tennisgurl

That really is great casting on young William and Eliza, I thought that it was just Kate Phillips wearing makeup for a minute. if I looked away it sounded just like adult Eliza and William, the resemblance was uncanny. This was a really cute episode, I liked seeing how Eliza and William first became friends, how William met Eliza's dad, and I really liked getting to know Eliza's dad more. I also always thought that Eliza and William were a bit older than 28 and 30, but people did come off a lot older at that time so it makes sense. I just cannot believe that I am actually a little bit older than William! Will this near death experience move their relationship along? Will William be taking a break from the force that will allow them to spend more time together? Will Fitzroy finish his long depressing Russian novel?!

I am really going to need to make some kind of murder board to keep up with all of the characters, their relationships, and all the pieces of this puzzle. My guess is that Jake was Liz's husband and Leah is his daughter and a lot of their awkwardness is her having to be the main parent after he died suddenly, and its also possible that they had another child who died. Pete is her mentee who's father is the asshole cop, his mom left awhile ago and his father is casually abusive and presumably has been (given how Leah knew right away that his bruise came from his dad and called him an animal) while Navarro is her former mentee who fell out with her pretty brutally. Still putting the rest of the pieces together. I know that this is a pretty isolated area, but you really would think that "scientists from around the world who were trying to cure cancer via ancient frozen cells were found dead in a lump in the ice in mysterious horror movie circumstances" would be a huge deal, with national and international news outlets everywhere and the FBI and probably international investigators coming to take over this batshit insane case. What the hell was going on in that trailer? This shit is getting even more creepy! I think Liz freaked out about Leah getting those markings on her face because it made her look like Annie, the girl who was murdered.

I have...really mixed feelings about this movie. I admit that I am terribly biased as Mean Girls is not only one of my favorite movies ever but it also came out at just the right time for me to really see myself in the themes and characters, so of course I went into this with a lot of trepidation. I think it had a lot of good aspects to it, especially its cast, but it was just missing that spark that the original had. Some of that might have been my nostalgia talking but it just did not have the same punch that the last one had. I think a big issue for me was that this movie had no real edge. There was still quite a bit of mean-ness going on and some darker comedy bits here and there, but to me this reeked of another remake that is trying desperately not to upset or offend anyone ever, trying to "fix" things that commentators have complained about in the years that followed its release. Mean Girls is certainly a mostly lighthearted wacky comedy, but it also showed how messed up and awful high school can be and how girls can be horrible to their own best friends, but this feels almost like the Disney Channel Original Movie version of the story where the movie is afraid to make anyone come off as too mean. When you take out the characters engaging in all that much of the slut shaming, homophobia, and the casual shittiness towards their friends, like the "three way call attack" and how they casually call each other slutty and annoying behind their backs, everything that made the movie feel so real, you miss out on the whole lesson about how wrong and hallow that is. I haven't been a teenager in awhile, but I cant imagine that teenage girls are still not calling each other bitches and sluts and other awful things that adults don't like admitting kids say, and without all that, its like there is no reason to learn a lesson. If no one is really that bad, than no one really has an arc and the movie doesn't really have a point. In the original, pretty much every girl has some mean moments, even generally nice characters like Karen and Janis even admits that she is also pretty mean just in a punk goth girl way, which is why the end is so important when everyone realizes how awful they've all been. This movie cuts out all the sex, all of the edgier jokes (even ones that aren't particularly offensive by modern standards) and takes a lot of the mean away so that no one can be too unlikable. I liked most of the songs alright, some were boring, some were really fun, some were those sort of "radio play" musical songs where the song has basically nothing to do with the actual story and exists to just be a song to be played as a single on the radio. I was watching a lot of those songs thinking "what all was cut from this story to make room for this? Cady and Regina's dads? Most of Miss Norbury's subplot about her life taking a downward spiral? The feeling that a whole year had passed?" This just felt so rushed, in the first movie Cady's turn from innocent to queen bee is pretty gradual but here it all seems to happen at once. Regina is embarrassed at Christmas and then Cady went from nice girl to mean girl like a switch was flipped. The cast was at least really good, you can see why Renee Rapp is becoming such a IT Girl, she has ridiculous amounts of charisma, and I did like some of the changes. I like that Miss Norbury and Principle Duvall are a couple, I thought there were a lot of good lines (especially from Damien) I like that Janis is a lesbian now and that it gives new context for why she hates Regina so much, I loved the Lindsay Lohan cameo, there really is a lot to like here, but it was hard to watch this and not think about how this makes me want to watch the original.

