody gets on the race that has a publicist!
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There is no chemistry between Matt & Daisy. The least believable fiction in this show, is that they have a thing going on. Whenever there is a scene with them engaging in some slap & tickle, I feel irritated that screen-time that could perhaps further the story-line is being wasted.
So, they find out LGJr is into running drugs/guns, which forces them to come up with a new plan: Pay off the Warlords using money which they will funnel through... the very same gun and drug running LGJr???
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For instance, when seeing children in abject poverty, Luke wept. In comparison, beauty queen made a nasty comment about the stupid parents, and their lack of birth control.
The BQs never raced with Luke.
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So are we suspicious of the locals conveniently there to help Bethany do something outright IMPOSSIBLE with one hand (strap items to a bike), or think it's totally on the level?
First, I doubt it's impossible. Difficult, agreed, but almost certainly doable.
Second, I'm certain to the core of my being, that nobody placed people on the route, incognito, to assist Bethany or anyone else, to strap items to a bike, or do anything else, in this leg, or any other leg of this race, or any other race. It would be impossible to do something like that and keep it secret. And if (when!) it became known to the public, it would destroy the TAR franchise, and very likely result in civil suits galore, and probably criminal prosecution. There's absolutely no reason for them to take such a huge risk to favour one particular contestant over another. There will be a winner no matter what, and they will have it all on tape and will make a season out of it. They may hope Bethany does well, but they've had stunt-cast, pre-ordained favourites go out on leg#1 before. They've had completely colourless teams of hopelessly boring, talentless racers make the F3, and in one unmemorable occasion, actually win. (Yes, I'm looking at your useless asses, Goat Farmers.)
Third, why would the fact that someone assisted Bethany mean that person must have been laid on specifically for that purpose? Under the circumstances, wouldn't it be very likely that any random person in the vicinity would assist her? Not because she's famous, or female, or blonde or has only one arm, but just because she was someone who could use a hand.
ETA: O. M. G! Could use a hand? Did I actually say that?
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I think putting a bandana and some high-octane lip balm with lots of menthal or a similar strong scent in it would probably be a good thing to add to the supply kit--you can rub some of the balm on the bandana and wear it over your lower face.
I went to college in downtown Milwaukee in the 1980s, and when the wind came from the southwest, you had to brace yourself, since that's where the tannery was. Ugh, did it smell, and it was miles from campus!
Tanneries are historically notorious for their foul smell. Anyone who visits one is going to notice the olefactory awfulness, and I doubt anyone working there will disagree or take offense with anyone who mentions it. Of course, the visitor should avoid turning the comment into some sort of commentary on the local society, or otherwise make it into a national insult.
Sharpie66, you want to consider Vicks for your backpack. I understand it is commonly used in the morgue when they are dealing with something particular putrid. Could prove valuable to a racer in a variety of stinky circumstances.
I think this leg revealed that the Save is, in practical terms, a "go direct to the Final Five" ticket, because it would require a strong and confident team to spend their U-Turn in order to put the dentists under pressure, with no guarantee of burning the Save.
Even if it did burn the Save, the Saved team would still be in the race, with as much chance of avoiding both the next U-Turn, and elimination generally as anyone else. And remember, this is supposedly a good team, good enough to win the Save in the first place. If the final leg is leg#12 and they can play the Save up to leg#9, then there are only two legs (#10, #11) which they must run without the safety net of the Save. If they do use the Save at some point, then they will have to complete the race without a safety net, but that's what all the other teams have to do, only the other teams have to run with no safety net from the beginning of the race!
I think that it is highly likely that the team that wins the Save will make the final three, with a very good chance of winning the prize. We'll see.
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I think what they are going for, with this and the teenager a few eps ago, is more of a House "everybody lies" kind of thing?
Maybe, but it seems to be applied to women, particularly.
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So Keith is getting shoved by Mom. He tells her to stop. And SHE is the good one for standing up to him? He is supposed to just stand there and let her shove away because he's the guy and she's the woman? Mom was totalling counting on that attitude and ran into someone who thinks "You shove me, I shove back. Not going to full out hit you, but you will get what are you dishing out." Women don't get a pass in the violence department just for being women.
Amen! Some women generally think they can do exactly as they want, and then they're all "Poor little me!" when they get a dose of their own medicine.
"We're all equal in this bus! Now, stand up so I can take a seat."
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Jim & Misti continue to race well and behave well. I see no reason to suspect Jekyll to Hyde conversion when the cameras are off. He is still a scary enough looking guy that you could use him to scare good behaviour out of little children. I'd have paid to see Shelly pull that "Or what?" shit on old FishEyes! Jim's humility lasted about 9 seconds before they were Team Domination again.
