MsNewsradio

Yeah, I absolutely teared up when he went back and had Peter read the book. Would not have called that Mythic Quest would make me cry, lol. Agree that their casting was fantastic.

I really, really hate that they went there with Gary’s character. I’m not sure how you come back from that. And I loathe the message it sends. It was truly surprising to me how no one among the group thought there was a possibility that Peter would not be arrested. He’d clearly covered his tracks with the text he’d sent Sophie and there was no hard evidence of what he’d done. It’s truly awful, but unfortunately all too common. Maggie at the very least I thought might temper their expectations for any kind of justice.

I get those concerns completely, and agree that's a storyline that is told all too often, but I didn't get any sort of "this is tragic" or "it's a bummer to be disabled" narrative sense from this episode. Nicholas having to pivot from a previous ADHD diagnosis, and what the family knew as autism and autistic trait manifestation (as Genevieve said, she thought she knew everything about autism, but what she really knew everything about was Matilda), doesn't mean he's self-loathing about it. The time lapse in the episode is a little wavy, but he's known he's autistic from a self-diagnosis standpoint for what, a few days? A couple weeks? I don't think there's anything wrong with having him need to take a beat to reassess and come to terms with that. It is a reality that yes, people who don't know Nicholas from any other standpoint may just view him as "Nicholas, the autistic guy" instead of just "Nicholas". Acknowledging that isn't a bad thing. And I do think it serves as a bit of a note for non-autistic viewers that it's something we deal with, even from well meaning people or friends. My friends and I end up joking about it sometimes, because some folks really do trip all over themselves when they "figure out" I'm autistic (e.g. I mention it in passing in conversation, because it isn't a secret, lol) and all of a sudden they seem to think they need to act like different people around me. As SparedTurkey said, as well, it doesn't appear Nicholas was raised in the same sort of supportive environment the girls were. He saw his father on occasion, but was primarily in Australia with his mother, and it's been implied that Nicholas has been treated somewhat as an afterthought by his dad on occasion as well (e.g. leaving nothing to Nicholas while taking time to make sure the girl's had items from their mother or himself), whether by distance or circumstance. So while he was likely raised to be a cheerleader for Matilda, and that there was nothing wrong with being autistic from that standpoint, that's different than when suddenly that spotlight is turned on himself. If there was an episode arc about Nicholas refusing to pursue diagnosis, or going into a depression post-diagnosis, I could see the negative/tragic angle, but the episode did show him eventually coming to terms with it, both in explaining to Matilda why he believed he was, and the end scene where it looked like he was pursuing a formal diagnosis. As the characters said, and have shown, they are very positive in regards to autism and acceptance, and Matilda has also been from a position of being an advocate for herself and very matter of fact/positive regarding her autistic identity, so I don't think it hurt to show some hesitation as the flip side of that.

A lot of people have difficulty accepting diagnosis, even if it's something they've actively gone after for themselves. Especially when diagnosed later in life, while it is on the one hand a massive relief to have everything come into focus, it also means reassessing your entire life through that lens, which can be overwhelming. I sought diagnosis for over a year. I, like your friend, was extremely relieved when I finally got it because it explained SO MUCH, especially things I never would have thought were related (like sensory issues). Would never have connected those dots! At the same time though, there was some sadness...maybe if I had known growing up, I could have had some supports that would have made things less difficult for me socially, or the fact that, yeah, people who didn't know me previously might look at me and think of me first and foremost as my diagnosis and not be able to look past stereotypes and stigma. I didn't read it so much as Nicholas being ambivalent about it, but as part masking, and part almost a sort of avoidance of dwelling on it. Especially after that exchange between him and Genevieve about how it's easier to be "woo, autistic pride" about a third party, instead of yourself. Internalized ableism can be a big hurdle. A lot of Nicholas' reactions to things externally also don't seem to completely match up with the emotions he's internally processing (which goes in line with the conversation he has during the picnic with Matilda about him masking). I'm kind of glad they had Nicholas not rolling initially with the diagnosis and having some resistance, the same way they had Matilda and Genevieve have the knee-jerk reactions of "no way" to the possibility. They really do a lot to avoid cookie cutter "everything tied up neatly" responses to things on this show, which I appreciate. Really love this show...I hope it gets another season.

The Unicorn canceled at CBS

black-ish to End With Season 8 at ABC

Prodigal Son canceled at FOX

I would have loved to have seen Chadwick win - I was rooting for him. However, I will say that as an autistic person, I am happy to see a fellow autistic take the win (Anthony Hopkins was diagnosed in his 70s). Diversity comes in many forms, and the list of disabled Oscar winners is super short. While I doubt the Academy voters were actively paying attention to that when they cast their vote, it does have a ripple effect - I saw many happy posts from folks in the autistic and disability communities the next day. That being said, I can completely understand why some are upset by the result. The producers should never have rearranged the order to bank on Chadwick's win, and it was a cascade of errors there. I do think what they did was manipulative, and it backfired spectacularly. If they had run the show in the typical order, it would have still stung, but it wouldn't have had the same abrupt gut-punch effect it did ending the entire evening.