I knew something would happen to that poor horse, but I didn't think that he would end up being impaled! So glad they managed to save him, for the horse's sake as well as his owners mom and Siegfried, who are clearly projecting a lot of their own fears about their families serving onto the horse. This was the first episode that I thought really started getting into how the war is affecting people, which I thought was well done, and we know its just going to get worse. Of course Siegfried is worried about Tristan but is trying to keep a stiff upper lip, its hard for him to talk about his feels on a good day, let alone with all of this. Also glad that Mrs. Hall and Gerald cleared things up quickly, I like them a lot but I'm worried that Mrs. Hall doesn't quite feel the way about him that he does about her, I hope this doesn't end in a lot of sadness. Siegfried meets a mini Siegfried! I thought at first the new guy would be gone by the end of the episode like the secretary last week, but it seems like he's going to stay around. With Tristan gone and James probably getting called up soon, he's really going to need the help and the new guy seems competent, if inexperienced. It was hilarious watching Siegfried take to him so quickly, it took him forever to get used to James. James and Helen are having a baby, just like everyone here predicted! They were so cute being all excited, I swear for a second there would be a knock on the door at the end of the episode with a letter saying James was being called up. Its certainly going to happen soon I would guess.

They really got me there, thinking we were going to get an exciting "rescue a missing child" story to kick the season off instead of yet another dull he said/she said story, when really it was a stupid cliffhanger and an excuse to worship Saint Olivia. Why should this be an overarching story? How is this interesting enough to be a multi-episode story? I know that this exists to show how Olivia Cares So Much about victims, but come on. Someone needs to acknowledge that Benson taking every single case so personally is unprofessional and unhealthy. Its great when cops care about victims and solving cases, but Olivia takes it way too far, in a selfish way where it feels like she sees everything as revolving around her and not anyone actually involved in the case. Everything awful that happens to everyone just exists to be a part of her struggle and her victory. The show made such a big damn deal about Rollins leaving, why do we keep having to see her? Especially as some sort of sage brilliant veteran detective, which she was certainly never treated as when she worked at SVU about a month ago. It also continues the trend of poor Carisi being demoted to just being Rollins love interest who's job is to be concerned about her. Who was giving direction to the lady playing the mom? She was so over the top, straight out of some terrible lifetime movie, and the detectives all just starring was ridiculous. They've never had a freaked out relative yell at them to get working? I can think of plenty of times that has happened on this very show! Calm down lady, your daughter is a pretty young women, of course Olivia cares very deeply and is on it. There was at least some decent police work in there and I liked the guest detective. It really wasn't an awful episode, it was just boring, especially for a season opener.

Of all the ways I expected this season to end, an immortal soul eater crying over a biscuit is not what I would have guessed. I was surprised that the big shootout ended so quickly without a ton of bloodshed, but I think its because that's not what this season was about. Everything coming back to a tasty biscuit made with love and learning to love yourself is a perfect way to end the season, it feels very Fargo. One of the biggest themes of the whole franchise is finding joy in the little things and those simple joys being the best weapons against life's darkness, it felt like a perfect ending. Dot and her family showed him so much kindness, so much empathy, no wonder Munch burst into tears, probably for the first time in hundreds of years, finally able to put down those sins and just drink some pop. What do you bet that Munch is in next years Christmas picture? Not at all surprised that Roy always had an escape hatch and was going to leave the rest of his guys and his own family behind if things didn't go his way during the standoff. This is exactly the kind of ending I wanted for him, no more kingdom, no grand destiny, not even going out like a martyr for the "cause", he's going to spend his life as just another nameless prisoner who's going to be picked on by the rest of the inmates. Getting the eye for an eye treatment after all of his yammering on about the bible is delicious karma. I'm glad that Gator and Dot had a nice moment, I have no idea what happens next for him, going to jail recently blinded with his whole life gone doesn't sound like a great prospect, but at least he has some homemade cookies to look forward to. Maybe he wont get as harsh of a sentence since he's testifying against his dad and Dot might put in a good word, he has done a lot of awful things and deserves to face the consequences, but there is something so sad about him, someone who was once a sweet little kid who was corrupted by his abusive father, it still makes me feel for him and that little kid he was. He strikes me as more pathetic and broken than actually evil. Overall I really liked this season, I would probably mark it as my second favorite season after season two. The acting, the directing, the characters, the themes, we had so much to chew on here. It had some flaws, the biggest one being how underused Indira and Witt were. At least Indira got a decent ending, poor Witt dying just seemed so random and mean. Everything else this season has felt so smooth and natural except for Witt randomly being killed by Roy after he went off to find him on his own. I mean, it doesn't really look great to put your only two major actors of color on the backburner for the whole season and kill one of them off in what seems like an afterthought in the finale. I also found a lot of the gender and sexism stuff to be way too heavy handed for my liking. Overall I thought that focusing this season so much on domestic abuse was a good idea and basically handled well, but there were so many scenes with Roy where I was like "oh my God, we get it! Sexism is super bad!" when we could have been doing more with characters like Witt and Indira. But in general this was a really great season, a real return to form after the disappointment of last season.