Speaking of Shelly, I replayed the scene in slo-mo and stop-frame. Shelly/Nici are standing and hugging and congratulating themselves six feet in front of Mr. RedCap when Keith runs up, directly to him. Shelly/Nici seeing Keith approaching, turn towards Mr. RedCap and approach from the right as Keith approaches from the left. They arrive side by side at roughly the same time, but Keith's right shoulder and part of his right arm are in front of Shelly's left shoulder and arm. I'd say that in a photo-finish, Keith would have it. However, WhipMe is still a good 10 yards off, so Team Survivor can't collect their clue yet. Shelly seems to think that this is her cue to push Keith away and step to the front, but he will not be moved. Shelly/Nici are then screeching how "We were here first!" and "The team has to be together," while pushing and shoving. Maybe they were there first but they chose not to approach Mr. RedCap and grab their clue, for some reason. As S&N try to shove in front, Keith tells them to stop pushing, to which Shelly is all "Or what?" (Keith should have grabbed his arm, let out a loud shriek of agony, and called Production to protect him from Shelly's violent behaviour.) Amidst all the screeching, WhipMe arrives, completing Team Survivor, and allowing them to get their clue and leave.
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I was disappointed when Carver was more chatty this episode, with the "eager beaver" comments. I liked him better when he was a stonefaced d*ck.
I was a little confused about that incident. Sure, it is just Carver being his natural, warm, fuzzy self. But I don't know how we got from there to "sexual harassment'. Is there some sort of urban dictionary definition I'm unaware of? I'm aware of the slang term "beaver", but does "eager beaver" specifically mean something inappropriate?
I'm confused about how Gracepoint plays out in the long term. Will the murder be solved this season? If so, what happens next season?
Wait, surely there can't be a second season of this? Once they identify/apprehend the killer, what more is there to say?
I thought maybe they're both up to something that possibly involved Danny too. Some sort of side business (no idea what) where they were all making $ which is where Danny got the money he hid and why Tom deleted all the emails, etc.Some sort of skateboard chop-shop? Would there be enough business for such an enterprise, in such a small town? Perhaps some sort of organized, skateboard drug delivery ring? When that shed door closed I definitely got the sense of criminal plotting rather than any sense of a tryst.
ETA: s/bean/mean/;
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Root is the Machine's avatar in the world of meat. Ideally (from the Machine's point of view) her behaviour will be totally in accordance with the needs and wishes of the Machine, with no human feelings or emotions allowed to interfere. Recently, Root has been showing some tendency toward caring about the other players, and about people/humanity in general. We also learned in this episode, that Root has not heard the Machine's voice at all, for some months. Are we to assume that the new caring side of Root has come about as a result of her isolation from the Machine, and the absence of her voice in her ear? That without the Machine's direct verbal influence, her avatar is developing human characteristics independently?
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But how could they be sure that the person they're asking is giving the correct information? They could get someone who'd have a little fun messing with the dumb-ass Americans. ("The capital of Sweden? That's Helsinki. Yeah, that's the ticket.")
You mean Helinski, right? (I loved the BQs!)
No, I'm just saying that the modern TAR racer automatically uses strategies and tactics that have been developed over the years. They rarely ask a Fern to come along and show them they way. Instead, they pay a taxi driver to lead them. And they rarely ask a passer-by for any information they need. Instead, the immediate response is to jump on the net. Either at an internet cafe, or by borrowing a SmartPhone.
I wonder how the race would play out if they were prohibited from using the internet?
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While in theory I can understand Mark's concern that his 15 year old daughter is dating a kid who is almost 18, he really has no leg to stand on since that's what happened with him and Beth fifteen years ago.
He very much does have a leg to stand on. The fact that he and Beth engaged in similar illegal sexual activity and got away with it, does not alter the fact that it is illegal for his 15 y/o daughter to be engaged in sexual activity with her boyfriend. He (Mark) has a legal obligation to prevent his daughter from engaging in such illegal activity, and if he fails to do so could himself be charged with a criminal offense, contributing to the delinquency, etc.
Now, the fact is, he will most likely let his 15 y/o child blackmail him. And given that cocaine possession, and dealing cocaine are offenses considered so minor that nobody is bothering to deal with it, it is unlikely that charges will be brought against the daughter or the boyfriend for engaging in illegal sexual activity. Nor is it likely that Mark will be charged with allowing it to happen. All this a sad reflection on his and Beth's parenting skills, and on the attitude of the police towards trivial offenses such as statutory rape and possession and trafficking of class II drugs.
Edited: Spelling
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I'm sure other parents would be totally outraged.
Some would be outraged if she were vegetarian, gay, or a Muslim. That says more about them than about her. I can understand her keeping her unconventional lifestyle private, but I can't see any reason for her to feel bad about it. Or for the cops to give her a hard time about it, either.
