arachne

There isn't a Season 4 thread, so I'm posting this here. Last night I saw the Season 4 "Thanksgiving" episode. Liked it well enough -- especially when Chris phoned his old prison buddies on air -- but one thing baffles me: Toward the end, Marilyn confronts Joel, who is squatting miserably under his desk. She invites him to join the Indians-only Thanksgiving parade, saying: "You're not white anymore." Why? Can't figure that out.

The moment Dan said the line in question, I knew that was it. But I enjoyed the scene anyway. Also enjoyed how the episode introduced the idea of paranormal stuff, then debunked it, finally to re-introduce it at the end.

Saddest thing about the Mark Robinson segment: When Robinson was shown putting down women in his speech -- saying they should never be allowed to lead anything -- some of the cheering sounded distinctly female. 😢

Never heard of "pig butchering" as such, but I know about a lot of stuff like it. Years ago, I almost fell for a scam for software to fix what I thought was computer damage. Had to close and then re-open my bank account. (Lucky to have a computer-savvy friend helping me out.) This is why I have nothing to do with bitcoins or online dating apps.

The other night I watched the Season 3 episode "Only You" that reminded me how much things have changed. Chris's pheromones made him irresistible to women -- all except one, Irene the optometrist. She didn't feel it at all. Chris was baffled, and that only turned him onto her more. Irene wasn't married, didn't have a boyfriend, and wasn't gay. I'm sure if that show had aired nowadays, the idea of "asexuality" would have come up. But thirty years ago, that was practically unheard of.

There's been a lot of speculation as to what Crowley's original name was. I will go out on a limb and suggest "Nechesh." That's the Hebrew name of the serpent in the Garden of Eden story. BTW: If you're at all familiar with Hebrew gematria, it's interesting to note that Nechesh has the same numeric value as another word, Moshiach (Messiah). Just my 11 cents. 😉

I'm happy to be re-connecting with this show now that it's on Prime Video. Actually it's closer to "connecting" -- I did watch Northern Exposure back in the day, but didn't start until Season 4. Just starting Season 2 now, and am pleasantly surprised by how well-developed the characters are, even in the early episodes. I know that some viewers are complaining about the age gap between Shelley and Holling, or Shelley and Maurice, and they sound skeeved out by it. IMO, they're viewing the setup thru contemporary glasses. Back when the series first ran, the May/December thing was just one more quirky detail in a show that was full of them.

Hmm... this Monk sounds like a "Gary Stu" (i.e., a male Mary Sue.) 😏

Yeah, I looked forward to watching the old show back in the day. I used to call it "my favorite dumb show."

Well, I'll never hear "Carol of the Bells" the same way again! Interesting that once the Goblins were dealt with, and baby Ruby was picked up at the church, the Doctor chose not to pursue the Mysterious Hooded Person who dropped her off. I guess that person will remain a mystery, at least for now.

He was fun to watch on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, but I must be honest: He'll always be Det. Frank Pembleton to me. Gone way too soon. (Why is it always the nasty ones that seem to live forever?) 😢

I was just as enthralled as most people by this week's episode. It had me on edge throughout, it was scary and trippy all at once. Especially seeing the Doctor work something out without his trusty screwdriver! Just one little quibble re the cold open. I'm all for diversity and inclusion on this show (unlike some media commentators I've heard) and as far as I'm concerned, RTD or any other writer can give their own characters any race/creed/gender/orientation etc. they want to. I don't even mind when those characters are altered from the original work (ex: House of the Dragon.) But I must draw the line when it comes to historic figures like Isaac Newton. Giving the part to an apparently non-white actor is unnecessary and overly distracting from the story, and I'm afraid it might give kids (still a good chunk of this audience) the wrong idea. (/slightly OT: In case anyone is thinking of it, I don't have the same problem with a musical like Hamilton. That had its own style and its own points to make. /slightlyOT)

FWIW: I may be female, but that doesn't mean I can "let it go" (whatever that means) more easily than any other gender. But overall, I enjoyed this special episode, though I'm saddened to see how it has polarized so many fans. Some of that vitriol I've seen on YouTube -- couldn't imagine that happening fifteen years ago! 😟

And he's got plenty of time on his hands. (I'll see myself out...)

Re Bill's final New Rule: Private Catholic schools have more favorable statistics than public schools at least partly because those students who don't make the grade are kicked back to the public school system, which doesn't have that option. Bill either doesn't know or ignores this. Almost laughable to watch Bill argue with Jordan Peterson about the sexual revolution. So young people are having less sexual activity than they used to -- and that is bad why, Bill? As usual, he blames cell phones and the internet. And the concept of "asexuality" appears totally unfathomable to him. (But I do agree with Bill about Mike Johnson and his son monitoring each other. Creepy!) Bill has been lauded for bringing conservatives like Ted Cruz on the show. (I know, Cruz had a new book to plug.) In fact, Bill will welcome anyone -- regardless of their politics -- who agrees with him about "wokeness", the Israeli-Hamas conflict, etc. I've said this before, but it bears repeating: Bill's world view boils down to, Why can't everyone be like me? I must have some kind of masochistic streak. How many times have I sworn off Real Time forever, only to end up watching the next week? (Sigh)