I'm sure that Miss Harbottle would be a great help at a more traditional office, but she was an awful fit for this particular practice. Even beyond not understanding how their business works or attempting to understand, she was rude and snooty to their clients, doesn't even seem to like animals, and always looks like she's smelling something nasty. I knew she was gone as soon as she hid Siegfried's little rat buddy, now she's gone too far! Siegfried: "How do I deal with someone who's utterly stubborn, thinks that they're always right, and will never admit any fault." Mrs. Hall: "...its a struggle." Glad they managed to save cute Blossom the cow, her farmer looked like he was about to cry when it was time to take her away.

I knew that there would be trouble as soon as William said that they were going into the robbery even though they were understaffed, plus with the rather ominous name of the episode. I was relived when we saw Fitzroy, I knew that William would be fine but Fitzroy is the sort of likable supporting character that shows love to kill off. I hope that this leads to William and Eliza finally realizing what they mean to each other and move forward, nothing like a near death experience to make what's important obvious. The case of the week was pretty fun, I was hoping for a bit more about Victorian funerary practices (some of which were wild) but I overall thought it was a solid case. I do wish that Eliza would build up more contacts among people she has helped and worked with, getting information from people like the prostitutes from the last episode and other people often ignored by society could give her an edge. The talk between Eliza and the undertakers sister was really nice, and could be a nice way to head into next weeks flashback episode. It looks like its going to be a really fun one. I didn't expect a flashback episode, I am really excited!

It feels like a combination of The Terror S1 and The Thing mixed with an edgy Scandinavian detective story! Some of the music I really enjoyed and some felt rather intrusive, I hope that they find a balance, season 1 had amazing music. I like the song they play over the credits a lot. My only concern about this season so far is that I worry that it just has so many characters and so much going on, its giving me bad flashbacks of season two with its thousands of characters and Vince Vaughn talking like his jaw is broken while he tries to sound scary. Seasons 1 and 2 also had quite a few characters and plots but what I think made them work was a sense of focus, I hope that this season hasn't bitten off more than it can chew.

I really like this so far, it gives me some real season 1 vibes, especially with the talk about spirituality and the more obvious supernatural elements. I feel like some people will be put off by the seeming focus on the supernatural, but I am totally here for it. Seasons one and three (the good seasons) also had supernatural elements, but they were pretty vague about whether anything magical was happening or if everything had a mundane explanation, while this seems like its going hard on the magic. We are introduced to a whole of characters and a whole lot of plot right away, I enjoy how mundane all of these small town problems are, just everything has this ominous cloud over it as its freezing cold and dark all of the time. So is Jodi Fosters daughter actually her step daughter and her husband/her dad died in some kind of drunk driving incident? That would I think explain a lot about their awkward dynamic. This was so creepy and dark, plus all of the actors are great, I am so in for this season. My only real critique right now is that goofy cgi when all of those elk went over he edge of the cliff. Come on guys, with all that budget you had to have been able to do better.

You have to love a man who spends days running around town in a fury because a dog is in distress, what a guy. Helen is a very lucky woman. Its really nice having the show back, I liked this episode a lot although I was expecting there to be more dealing with the war really starting to ramp up. It probably helps that I have never read the books or seen the previous show so I have nothing to compare this to. I do certainly love episodes that focus on actual veterinary cases, but I also enjoy episodes that more focus on the human antics. Awww I hope that Wes and the lonely sheep farmer have a lot of lovely pastoral adventures with Duke, grandma, and those cute sheep and that Wes ends up succeeding in farming which is clearly where he shines. I miss Tristan, I am very curious what will happen when James does get called up, it will be a very different show without two of the main characters.