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Why do they ignore the cocaine issue? The daughter, the hotelier, the boyfriend and the dealer in the boatyard. All just allowed to stroll off without charge. I know they are trying to solve a murder, but does all other law-enforcement come to a screeching halt? Call someone in the Drug Squad, and have them drag the miscreants off to the dungeons as soon as they've been questioned!
Boy, destroying the family's image of their lost son/brother sure was the right thing to do! Why, it got them so much further ahead in the case! I guess that's a technique only highly focused, experienced NYC cops know about.
Dad should point out to his daughter that he is legally entitled to bang Gemma Fisher as much as he wants, but that it is a crime for her to be having sex at the age of 15, and that it is his responsibility to protect her by preventing it from happening. And that if she doesn't watch her mouth, she'll get a fat lip!
That's one dinner party I'm glad I don't have to attend. Is there a Richter scale for awkward?
Now it's the homeless, or at least peripatetic, psychochotic Afghan vet who's suspected of murder.
Always an Afghan vet, because nobody wants to raise the spectre of the fiasco that it Eye-rack. Oh, and all Afghan vets are either Delta force or SEALs.
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There was also an eleventh-place elimination -- Amanda & Chris from TAR4, who tied for the win on leg one with Steve & Josh and Millie & Chuck. So knowing that, Steve & Josh are another ninth-place elimination of a first-leg winner.
OK, so technically, there have been 26 leg#1 winners in the previous 24 races, which does skew the math a bit, but...
I was told there would be no math.
OK, I'm done.
And one thing you can say about TAR26 so far is that there's been not a sniff of alliances, which is good.
Thank you, time traveller from the future!
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Observations:
Young, single, female teacher gets a verbal spanking from both detectives. Because apparently role models aren't allowed to have a sex life.
Who knew Donald McDuck was related to Desmond Morris? Or is it Patrick Jane?
Apparently a Stalker-Wall is not something you want your new bit of crumpet to catch a glimpse of. All I've ever had to rush to hide was laundry!
I thought Det. Beth was going to keep an eye on Stalker-boi. Yet he is boning her best bud and she has no idea?
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I'm counting 16 of 24 times the leg#1 winners made it past leg #9. Of these, 13 of 16 (81%) went on to be in the final three, and 6 of these 13 (46%) went on to win. This means that 8 of 24 or 33% were eliminated leg#9 or before. Every single one of these would have been saved by the, uh, Save, were it in effect. So all 24 would have made it past leg #9.
We can only speculate what these 8 Saved teams would have gone on to do. But 81% of of those who made it past went on to the final leg, with 46% actually winning. Applying those numbers to the full set of 24 leg#1 winners, we might have seen 19 out of 24 making it to the final leg and 11 winners.
This implies a greatly increased chance (19 of 24 up from 13) of making the final leg, and increased chance (9 of 24 up from 6) of winning. So sure, there is a 2 to 1 chance the Save won't get played at all, but it's presence in the game goes a long way toward determining the final outcome of the race, as early as the end of leg#1.
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How often is the team that finishes first in the first leg eliminated before the 9th leg? Something I would think the game designers took into account.
Of the leg#1 winners, there has been one 10th place elimination (S5 Alison & Donny) and two 9th place eliminations (S7 Debbie & Bianca, S22 Jessica & John). Note only one of these three occurred in 'modern' TAR, within the last dozen races, and that was Jessica & John, eliminated with an Express Pass in their pocket. If John hadn't been so foolish with the EP, that elimination might have been avoided, and who knows how far they might have gone?
I don't particularly like the save (it's too big of a bonus, IMO) but since it's a factor in this race I think the rules as they seem to exist are about the best they can be. And I am actively rooting against the Dentists.
I agree. I think the Save has the potential to ruin the game by virtually declaring a winner in episode #1. But I don't see how they could practically change the rules regarding how it's played.
They might change the rule about how it's won. Instead of just handing it to the best team so far at the end of leg#1, they could make teams work for it in something like a super hard, competitive FF. Risk losing the race by going for the Save! It isn't first-come, first-served, so you might not be the one to get it! You might get, it but be so late as a result, you've got to use it immediately to Save yourself! Rah, rah, rah! Please let's don't go this route -- just abandon the damned thing ASAP!
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I may be wrong, but it appears that many fans don't like The Save because.....
I don't like it because it is too much like a Go-Straight-To-Final-Three gimmick.
Look, the person who comes first on leg #1 is presumably a good racer. If you look back over the entire 24 race history of TAR, the leg#1 winner has gone on to win the race 6 of 24 times (25%), and made the final three 13 of 24 times (better than 50%). They only fell below 5th place 6 of 24 times. And I'm including classic TAR and Family Edition, so more recently, in the last 12 races, the leg#1 winner went on to win 4 of 12 times (33%). They made it into the final three 8 of 12 times (66%). Only 2 of 12 times did the leg#1 winner place less than 5th.