Agree with the previous comments that the episode was telegraphed from the beginning - at no point did I think the results would be anything other than what they were. Kandy did well and deservedly got praise for her set, but her getting the win over Gottmik or Rose is just...no. Gottmik was basically most improved and took their notes to heart, and Rose killed in the toughest spot of the lineup. Kandy said herself if she were put last she'd struggle because she wouldn't be able to come up with stuff on the fly. I do not understand why Kandy continues to be pushed at the audience. Utica...I don't even know what to say about that. For someone who all season has been so overly concerned about being offensive or appropriative, etc., she sure didn't have an issue with being offensive tonight. I know it's a roast, but there's a difference between a read and a cruel remark. I think I cringed hard enough to get sucked into my couch cushions when she was testing her material with Loni and Michelle.

Two books that left me completely cold but seem inexplicably popular - The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides, and The Guest List by Lucy Foley. The Silent Patient was just so poorly written, and the final act so ridiculously implausible, I almost threw the book across the room multiple times. I only ended up slogging through it because it was for my book club, but my god my eyes almost rolled out of my head. The Guest List was also incredibly disappointing. Every twist was telegraphed almost immediately, which sucked all the air out of whatever narrative tension the author was going for, and the layers of coincidences required to make the plot work were just unbelievable. I just don't understand how either are getting rave reviews. I went into both hoping for a good read, but that...is not what I got.

That kid's segment ending with them all knowing Chadwick Boseman was an emotional sneak attack. Tears from my couch right now.

Could have done without the skit (or really any extraneous material under the circumstances), but Kenan speaking gibberish made me think of when he used to play Pierre Escargot on All That 😄

My friend and I saw him when we dined at Osteria Francescana in December '19. (Took a two week trip to Italy right before COVID started to be a problem over there...this show makes us want to return SO much). He's delightful. Can't wait to see Stanley with him in next week's episode!

I just...why. *sigh*

Well...that was some complete nonsense, and telegraphed right from the jump. Wrong queen went home tonight.

Boston declared a state of emergency on March 10th, had our first major shutdown wave (limitations on gatherings/bars/school closures) starting the weekend of March 15th (basically trying to stem crowds for St. Patrick's Day weekend). By the following week, everything was on lockdown. Haven't set foot in the city since (also been working from home).

It was removed originally because it was believed younger audiences grew too restless during the number. The song was included on VHS and the 20th anniversary DVD edition, but is missing from all others. Disney lost the master and couldn't reintegrate the footage for Blu-ray or digital. There was an extensive hunt for it over the years to no avail, but they FINALLY relocated the master this year and Brian Henson says it will now be included going forward as originally intended. It may not be my favorite song in the film, but it's a definite improvement over the cut theatrical edition, which has Rizzo inexplicably crying and also makes the "The Love We Found" song at the end make no sense.

I adore Rogue One and think it's right up there with the original trilogy.

I just blew through all her books this week...really enjoy her writing style.

I thought the reunion was delightful, and was surprised by how moved I was by it. It was great seeing them all, and I enjoyed the additions.

I unfortunately went from being very excited at the announcement to not looking forward to this at all. Rhianna Pratchett has made it very clear that not only do she doesn't have any creative control, and is not involved with the show at all. She and the rest of those who managed Terry Pratchett's works seem unhappy with the direction BBC has taken - they are basically using the character names and whatever else they feel like and creating their own steampunk/cyberpunk take. Whatever this show ends up being, it has been very clear from the Pratchett estate that it will not be Terry's Discworld. Discworld Monthly has an excellent breakdown of how the project evolved (or devolved, depending on the opinion): https://discworldmonthly.co.uk/terrypratchett_thewatchseries.php . There was also a flare-up on Instagram this week after Simon Allen posted a self-congratulatory post that listed a bunch of people in thanks associated with the show, and neglected to mention Terry Pratchett's name at all. (Between their bio listing them as the creator of The Watch, and a line in the post about how they wrote the first words for The Watch five years ago, some felt it was a deliberate erasure of the fact that they are the creator/writer of an adaptation of Terry Pratchett's work, rather than the creator of it from whole cloth). They ended up shutting off comments to the post after about 200+ negative comments pointing out the error. Rhianna did post that there will be proper adaptations of his work with a different media deal (unfortunately, it seems not involving the Watch characters, apparently, due to this series): https://narrativia.com/ . Hopefully we'll see some decent productions come out of that.

Also watched the reunion, and it was lovely to see so many of the cast reunited. Mandy was an absolute hoot with the dunking scene, and I love that he and Billy Crystal had their film props, lol. Thought Josh Gad did a very nice homage to Andre. This was a regular watch in my house growing up, and my siblings and I could recite the entire movie verbatim. I had the privilege of introducing the next generation to it at our last family reunion (you've never seen five kids settle down so fast)! It was wonderful to see all their reactions, and it really holds up so well, even after all this time. I also second Spartan Girl in that Cary Elwe's book, As You Wish, is a fantastic read.

The Conners promotes Jay R. Ferguson to series regular Glad to see this - love him.

I've been going through boxes at my parents' house, clearing out items. My copies of Marion Zimmer Bradley's books went into the "get rid of" pile. Even though the books are a sunk cost, I can't revisit them without thinking of what she and her husband did, and it has completely soured me to all of her writing.

I really, really wanted to like this, as I love both leads. They deserved a movie worthy of their talents. The film ended up being VERY broad, however, especially with most of the secondary cast, so it ended up with a bit of tonal whiplash for me. Lot of eye rolls from me, especially towards the end.