Coming into this season, I am really hoping that this is the season that Eliza and William finally get together. It seems like last season we played with the idea of Eliza and William finding love interests that fit into their ideas of the sort of person they "should" be with, Arabella and Nash, but it didn't work for either of them, so maybe this season they can finally admit their clearly mutual feelings now that they've admitted that they do work together, even if they aren't the people they expected to fall for. Plus, its season four and I feel like we are getting to the point where a main couple will they/wont they starts to feel less exciting and more tedious, they probably have just this season left before it gets old and starts to feel contrived. I know that the show is basically built on that sort of romance and writers and show runners are obsessed with that dynamic, but I think the show could use a change and having Eliza and William navigate their lives as an actual couple would give it a lot of new story opportunities. Not a perfect first episode, I missed a lot of the supporting cast (come back soon Moses!) but its nice to see the show back. This is one of those episodes where the case of the week was very much on the backburner compared to the character stuff, so the brothel robbery was just sort of "meh" although it did lead to Fitzroy being ridiculously adorable, geeking out over Greek mythology and being all affronted at very idea of a man cheating on his wife, what a cinnamon roll. I am sure that a big part of the reason that most of Nash's staff quit was because Eliza is a women, but her bull in a china shop approach managerial approach probably didn't help. Its true that they probably wouldn't have quit if she was a man doing the same thing, which is how a lot of her interactions go whenever she comes in hot on a case, but she just isn't and that's how things are. Its unfair and it sucks but I wish Eliza would realize that she could use a bit of honey to catch some flies and use the fact that she's a women to her advantage instead of doing things exactly like a man would and being pissed that it doesn't work out for her. I also have to agree with the accountant, paying actors to pretend to be her staff cant be the best way to spend their money. Eliza and William have such married couple energy already, they just need to make it official! No matter what other issues I may have with the show, they still have amazing chemistry.

Maya must be running mostly on revenge at this point or else I am not sure what her end game is besides wanting to bust up the Kingpins operation out of revenge. I guess this is inevitable when the only help you can find is a guy called biscuit. The train heist was cool but of course Maya's cover is already blown and not only does everyone know that she is up to something, but now her family knows she's sneaking around not calling her cousin. We don't really have the whole story yet and I know that Maya has chosen a life of crime and all that, but her aunt (grandma?) can take a few seats on being so upset at Maya for coming to town and hoping she just takes off. She was the one who apparently had zero sympathy for little Maya, who lost her leg and her mom (who she watched die) in one day and then insisted that her dad leave town, splitting Maya from her home and family, including her cousin who she was really close with. She was all worried about her families safety except for Maya's apparently. I am still really liking the show, I am still wondering how we are going to mix Maya's possible past lives with what's happening in present times.

This show has always had great music, but playing YMCA as Roy's militia buddies all drove in was a stroke of genius. Its basically the musical equivalent of hiring the three guys to act like Roy and watch him throw a fit, the thing guys like that hate the most is not being taken seriously. That's why I think Roy's ultimate fate will not be going down in a blaze of glory like he imagines, it will be going to jail where he's just another antonymous inmate. Gator has clearly done a lot of horrible things and the sweet kid he was is clearly gone, but with a father like Roy to raise him, he never really had a chance. He's just so pathetic and stupid I find myself feeling some pity for him, especially as he was crying for his father and Roy just coldly left him. Not that Roy is anywhere near as smart as he thinks he is, it looks like his father in law is the real brains of the operation while Roy is the useful idiot he can use to put a respectable face on things. Roy as a character might as well just be a list of far right talking points the writers found on Twitter wearing a cowboy hat, but Jon Hamm is playing the hell out of him. Lorraine apparently calling the president of the United States to have a guy assassinated is such a wild flex. "What's the point of being a billionaire if you cant have people killed?" I think Lorraine does care about the people in her inner circle in her own way, she really did seem upset by Danish's fate despite how poorly she treated him and she even called Dot her daughter, even if I can imagine this wont turn everything around and make their family Christmas less awkward. Munch pulling the tiger out of her cage was amazing, although I was really confused by Dot leaving her first gun behind, that doesn't seem like her at all. Possibly the dumbest thing Roy has ever done was double cross Munch, he's goin to be the real wildcard here.