Of course, leg#1 winners can screw up. But in practice, they do so only infrequently. The real truth is, teams that start winning legs out of the gate, usually continue to win legs.
So, the team that wins the first leg is already likely to do well just on their talents alone. With a Save in their pocket, it is very, very likely they will go on to race to the mat for the $1M! I have no idea why TPTB thought they needed to increase their chances by handing out Express Passes, but at lease an EP can be screwed up (just ask Jessica & John). The Save is bulletproof. You don't have to decide to use it, or risk using it wrong. If you come last, you simply don't get eliminated. Which increases your chance of getting into the final three, to what? A virtual certainty? And of winning to a 2 out of 3 likelihood?
So the reason I don't like the Save is because it screws with the dynamics of the game. Now, I don't much like the Dentists. Not because they are bad racers, or unpleasant people, or disrespectful, or anything like that. I simply don't like them because those teeth and the goldfish eyes and the orange skin look really creepy. But I have accepted that they have already won this race. They won it four episodes ago because of the GDMF Save!
I continue to watch because, well, it's possible the dentists will have another TWO royal screw-ups and end up eliminated. But frankly, I'm not holding out much hope. As far as I'm concerned, this game is over.
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I mean, they actually spend time and effort putting fake pockets on some women's jackets!
Wait, what?
What's the point of using fake pockets when real pockets would be authentic and functional?
Pockets are essential. My tee-shirts have pockets. My pajamas have pockets. My swim trunks have pockets.
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Maybe the explanation is he's just a dick. Hey, look my TV is finally representing how there are plenty of abrasive and assholeish people in real life too and that doesn't mean they are murdering sociopaths either..
I never suggested he was a murdering sociopath, or a bad cop. Just that he's a dick.
While there may be many abrasive and assholeish people in real life, I don't have to like them, or appreciate their attitude or condone their behaviour.
They made a second examination of Danny's clothes and then they finally found something (because they were incompetent enough not to find it the first time). And the lab guy said sorry they were hapless idiots, actually.
Miller being an ass to her boss and refusing to do what he ordered her to do only proves she's out of line and can't do her job. Not that she's a free spirit raging against the machine.
The slip of paper was inside the lining of the jacket, not hanging out the top pocket. I assume it took a while to find it for that reason, not because of incompetence. The lab guy said "Sorry!" after admitting he didn't know whose number it was. The words "hapless idiots" were not uttered.
When I've been working all day and it's now full dark outside, and the boss that's been pissing in my cornflakes all day stops by my desk on his way home to give me more agro, then I'm an ass to my boss and refuse to do as ordered. It's happened before, and I certainly did know how to do my job.
By the way, I believe a parent/guardian must be present while a minor is questioned. Is it OK to call a 15 y/o girl late at night and question her over the phone without parental involvement?
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Thus they had to give it back if it was already a NEL otherwise the NEL that is planned to become a NEL by this trigger device would never happen..
That doesn't add up, because the PearlyWhites may never again check in last, and therefore never use the Save. So, there is no practical difference between i) not giving it back to them, and ii) returning it, but they never need to use it.
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Carver is mostly shown to be not very nice to people show a) bad at their job (like Miller, for example); b) trying to ruin the investigation (like the father, who is a real jerk in the situation). I've no idea how Carver's a total dickhead and should be more nice to people, honestly. He's a police detective, not a couple counselor, it's not his job to please anyone, especially suspects.
The first time we ever see Carver, back in episode one, he is dealing with a member of the public regarding a cut fence (nothing to do with the murder). He is abrupt with the fence-owner, and churlish with the uniformed officer. Sure, it's easy to justify dickishness when dealing with recalcitrant witnesses or incompetent colleagues but it doesn't explain why he is dickish all the time.
End of this episode, the lab guy brings him a scrap of paper with a phone number. Says he rushed over with it the instant it was found. We saw earlier that the lab was working meticulously and arduously on the clothing. Yet Carver still jumped in the guy's ass like he'd taken three days off to go to Burning Man!
Best part of the series so far: "With all due respect Sir, move away from me."
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S25.E05: Morocc' And Roll
in The Amazing Race
The thing is, with the U-Turn so close to the pitstop, it almost certainly means elimination. If the U-Turn comes early in the episode, a team can hope to complete both sides of the Detour but make up for lost time with good navigational skills and/or a rapid execution of the next challenge(s). With the U-Turn right before the roadblock, survival becomes virtually impossible.
The U-Turn is simply a way for one team to "vote another team off the island." And TAR is not Survivor. Thank ghodd...