I went into this just asking for something good enough to wash the bad taste of Secret Invasion out of my mouth, and so far this is off to a really good start. It feels like its been so long since Hawkeye I am really glad that they gave us a bit of a recap what what happened and why Echo "killed" Fisk. I am also really glad that they already confirmed that he's alive by the end of the episode, because...come on of course he is, no one bought that he was actually dead. I as wondering if we would see Daredevil show up but I was still really surprised to see him appear so soon, his fight with Echo and the mooks was pretty awesome. You can tell that this show is looking to return to the more gritty Netflix show vibes, not just with the fight scenes and darker tone but even the camera work, which feels much more Daredevil than She-Hulk. I am really not part of the "MCU is dying" crowd who complain about every single Disney show, but I do think that they could use a bit more of that street level grit and I think that this show can provide this. Its a great start, I am already pulled in. Poor Maya had a really rough day, losing her mom, her leg, and having to move to a totally different place and leave the rest of her family behind. The shows cast seems really solid, I hope that we keep getting flashbacks to William because Zahn McClarnon being on my screen is always a good thing, and maybe we can find out more about what happened. Interesting that we started with this more mystical origin of the Choctaw as we head into this mostly gritty crime story, I am very interested in where that ends up going. I would normally say that its more thematic than literal, but its the MCU so this all presumably really did happen and there will be some more magic stuff happening in the background.

This shows casting has been excellent, its almost been too good, like I always end up liking the one off gods and monsters so much that I'm sad to see them go at the end of each episode. Casting a professional wrestler as Ares (who of course no starts online flame wars for fun) is brilliant casting, he was so much fun. Scary, blood thirsty, but also weirdly likable and fun in a bloody sort of way. Loved watching Grover playing him for information was hilarious, he was so touched at Grover mentioning his little known wars and at his annoyance with Athena. And her stupid owl. I am also always thrilled to have Timothy Omundson on my screen, who I really hope we see again soon, he did a lot with only a little. The Greek gods really are a hot mess of a family.

I continue to adore Honeybees love of Guy Fieri, he's truly her Alanis. I was hoping to see a bigger ensemble episode after the break, but I liked getting a three stories episode, lots of really funny lines and great animation. Especially Goose being a literal goose who could fly but as sucked into the jet engine, and Wolf adding sweaty sexy male volleyball into every scene. Honestly, they would fit right in with that bizarre Matrix 2 rave scene. I actually looked up all of their stories, and they really are based on actual stories from Alaska! Bob Ross really did serve in the air force in Alaska and he really was inspired by the snow and mountains. The person who created the Alaskan flag really was a fourteen year old boy, and ranch dressing was, in fact, invented in Alaska! I feel like I have been so educated!

"Gene was doing homework? That's new" That was a really good episode, both plots had the Belchers get a win. Sort of weird wins, but wins never the less. Bob using the song to figure out where to turn really was brilliant, even if he cant do much to help with Gene's homework he should still feel good about himself. I love that the kids were all totally excited to go and save Teddy, but Bob understandably said no due to safety. Poor Teddy, he's either never had a panic attack or he's always having one. I think we all know which one it is.

This is what some critics and studio execs consider a "comedy"? I think that probably says more about them than it says about the movie itself, which is many things, but a comedy it is not. Did Elizabeth complaining that the kids she was auditioning for the Joe role were "cute, but mot sexy enough" ring too close to home for too many industry people? I guess it has a few funny moments and some of the purposefully melodramatic shots and music gave it at times a bit of a campy tone, but overall it was a disturbing and sad character study. I think the at times over the top look of the movie was more a shout out to the way these stories about adult women abusing teenage boys they have positions of power over get portrayed in this very salacious campy way, and find the tragedy. I overall thought this was a really well done movie, even if it made for uncomfortable viewing. All of the actors were excellent, I can see why Julianne Moore, Natalie Portman, and Charles Melton, who does a whole lot with relatively little screen time as compared to Moore and Portman. He really gives off the body language and tones of a nervous teenager not a grown man, it works so well to really emphasize how much he has been hurt by Gracie and how he continues to be manipulated and abused by her. Even when he had his awkward hook up with Elizabeth it felt like Elizabeth is a praying on him all over again, even though they're the same age, his development was so stunted by the abuse. Gracie was so creepy and Julianne Moore did a great job at giving her this very little girl lost sort of affect that all feeds into her narrative about how Joe was the man driving their whole relationship while she was a sheltered little belle. So many insanely gross moments where she just throws out stuff like how Joe and her son were in the same grade at school, how he was with tons of women (girls, because he was an actual child) and how he was the one who seduced her, with that creepy soft little girl lisp that is so obviously manipulative. When she was sobbing into Joe's arms about her stupid cakes while trying to guilt him for taking a walk with Elizabeth I half expected her to wink at the camera. I really hope that this leads to Joe leaving Gracie and getting all of the therapy, and hopefully his kids get help too. They seem to be really close with their dad, much more than their toxic manipulative mother, maybe they could all start over again without her. The only thing I thought was actually funny was at the end where it was revealed that Elizabeth's movie that she was going all of this pretentious research on was some cheesy low budget made for TV movie. That and when one of the drama students asked her about doing sex scenes and she starts on that super awkward speech about simulating sex in a room full of men while the students and teacher are clearly uncomfortable, in general the few laughs I got were from Elizabeth's pretentiousness. Everything with Gracie, Joe, and their family was sad and disturbing.

I am pretty disappointed by Strange apparently totally forgetting all the lessons he learned last season and just going back to doing the exact same thing. I would have preferred another villain with a big team up, so sadly this season on a bit of a low note for me. It was also yet another "Captain Carter is the most awesome hero ever!" episode, which is frustrating when you have the opportunity to use basically any character you can dream up plus the endless amount of underused MCU characters they could feature instead of using the same character who is doing the same things. I did like seeing more of Kahhori, even if she got stuck as Peggy's sidekick mostly shooting out generic energy beams in the too long fight scene. I love how she and Peggy could apparently easily pick up and use Thor's Hammer, Hela's helmet, the Infinity Glove, and basically every other super powerful McGuffin like its no big deal at all. Sure it took entire movies of character development for anyone else to use those, but if you have the power of being the super awesome special protag, you can do anything! I might not have been so over Peggy by the end of this if everything didn't come so easily for her. I really liked the glimpses we got of other variations of other heroes and villains during the big brawl, but overall I didn't love this one, especially compared to last seasons finale. I was really hoping this season would focus more on new characters, especially as the greater MCU is trying to pivot towards the next generation. Overall I thought that this season on stronger individual episodes than the first season, with the Hela, Ego, and Kahhori episodes, but a weaker story overall.

Well...that was certainly a Zach Snyder production. Zach Snyder has a great eye for visual storytelling and his movies tend to look really good (even with his constant use of pointless slow motion) but his stories and characters tend to be so bland and lifeless, they spout dull dialogue that he seems to think his profound instead of talking like actual people and his plots are incredibly standard, all style over substance. This one might be his most Snyder film yet. Great visuals for the most part, but the story and characters were dull as dirt. I really did want to like this, I wanted to think the critics were too harsh, but no, they were totally right. I found this honestly hard to finish, I was so bored. The characters were so boring, the fight against the Evil Empire was so generic, I did not care even a tiny bit about these characters or what was going on, which was too bad because on paper these characters and this universe had a lot going for them, but it was all such a clear ripoff of better stories. I can watch anything Star Wars related or Seven Samurai or literally any space opera ever instead of this sorry copy. The lack of any kind of humor really did help make this feel so bland, I don't need a million quips a second, but there was not even one single funny moment of any kind, it make this so dull. Even famously serious Christopher Noland movies will usually have some funny quips or bits to lighten the mood or add some fun character beats, but here everyone is so serious all of them time, its so BORING.

The multiple Roy's joke was pretty hilarious, I think that the point of it was to break through his whole "untouchable tough guy lawman" act and not only make him look ridiculous (which can be even worse than looking corrupt) but wait for him to totally freak out the second anyone doesn't immediately worship or fear him, which he did. Not a great look for a supposed badass to flip out and throw a temper tantrum at a bit of ribbing. Poor Dot, of course she'll survive this but its not going to be a fun time for her, especially now that Roy is extra pissed off. You could just see his face contorting to more and more rage as he walked towards Dot, he's a pathetic loser who hates nothing more than being called out as a pathetic loser. I cant really decide how I feel about Roy as a villain. Jon Hamm is doing a great job, he's certainly a real threat, and I sure as hell want him defeated, but he's also sort of boring, especially with all of the screen time he gets. Almost all of his scenes are sort of the same, he says evil stuff, does evil stuff, quotes the bible in ways to prove his "points", etc. On the other hand, not every bad guy has to be complex or even likable, some bad guys just suck, especially ones that are also domestic abusers, and we just want to cheer when they get their comeuppance, so I guess we will have to see how it all plays out. Its too bad it took her loser husband cheating on her to finally get Indira to drop him, god knows why she put up with him for so long or even what ever made him appealing to her in the first place. My guess is that she ends up saving the day? Or being the backup that Dot is going to need? I am assuming that Gator has no idea his father killed his mom, its sure going to be interesting if/when he finds out. he has to have a least a tiny bit of resentment towards a dad who named him Gator. I think that Dot made up the whole Linda thing in her head, she never saw Linda and while she always told herself that Linda ran off, a part of her might have known the truth. This season is clearly trying to deal with issues of gender and misogyny, but I am not sure what the point will end up being. So far we have a theme of women being victimized or underestimated by men, women who are way smarter and tougher than they are given credit for, and mostly men who either are misogynistic assholes or are nice but ineffectual.

So I was really looking forward to this one, I am a really big fan of the comic Marvel 1602, and while I did have fun watching it, it really wasn't as good as I wanted it to be. I wanted them to do more with the time period besides have MCU characters wear funny costumes and having them throw in a thee and a thou every once in awhile. My favorite parts were the parts when they were having the most fun with the characters and the period, like Loki as a spoiled actor, Wanda as the court magician, and the way they used the shrinking technology. We have Steve form this own Merry Men without Sam? Really? I have to say though, I think my biggest issue with the episode was they went WAY over the top in their Captain Carter worship. I like Peggy a lot too, but the Watcher was going on about her like she was the dang second coming, the greatest superhero to every hero, it all felt so over the top. Its clear that she is the writers favorite character hence why she shows up so much (and it looks like she's going to be the star of the finale) despite the MCU having so many underused characters and aspects. Even with this cool idea for an AU its still the Peggy show.

This season has been hit or miss, but this episode really stuck the landing. I was really moved seeing the three queens all together and Elizabeth's younger self saluting her as she walks away into the light, I think it was a very fitting and classy tribute. Say what you will about the queen and the monarchy, but she really has been an institution and her dedication to her role in the country is something that not many people have the strength for. It was so great seeing Claire Foy and Olivia Coleman again and I am glad that they both got some screen time with Imelda, seeing them all together I really did feel a sense of continuity between all of them in ways that I have not always. I am fine with Charles and Camilla finally getting married. Its a bit silly for them not to be married when everyone knows that they're together and as Elizabeth said, having an unmarried monarch on the throne is a recipe for trouble. I did really enjoy watching them have to eat a bit of crow at least, not getting the full royal wedding treatment (which you know Charles would have wanted) and having to bow and scrape and ask for their sins to be forgiven before they could get the go ahead, they deserve to have some shade thrown at them, especially as Charles continues to make everything about him. Of course it was Elizabeth who actually talked to them about their dad getting remarried, not Charles and Camilla, and he ends up whining about how they're "ruining his big day after he's waited so long" which is a really shitty thing to say on several levels. They already know that Charles was obsessed with Camilla even when he was married to their mother, could he maybe not rub it in? As soon as William and Harry mentioned a costume party I was like "oh Harry no you idiot" and yet it still happened. At least we got that hilarious scene where Philip called to ream out the costume shop for having an inaccurate uniform. I am really happy that we got a few more classic Philip bits. We even got one last family picture with Philip getting annoyed and telling them to just take the damn picture. The first few seasons were definitely the shows best, but I still overall really enjoyed the show and I am going to miss it and its amazing cast, even though this is absolutely the right time to end the show. I am happy that, even as the show zigzagged all over the place, we came back to where we started, with Elizabeth and the Crown.

That was a really interesting episode and a bit of a risk, bringing in all new characters for an episode where no one speaks English, but it was also probably my favorite episode so far. I really like that they went out of their way to do something different here. Strange has entered the chat!